Lack of appetite is a sign that often indicates various disorders of the body. It is either present in humans in combination with other symptoms of the disease, or occurs as the only manifestation of the pathology. If, in addition to the loss of craving for food, an individual has a significant decrease in weight, this situation is usually associated with a serious ailment.
Loss of appetite - a signal of a malfunction in the body
In order for a person to receive a sufficient amount of substances important for health and able to lead a full life, he needs to eat right. However, it happens that the individual ceases to feel the need for food. Sometimes in such a situation, all products are rejected and provoke discomfort, deterioration of well-being. In this case, it is important to seek medical help on time. In the absence of appetite, there are various reasons. Pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, nervous system, endocrine glands, viruses, neoplasms can cause such a symptom. Sometimes loss of craving for food is accompanied by weakness, vomiting.
Why does appetite disappear with various ailments?
The need for food is a natural mechanism that can be explained by physiological factors. The brain of a healthy individual gives signals to the organs of the gastrointestinal tract, and they produce certain substances that cause a person to be attracted to food. If there is a lack of appetite, then the nervous system is engaged in solving other, more significant problems. This condition is often accompanied by pathologies of the stomach and intestines. Moreover, the loss of interest in food is a mechanism for protecting the human body from undesirable effects. When an individual's body refuses food, a symptom such as nausea is often observed. This process can be called quite natural. It helps to relieve the stomach of food in the situation when it is necessary. Nausea is a symptom that a doctor pays attention to when making a diagnosis.
The feeling of being overwhelmed is also a common ailment. Any person has come across him at least once in his life, especially during a period of intense labor activity. Performing the usual work, the individual feels very tired, quickly exhausted. Lack of appetite, nausea, weakness are signs characteristic of both adults and minors. What causes this symptomatology can be explained in the following sections of the article.
Factors Contributing to Food Refusal
A situation in which a person does not feel like eating, can be explained by the following circumstances:
- The use of medications (for example, nausea, vomiting, lack of appetite due to chemotherapy for tumors, taking heavy antiviral drugs).
- Disturbances of emotional balance (emotional overload, grief, excitement or depression).
- Surgical interventions.
- The period of gestation, which is accompanied by a refusal of food, nausea and dizziness.
- Adverse situations associated with food intake.
- Appearance and properties of products that provoke negative memories.
- Addiction to alcohol, drugs.
- A problem associated with a disturbance in the perception of one's body and observance of excessively rigid diets.
Should I see a doctor?
It must be remembered that this symptom does not in all cases indicate any malfunction in the work of the human body. Factors such as individual characteristics, gender, age, health, physical activity and working conditions should be considered. Persons who exercise regularly are more likely to need food than those who hardly exercise. Young people are less likely to tolerate hunger than older people.
However, one must remember that a person who has been suffering from a lack of appetite for a long time needs to seek medical help. Modern medical examinations, as well as a survey and examination of a doctor, make it possible to clearly establish the cause of the violation.
Sometimes not the patient himself, but his relatives pay attention to the occurrence of this symptom. This situation is characteristic of individuals under stress or suffering from depression. In such cases, the doctor uses a questionnaire or test to identify emotional problems.
Diagnostic Features
The disease with which this symptom is associated is quite simple for a specialist to determine when it gives a pronounced clinical picture. For example, with a combination of stool disorders, vomiting and lack of appetite, additional examinations may not be required.
However, in some cases, the loss of food needs is not accompanied by other signs of any deviation. For example, in patients with eating disorders. This situation is very dangerous. After all, a person or his relatives often turn to a medical institution already in the late stages of violations.
Pathology of eating behavior
Anorexia is a disease that often affects young people, especially the fair sex. The disease causes severe damage to health, because it affects all the natural mechanisms of the body that cause the need for food. For this reason, the lack of appetite in patients with anorexia is difficult and long corrected in special medical institutions, and even therapy does not give an absolute guarantee of recovery. In addition, with further development of the disorder, loss of craving for food is accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Therefore, the body of the individual quickly loses the necessary substances and fluids, weakens, is depleted.
List of pathologies associated with refusal of food
There are many diseases that provoke a lack of appetite. These include the following:
- Psychical deviations.
- Depressive state.
- Drug addiction.
- The period of gestation.
- Lack of thyroid hormones.
- Infections (Hepatitis, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, tuberculosis).
- Diseases of the digestive tract (intestines, stomach, gall bladder).
- Lymphoma
- Cancer of the digestive system.
- Anemia.
- Gastrointestinal ulcers.
- The presence of stones in the gall bladder.
- Disorders of the functions of the urinary system and liver.
