What could be the cause of a sudden weight loss?

Question

Hi doctor,

My brother is losing weight. He has high blood sugar and sleeping problem.

I have shared the pictures of his report. Kindly refer to it.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand your concern about your brother. I saw the reports attached (attachments removed to protect the patient's identity). The only positive test is the antinuclear antibody (ANA) test, but it is +1, which is not that significant. The rest of the tests for liver disease are negative. Better assessments can be done if you share the previous blood and radiological reports, such as ultrasound abdomen, since the liver function tests are critical to deciding the treatment or any other investigations required.

Given the young age of your brother and the presence of diabetes, I suggest some form of metabolic syndrome, meaning the handling of sugar and cholesterol within the liver is also impaired.

I also suggest you share the prescription or notes of previous doctors and any treatment advised so far.

Answer 2

Hello,

Welcome back to icliniq.com.

Thanks for sharing the reports (attachments removed to protect the patient's identity). As per the reports, the liver is fatty, with spleen enlargement and raised gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) level. He is also having the signs of pancreatitis and raised sugar levels.

1. Has he been taking alcohol before? Because chronic alcohol intake can explain these reports.

2. Did he have abdominal pain before?

Looking at the computed tomography (CT) scan reports and liver function tests, I suggest nothing serious. The raised blood sugar can be a temporary problem. Due to infections or drugs, the sugar can go high in the initial phases, but once the inflammation goes off becomes normalized.

I also want to know serum amylase and serum lipase level that help diagnose pancreatitis. Did he have done them before? If yes kindly share those as well.