Weight Loss Fatigue Joint Pain

How Do I Care For Abdominal Pain And Unintentional Weight Loss At Home

Abdominal pain can cause you to not feel like eating or drinking. Drink small sips of water or a beverage that contains electrolytes, such as Pedialyte, to avoid becoming dehydrated.

Eating several small meals instead of fewer larger ones can help. Avoid high-fat, greasy foods, such as pizza or french fries. They can make your symptoms worse. Instead, try eating:

• broth-based soups

How Fat Affects Fibromyalgia

Excess weight leads to more pain and fatigue and lower quality of life.

Fibromyalgia hurts more when youre overweight. Having too much body fat and too little muscle also increases fatigue and worsens many other symptoms. Studies show that losing weight and exercising help dial down the pain while improving daily function.

Potential Biases In The Overview Process

The authors deem this overview to have several limitations.

Any overview will always be limited by the risks of bias of the included systematic reviews and their included studies. As previously stated an overview depends on the methodological quality of the individual studies and is never capable of increasing the strength of the studies with high risks of bias .

Extraction of data was limited to Cochrane reviews and we did not seek additional information from the authors of the included studies or systematic reviews. Lack of separate reporting of fatigue and/or weight loss outcomes from the studies within the included and excluded systematic reviews may have limited our ability to analyse and compare interventions. CP and SM abstracted data independently for this review. Most of the included systematic reviews also employed two review authors to independently abstract data.

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When To See A Healthcare Provider

If you’re worried you may be experiencing symptoms of an autoimmune condition, be sure to see a healthcare provider for a comprehensive evaluation, which will include a thorough physical examination, blood tests, and possibly imaging tests.

If your primary care or family healthcare provider suspects an autoimmune process, you will likely be referred to a specialist, such as a rheumatologist , an endocrinologist , or a gastroenterologist .

Data Collection And Analysis

Selection of reviews

Two overview authors independently applied the selection criteria to reviews. We included reviews studying interventions with fatigue and/or unintentional weight loss as primary treatment intent. We listed reviews identifying interventions impacting on fatigue and/or unintentional weight loss in advanced progressive illness, where the treatment of these symptoms was not the primary indication for the intervention within excluded studies. We resolved disagreements through discussion. For this version of the overview it was not deemed necessary by the authors to seek additional information from the authors of the included systematic reviews.

Data extraction and management

Two overview authors extracted the data independently using a data extraction form. Disagreements were arbitrated by the third overview author and we reached a majority decision by discussion. The data extraction form summarised key characteristics of the review including the date on which the review content was last assessed as up to date, the review objectives, information on participants, interventions examined, comparisons performed, outcomes assessed, comparisons performed and review limitations. Due to the heterogeneity of the included systematic reviews, comparisons and data grouping were not possible. The data are grouped according to condition, intervention and/or symptom as appropriate.

Assessment of methodological quality of included reviews

Data synthesis

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Autoimmune Diseases That Mess With Your Weight

Autoimmune diseases happen when your body’s immune system starts attacking its own organs, tissues, and cells. Although they’re on the rise, they’re also tricky to diagnose. Symptoms can creep up slowly, and many of themlike achy joints, fatigue, and tummy troublesoverlap with other disorders.

But there’s one symptom that many autoimmune diseases share: weight changes. “Almost everyone with an autoimmune disorder has it affect their weight one way or the other,” says Mark Engelman, MD, a clinical consultant for Cyrex Laboratories, a clinical lab specializing in functional immunology.

So if the number on the scale suddenly goes up or down with no good explanation, take stock of whether you’ve experienced any other weird, nagging symptoms, and talk to your doctor if you think an autoimmune disease could be to blame. While Engelman notes that just about any autoimmune disease can affect your weight to some extent, here are a few of the most common culprits.

This autoimmune disorder affects the adrenal glands, which regulate the hormones that help you cope with stress and regulate your blood pressure. When the adrenal glands don’t produce enough of these hormones, it can cause decreased appetite, nausea, and sudden weight loss. If you’ve been exhausted or lightheaded lately, or your mood has been off, mention it to your doctor.

Polymyalgia Rheumatica And Giant Cell Arteritis

Some people with polymyalgia rheumatica experience giant cell arteritis . Giant cell arteritis involves painful inflammation of the blood vessels of the skull. Symptoms include:

• severe headache
• pain in the side of your jaw or face when chewing
• temples are tender to touch
• scalp tenderness.

Seek urgent medical attention if you experience any of these symptoms. If not treated promptly, giant cell arteritis can cause damage to the arteries of the eye, which can lead to blindness.

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About Weight Loss And Fatigue

According to Ralph Gonzales and Paul L. Nadler in “Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment,” fatigue generally falls into one of three categories: generalized weakness, or problems beginning tasks easy tiring after beginning a task and mental fatigue, or difficulty concentrating. Weight loss is generally one of two types: voluntary weight loss, which is associated with diet and exercise, is not medically concerning involuntary weight loss, which is a loss of at least 5 percent of a person’s body weight over at least six months when he is not trying to lose weight, is medically concerning.