- Pathologies of the heart muscle and blood vessels (e.g., hypertension).
- Infection with parasites.
- The use of medicines containing hormones.
- Surgical interventions.
- Taking excessive amounts of drugs (with drug dependence).
The period of gestation
The symptom of a lack of appetite in combination with weakness, dizziness and nausea is characteristic of expectant mothers. This is due to changes in the balance of hormones and processes that occur in the central nervous system. The pregnant body is trying to adapt to the appearance of the fetus and at the same time trying to tear it off, taking it as a foreign element. Therefore, the expectant mother feels unwell, does not tolerate certain types of food, often she has vomiting. Many women suffer from such symptoms only in the early stages of bearing a child. However, in some cases, the symptoms of toxicosis bother the pregnant woman for a long time and lead to severe malfunctions in the body.
With a significant deterioration in well-being, it is necessary to consult a gynecologist.
Refusal of food in a child
Parents are usually very worried about the fact that the baby does not want to eat. After all, his growing body lacks the useful substances necessary for well-being.
In young children, a symptom such as loss of appetite often occurs during the appearance of deciduous teeth. Gum disease and a viral infection (herpes) can also cause discomfort, leading to a refusal to eat. In infants, this symptom is often explained by disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, immaturity of the digestive system. Lack of appetite in a child, which is accompanied by crying and anxiety, a blue tint of the skin and fever, is a reason for immediately contacting a doctor.
Sometimes parents notice that their son or daughter refuses previously favorite foods. This condition may be due to the fact that the body needs a more diverse diet and other nutrients. You should be careful about the baby’s diet and feeding time. Lack of appetite in a child often occurs due to emotional overload (transfer to another educational institution, quarrels with parents, the appearance of a sister or brother, the death of a beloved pet).
Causes in adults not related to pathologies
If the loss of interest in food lasts no more than five days, disappears without a trace without the use of special drugs, does not provoke sharp weight loss, it is not dangerous for the body.
This condition may be caused by the following circumstances:
- PMS (malaise associated with a change in the balance of hormones before a critical day).
- In the absence of appetite, the cause in an adult may be overeating in the evening, after work. If a person did not have the opportunity to dine normally, by dinner he will experience severe hunger. A large amount of heavy food causes nausea, poor sleep, and vomiting after waking up. Naturally, this condition is associated with loss of appetite.
- Starvation and strict diets for a long time. This symptom is explained by the fact that the organs of the digestive system cease to perceive food normally. Strong food restrictions reduce the ability to work, impair immunity, and make a person susceptible to various infections and stresses.
- Chronic fatigue. Severe weakness and lack of appetite are often observed in those who work for wear. Therefore, experts recommend giving enough time to sleep and rest.
When is medical assistance needed?
A person needs to see a doctor in the following circumstances:
- Nausea and lack of appetite, as well as vomiting, do not go away for five days.
- These phenomena are accompanied by discomfort in the abdominal cavity, throat, or back.
- The pain is acute.
- There is an increase in temperature, intestinal upset.
- Blood particles are found in the stool, vomit.
What should be done at home?
If the lack of appetite in an adult or a minor is due to reasons not related to pathology (eating poor-quality food, hormonal changes), the patient should be given as much fluid as possible (water, mineral water, decoctions of cranberries, chamomile). The use of enzyme-containing products is recommended. In the presence of a viral disease, funds are needed to combat microbes. You should also adjust the diet. Food should be easily digestible. Boiled foods suitable for steaming (lean meat, poultry, vegetables) are suitable. It is worth abandoning hungry diets that have a detrimental effect on the state of the digestive system.
What medical events does the specialist prescribe?
If a person has lost his appetite due to a serious malfunction in the body, the doctor recommends undergoing examinations to help establish the cause of the ailment.
Diagnostics usually includes the following procedures:
- Laboratory blood tests. General and biochemical is assigned.
- The study of other biomaterials.
- Assessment of the condition of the chest using x-ray radiation.
- Cardiogram.
- Examination of the patient by a general practitioner, as well as doctors of various profiles.
conclusions
Lack of interest in food is a condition that periodically occurs in everyone, regardless of gender or age. If this phenomenon is not present for a long time, is not accompanied by a pronounced deterioration in well-being and loss of kilograms, do not worry. The human body itself is able to recover from illness, surgery or negative external influences. But when the appetite is absent for quite some time, the body is in serious danger. Cells and tissues lose the substances necessary for their normal activity. Not in all cases, you can cope with the problem yourself. Sometimes, only timely treatment for medical help can prevent the development of sad consequences.