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I am getting thin and losing fat and muscle day-by-day for the past six years. Why?

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The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.

Answered by

Dr. Ajeet Kumar

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Preetha. J

Published At October 5, 2020
Reviewed AtJuly 31, 2023

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

I am a 23-year-old female, of height 152 cm and weight of 36 kg. Why am I losing weight? I am getting thin and losing fat and muscle day by day for the past six years. Now I have lost so much weight and developed malnutrition, anemia and became so skinny that all my clothes do not fit me anymore. All of my shirts, pants, caps, and hats have gotten loose. For the last four years, I am living a sedentary lifestyle. I always stay at home for 24 hours and occasionally go out also. I do not do any exercise or sports or extra physical activities but still, getting thin daily. Whenever I walk or do some other physical acts (stair climbing, running, etc.), I lose some inches but never recover it. Sometimes I experience digestive issues, but it gets cured after taking multivitamin tablets. I can perform my daily chores and physical activities only after taking my multivitamin or multimineral supplements. I gasp after climbing stairs, and cannot walk properly because of weakness. I started eating four to five times daily, and I poop two to three times daily.

My periods are not regular; there are two to three months gap. I am a virgin with low BMI and a nonsmoker who occasionally travels in a two to three months gap for the last four years. I have lost so much fat, muscles and have become so thin and weak. My face and head are shrinking too and has become so small. It looks like my face and body are melting day-by-day. Everything was normal with bowel gas in the whole recent abdomen ultrasound report, and PCOD in the right ovary was seen.

Why am I losing weight, and why are my muscles getting thin and weak day-by-day?

Answered by Dr. Ajeet Kumar

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Well, it is not easy to make a diagnosis out of this information at the moment. Since there are various causes within the abdomen and outside of the stomach for weight loss. Namely,

  • Celiac disease (sprue).
  • Whipple disease.
  • Others within the abdomen.
  • A systemic illness like myopathies (muscle disorder).
  • Infections like tuberculosis and HIV.
  • To reach a particular diagnosis amongst all the above, you must get some baseline investigation and show up to me and then decide what to do further. The other is you should see an internist in your area and get your self physically checked. I write down the initial baseline workup.

    Best regards.

Investigations to be done

Complete blood count, liver function tests, CPK (creatine-phosphokinase), serum amylase and lipase, TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone), Free T4 (thyroxine), Free T3 (triiodothyronine), stool detailed report, stool for fecal calprotectin, serum lactate, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, BUN (blood urea nitrogen) creatinine test, anti-TTG (Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibody) IgA (Immunoglobulin A) and IgG (Immunoglobulin G).

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Ajeet Kumar
Dr. Ajeet Kumar

Medical Gastroenterology

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