Search Methods For Identification Of Reviews

Searching by identified key word or subject heading would be unreliable due to the diverse range of interventions and illnesses under review. We handsearched the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews by title for all reviews that might assess the effect of an intervention on fatigue and/or unintentional weight loss in adults with advanced progressive illness. We further reviewed titles of interest by abstract. Where the relevance of a review remained unclear we obtained the full paper and reached a consensus regarding the relevance of the participant group and the outcome measures to the overview.

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Conditions Affecting Brain ‘drive’ To Muscles

Anxiety: generalised tiredness can be caused by anxiety. This is due to overactivity of the body’s adrenaline system.

Depression: general weariness and a feeling of generalised tiredness can also be caused by depression.

Note: anxiety and depression are both conditions which tend to cause a sense of tiredness and ‘fatigability’ rather than true weakness.

Chronic pain: a general effect on energy levels can result from chronic pain. Like anxiety, it stimulates the production of chemical substances in the body which respond to pain and injury. These chemicals lead to feelings of tiredness or fatigue. In chronic pain, true weakness can result, as muscles may not be used due to pain and discomfort.

Criteria For Considering Reviews For Inclusion

We included all Cochrane reviews that assessed the effects of an intervention on fatigue and/or unintentional weight loss in adults with advanced progressive illness in the overview. Systematic reviews published outside The Cochrane Library would not be included, nor would systematic reviews which only included children.

Types of studies

We included Cochrane systematic reviews of interventions with fatigue and/or unintentional weight loss as primary treatment intent.

Types of participants

Adults 18 years or older with an advanced progressive illness known to have clinically significant fatigue and/or weight loss in the latter stages of illness. These conditions include degenerative neurological conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and dementia, irreversible organ failure, cancer with distant metastasis and acquired immune deficiency syndrome .

Types of outcome measure

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Description Of The Condition

In this overview, advanced progressive illnesses are defined as conditions for which there is no cure and which have significant morbidity in the latter stages of illness. These conditions include degenerative neurological conditions, irreversible organ failure, cancer with metastatic spread and acquired immune deficiency syndrome . The underlying medical condition can affect both the speed of functional decline and the potential for health improvements with appropriate interventions .

Fatigue and unintentional weight loss are two of the commonest symptoms experienced by people with advanced progressive illness and can be of great concern to those affected and of even greater concern to formal and informal caregivers . Altered metabolism, inadequate intake of nutrients, muscle deconditioning and poor energy management have all been implicated in the development and exacerbation of these symptoms . Other common symptoms within advanced illness such as pain, anxiety and depression are not the focus of this review.

Fatigue

• anaemia

• Cognitive: inability to concentrate, lack of attention, poor memory, difficulty thinking and impaired decision making .

The National Council for Palliative Care state that interventions to control symptoms such as fatigue and unintentional weight loss can bring considerable improvements in function and quality of life to seriously ill people and their families, reducing physical, psychological and spiritual distress .

Is Your Thyroid Hyper

When the thyroid gland is overactive , it produces excess hormones that increase metabolism and lead to weight loss.

Other symptoms of hyperthyroidism are nervousness, irritability, fatigue, muscle weakness, heat intolerance, difficulty sleeping, shaky hands, rapid or irregular heartbeat, diarrhea, and mood changes.

Hyperthyroidism is treated with medication, radioiodine therapy, and sometimes surgery.

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When To Seek Medical Help

Seek immediate medical attention if youre vomiting blood or observe blood in your stool. Also, old blood in the vomitus can resemble coffee grounds. And sometimes stool may not contain red blood but may be maroon or black and tarlike.

Seek immediate medical attention if your pain suddenly worsens. And make an appointment to see your doctor if:

• you have a fever greater than 100°F
• your appetite doesnt return in three to five days
• your stomach pain lasts longer than a week
• your stomach pain gets worse

This information is a summary. Always seek medical attention if youre concerned that you may be experiencing a medical emergency.

Symptoms Of Polymyalgia Rheumatica

The symptoms of polymyalgia rheumatica usually develop over a short period of time and may include:

• muscle pain and stiffness, particularly in the neck, shoulders, hips, thighs and upper arms
• increased pain and stiffness after youve been resting or inactive
• fatigue
• difficulty sleeping
• difficulty raising arms above shoulder height
• weight loss
• slight fever.

Not everyone will experience all of these symptoms. Each person with polymyalgia rheumatica will have their own unique set of symptoms.

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How Is Lupus Diagnosed

Doctors diagnose lupus by asking about symptoms and doing an exam. They’ll also do blood tests to look for:

• anemia and other blood problems
• proteins such as antinuclear antibodies , which are present in many people with lupus

Diagnosing lupus can be hard because it can affect almost any organ in the body, and symptoms vary widely from patient to patient.

Cant Catch Your Breath

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a chronic inflammatory lung disease often caused by smoking. Symptoms include coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing.

As the disease advances, patients become more undernourished and need a high calorie diet. COPD is treated with medication, respiratory rehabilitation, and nutrition counseling.

