Anorexia - Causes and Symptoms

Definition

Premise

This article refers to anorexia as the lack of appetite that accompanies various disorders and diseases.

For the symptoms of anorexia nervosa, understood as a pathology characterized by the voluntary refusal of food due to the morbid fear of gaining weight, refer to the dedicated article by clicking here.

Loss of appetite: Causes

Anorexia - understood as a decrease in appetite or loss of appetite - presents itself with the lack of the normal sensation of hunger in conditions of food need.

Poor appetite can be the result of periods of particular physical fatigue, intense stress, depression, alcoholism or eating disorders, such as in the case of anorexia nervosa.

The febrile states caused by most infectious diseases are often associated with a sudden lack of appetite that can last for a few days, until the disappearance of hyperthermia.

Furthermore, anorexia can arise as a symptomatic effect of dehydration and chronic pathologies, including heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), renal failure and diseases of the endocrine system. A decrease in appetite can also be induced by some drugs, including amphetamines, chemotherapeutic agents and some antibiotics.

Many gastrointestinal diseases can manifest with anorexia. These include oesophagitis, gastritis, peptic ulcer, gastric carcinoma, hepatitis, appendicitis and Crohn's disease. These conditions can be associated with other symptoms such as digestive difficulties, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. In tumor forms, in particular, there may be a decrease in appetite or an unmotivated decrease in weight, in addition to a general state of weakness and cachexia.

Anorexia can arise as a result of other common causes, including: advancing age (elderly adults are often lacking appetite), difficulty swallowing, loss of sense of taste or smell, nausea and chronic pain. Even the first trimester of pregnancy is commonly associated with a poor appetite.