Loss of Appetite Overview

Loss of appetite also known as anorexia is caused for various reasons such as stomach diseases, anxiety, depression and excessive stress.

There are many causes for the loss of appetite and anyone can experience it. Loss of appetite can be caused for many different reasons including medical conditions, mental health conditions, and medication side effects.

Alongside a loss of appetite, an individual may also experience fatigue and weight loss if they are not eating enough food to sustain their body.

A variety of mental and physical conditions may cause your appetite to decrease.

You may have a reduced appetite due to infections, some mental health conditions, medical conditions, or taking certain medications.

A reduced appetite occurs when you have a decreased desire to eat. It may also be known as loss of appetite. The medical term for this is anorexia.

If you develop a loss of appetite, you may have related symptoms, such as unexplained weight loss or malnutrition. These can be serious if left untreated. So, it’s important to find the reason behind your reduced appetite and receive treatment for it.

What is Anorexia Nervosa?

Anorexia is the medical term to describe a loss of appetite.

Sometimes, however, this term is used to describe an eating disorder called anorexia nervosa. If you have this disorder, you intentionally limit the food you eat to lose weight.

Anorexia nervosa can affect anyone, regardless of gender identity, race, age, socioeconomic status, or other identities. It may lead to underweight, malnutrition, and life threatening complications.

If you or someone you know may be living with anorexia nervosa, consider speaking with a healthcare professional or contacting the National Alliance for Eating Disorders. They offer a daytime helpline staffed by licensed therapists and an online search tool for treatment options.

Causes of Loss of Appetite

A loss of appetite can be physical or psychological. It is often temporary due to factors such as infections or digestive issues, in which case appetite will come back when a person has recovered.

Some people may also lose their appetite as a symptom of a long-term medical condition, such as in the late stages of serious illness, including cancer. This is part of a condition that doctors call cachexia.

The medical term for a complete loss of appetite over a more extended period of time is anorexia. This is different to the eating disorder anorexia nervosa, which is a mental health issue.

Following are the possible causes for a loss of appetite.

Common Causes for Loss of Appetite

Viral or bacterial infections, such as flu or gastroenteritis, are often to blame for appetite loss. A person’s appetite usually returns when they start to recover.

Following are the common short-term causes of feeling a loss of appetite:

People with pain in their mouths, such as sores, may also experience a loss of appetite if it becomes difficult to eat.

Medical Conditions

Long-term medical conditions can cause a loss of appetite for a range of reasons that vary depending on the cause. Loss of appetite can be related to lowered immune system function, feeling unwell, and having an upset stomach.

Medical conditions that can cause a loss of appetite include:

Side Effects of Medications

A loss of appetite is a common side effect of many medications, along with other digestive issues, such as constipation or diarrhea. This is common when medications pass through a person’s stomach and digestive tract.

Medications and treatments that often cause a loss of appetite include:

If patients have recently undergone major surgery, they may experience a loss of appetite after the operation. This feeling can be partly related to anesthesia drugs.

Using drugs recreationally, such as cocaine, cannabis, and amphetamines can also cause a loss of appetite.

Psychological Causes

Psychological factors and mental health conditions can have a significant impact on a person’s appetite. These can include:

  • Anxiety
  • Eating disorders, such as bulimia or anorexia nervosa
  • Depression
  • Grief
  • Panic attacks
  • Stress

Age

A loss of appetite can also be more common in older adults. This can be due to increased use of medications and changes in the body as it ages. These changes can affect:

  • Digestive system
  • Hormones
  • Sense of taste or smell

Some cancers

A loss of appetite or unexpected weight loss can sometimes be a symptom of certain cancers, such as pancreatic, ovarian, or stomach cancer.

Alongside a loss of appetite, people may experience the following symptoms:

  • Blood in the stools
  • Feeling full quickly
  • Heartburn
  • Stomach pains
  • Yellowing of the skin or eyes

If people experience any of these symptoms, they should see a doctor who will be able to find out the underlying cause.

 

biospecimens

Biospecimens

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in providing researchers with high quality, clinical grade, fully characterized human tissue samples, bio-specimens, and human bio-fluid collections.

Human biospecimens are available including cancer (tumor) tissue, cancer serum, cancer plasma, cancer peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). and human tissue samples from most other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences maintains and manages its own biorepository, the human tissue bank (biobank) consisting of thousands of diseased samples (specimens) and from normal healthy donors for controls, available in all formats and types.

In fact, our biobank procures and stores fully consented, de-identified and institutional review boards (IRB) approved human tissue samples, human biofluids such as serum samples, plasma samples from various diseases and matched controls.

Also, all our human tissue collections, human biospecimens and human biofluids are provided with detailed, samples associated patient’s clinical data.

In fact, this critical patient’s clinical data includes information relating to their past and current disease, treatment history, lifestyle choices, biomarkers, and genetic information.

Additionally, patient’s data associated with the human biospecimens is extremely valuable for researchers and is used to help identify new effective treatments (drug discovery & development) in oncology, and other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Bay Biosciences banks wide variety of human tissue samples and human biological samples, including fresh frozen human biospecimens cryogenically preserved at – 80°C.

For example fresh frozen tissue samples, tumor tissue samples, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), tissue slides, with matching human bio-fluids, whole blood and blood-derived products such as human serum, human plasma and human PBMCs.

Bay Biosciences is a global leader in collecting and providing human tissue samples according to the specified requirements and customized, tailor-made collection protocols.

Please contact us anytime to discuss your special research projects and customized human tissue sample requirements.

Types of Biospecimens

Bay Biosciences provides human tissue samples (human specimens) and human biofluids from diseased and normal healthy donors which includes:

Moreover, we can also procure most human biospecimens and human biofluids, special collections and requests for human samples that are difficult to find. All our human tissue samples and human biofluids are procured through IRB-approved clinical protocols and procedures.

In addition to the standard processing protocols, Bay Biosciences can also provide human biofluids such as  human plasma, human serum, and human PBMCs bio-fluid samples using custom processing protocols; you buy donor-specific collections in higher volumes and specified sample aliquots from us.

Bay Biosciences also provides human biospecimens from normal healthy donors; volunteers, for controls and clinical research, Contact us Now.