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Ongoing Symptoms Of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic illness and people described different symptoms which they experienced whilst living with the disease, some of which were eased by the medication prescribed but others that persisted. Joint instability, inflammation and deterioration are all causes of pain and most people we interviewed had these in some form. Some people also have rheumatoid nodules which are bumps/lumps which can appear overnight on tendons and joints. Most commonly nodules on elbows and fingers were mentioned. These were not necessarily painful, sometimes disappeared on their own or required aspiration, a steroid injection or surgery for removal.People described pain in many ways’ extraordinary, incredible, absolute agony, excruciating, pumping, intolerable, burning, tingling, nervy, like toothache without the teeth, a raging fever, feet shouting at me etc. Many felt that the hardest thing about RA was having to ‘struggle against the pain’, ‘deal with the pain’ or ‘manage the pain’ on a daily basis. Ongoing, ‘grinding’ pain was debilitating, people couldn’t tackle problems, it sapped their energy and de-motivated them.One woman talked about the pain she had had and steeling herself against the pain to go through the pain barrier. People also said they had become used to the pain, learnt to cope with it and that their pain tolerance levels had been raised. Sometimes this was bad as they didn’t immediately notice more severe joint damage.

What Is Sjgrens Syndrome

Sjögrens syndrome is an autoimmune condition. This means that the immune system, which is the bodys natural self-defence system, gets confused and starts to attack your bodys healthy tissues.

Inflammation is your bodys normal reaction to injury or infection. You might notice inflammation if you have a cut or a wound. It causes the affected area to hurt and turn red. It may also become hot, as fluid rushes to the area and causes swelling.

The inflammation seen in Sjögrens syndrome particularly affects the glands in your body that produce tears and saliva. This causes your eyes and mouth to become dry. Other parts of the body can also be affected, leading to dryness of the:

• skin

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Alcohol And Substance Abuse

Excessive alcohol and/or drug use often leads to weight loss, simply as a result of the sufferer not looking after themselves properly. Friends and family may notice the weight loss first without being aware theres an underlying cause of addiction. Classic symptoms vary, depending on the substance, but can include, in addition to weight loss:

• sickness due to withdrawal
• a general unwell look e.g. grey in colour or gaunt in the face
• insomnia
• neglect of other interests
• spending more time on activities where alcohol or drugs are easily available.

If you are concerned about your drinking or drug habits, or that of someone you know, you should consult a doctor about the best ways of tackling addiction. About 1 in 3 sufferers can cure their addiction without professional help. Indeed, simply accepting you might have a problem and seeking help for it is, for many, the biggest step to cutting back. Others may prefer to seek advice from counsellors or their doctor to stop their addiction.

Why Would Rheumatoid Arthritis Cause Weight Loss

RA probably isnt the first disease that comes to mind when you think of unexplained weight loss, but there are a few reasons why RA sometimes causes people to lose weight.

Early on, when the disease is active, theres a lot of inflammation, and can be a side effect of inflammation, says Joshua Baker, MD, assistant professor of rheumatology and epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania and Philadelphia VA Medical Center.

More specifically, the same cytokines that wreak havoc on the joints of people with RA also impact metabolism and contribute to the breakdown of muscle. That could happen if you have RA but havent yet been diagnosed if youve been newly diagnosed and treatment hasnt had a chance to kick in or if youve been living with RA for a while but your current treatment has stopped working.

Another reason rheumatoid arthritis can cause weight loss is that it can decrease your appetite, says Caroline A. Andrew, MD, a medical weight management specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. Aches and pains can be a factor as well: If a person has significant joint pain and cannot move easily or exercise, there may be a loss of muscle mass, causing weight loss, she says.

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Tuberculosis: Its Not Just In History Books

Tuberculosis, a bacterial infection of the lungs, is associated with loss of appetite and unintended weight loss.

Other symptoms include a cough that lasts 3 weeks or longer, coughing up blood, chest pain, fatigue, fever, night sweats, and chills. The infection can be treated with medication or prevented with vaccines.

When To See A Doctor

Many of the symptoms of leukemia may be caused by other, more common conditions. However, if youre experiencing any symptoms that could potentially be related to leukemia, its best to see a doctor who can figure out the cause. Its particularly important to seek a doctor’s guidance if symptoms persist or worsen.

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How Is Lupus Treated

Treatment for lupus depends on the organs involved. There is no cure for it, but treatment can help control symptoms. Often, a patient with lupus has a health care team with specialists such as:

• a rheumatologist
• a nephrologist
• an infectious disease specialist
• a dermatologist
• a social worker
• a psychologist

Medicines can help lower the risk of flare-ups and improve symptoms. Someone with lupus may take:

• corticosteroids to control inflammation
• immunosuppressive drugs to lower the body’s immune response
• antimalarial drugs to help treat skin rashes and joint pain
• acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , such as ibuprofen or naproxen, for joint and muscle pain

Doctors may also recommend that people with lupus:

• Avoid the sun as much as possible and wear sunscreen and protective clothing when outside to help reduce the number of flare-ups.
• Get regular exercise to help with tiredness and joint stiffness.