Liver Cancer | Causes of Liver Cancer

Liver cancer: symptoms, causes of liver cancer

The liver cancer is a highly debilitating disease for the body.

Liver cancer, what are the causes, the symptoms, the life expectancy and tips for survival in this cancer? The liver is the largest organ of our body and performs the primary function of providing fuel for our body.

In what way?

Facilitate the digestion of proteins and fats;

Facilitate the elimination of toxins from the body;

Facilitate the production of substances that prevent the blood clots;

Promote the release of bile which helps in the digestive process.

At a time when the liver is sick, one or more of these functions are important enough for this in the case of cancer the situation is particularly serious if not fatal.

Primary liver cancer

The cancer that occurs in the liver is called primary cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma, as it develops in hepatocytes, which are the cells that make up the liver.

This disease is very common in men over 60 years, compared to women.

Cholangiocarcinoma is another type of cancer called primary bile duct cancer.

Secondary liver cancer

It appears as metastasis: this means that the primary tumor is found in other organ in the body.

Prevention is important to remove possible factors that can make developing cancer.

In the case of liver cancer has been found to abuse alcohol, use drugs, exchange of infected needles and unprotected sex, can be contracted hepatitis C, which if untreated, leads to degeneration of the liver and then cancer event.

Symptoms of liver cancer

In most cases, liver cancer is asymptomatic, and when the first problems occur, often the disease is advanced.

The most frequent symptoms that have been highlighted are:

Strong abdominal pain that may radiate to the shoulder even right;

Accompanied by nausea or vomiting;

Loss of appetite;

Weight loss;

Weakness;

Swollen abdomen;

The skin will tend to have a yellowish color, what is called jaundice.

What are the causes of liver cancer?

As with any tumor formation, cancer is nothing more than an alteration of the structure of DNA.

This alteration known as genetic mutation can lead to excessive production of cells that give rise to a tumor formation.

It is said that this training is evil: it may simply be an excessive production of tissue harmless.

Precisely for this reason we speak of cancer in the liver that can 'be:

Benign if the cells remain in the building that houses them and they are harmless;

While these malignant cells escape from the nucleus that contains them and go to infect other parts of the body.

Cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma

The real reason that leads to tumor formation of cancer is not known.

Cirrhosis, a disease that attacks and destroys healthy liver tissue, is the main factor that can lead to tumor formation.

Theories of the past combine to cirrhosis and liver cancer caused by the abuse of alcohol.

In recent years, modern research has established that cirrhosis is due to blood infections linked to the contraction of diseases such as hepatitis B el ' hepatitis C infection .

While there is a vaccine to treat hepatitis B, C that unfortunately does not exist.

The two types of hepatitis-B and C.

Both are viral infections in the blood and can manifest the first symptoms even several years after they contracted.

There are times that the cure of the infection produces positive results, in others the treatment is not successful.

Statistics made by patients with liver cirrhosis, it was found that even low as a percentage, 3-5%, can develop cancer within a year.

Autoimmune hepatitis

It is an inherited disorder that can cause serious liver problems slowly, starting to act from an early age.

It is a rare disease that sees the immune system, suitable for the defense when the organism is prone to infections, an enemy of the cells of the liver: why this does not recognize them as belonging to the body but as an enemy to fight.

In these cases the risk of getting the development of liver cancer is low, the patient is given drugs called immunosuppressant’s that prevent the immune system to work hard.

Hemochromatosis

This is another rare genetic disorder, in which the body is subjected to the iron.

Any substance ingested, albeit in small quantities, it contains iron.

People with this disease are not able to expel all the iron that introduce the diet and are in very high concentrations of iron in the liver.

This situation affects the liver function that can generate cirrhosis.

People who have this disease, can develop cancer if we do not undergoing a treatment that involves the removal of excess iron in the body.

Other types of liver cancer

The fibro lamellar carcinoma is a primary cancer; hepatocellular carcinoma is similar to but less frequently.

The affected people have an age range between 20 and 40 years and have cirrhosis.

People with this disease are doing.

The diseased part removed and the patient can lead a normal turns, so the prospects for life are better than those with cirrhosis.

How is it possible to diagnose cancer of the liver?

As mentioned before, there are categories of people at risk who must perform periodic inspections of:

Those who have contracted hepatitis B and C cirrhosis;

Having a history of alcoholism or still is;

Who has hemochromatosis due to cirrhosis?

These checks are free and handled by the NHS: it is obvious that tolerance is lowered in cases of repeat offenders: that is, towards those with overt cirrhosis, insist to have conduct prejudicial to their health.

There are several tests used to test whether the presence of hepatocellular carcinoma:

A simple blood test can check for the presence of a protein known as alpha fetoprotein, which is present in tumor formation;

Use of magnetic resonance to analyze the body internally;

Use of CAT scan that provides three-dimensional images of the area that interested in analyzing;

In many cases, a biopsy is performed: removal of a piece of fabric which is then analyzed in the laboratory.

Unfortunately this is a particularly aggressive cancer and the chances of recovery are not very high.

If the cancer is diagnosed in time, ie prior to metastases involving other organs and when the tumor is small, there may be a possibility of healing.

The techniques used in the treatment of liver cancer are the removal of the diseased part and even the same transplant.

Surgical therapy for liver tumor

If the liver is only minimally affected by cancer, the so-called surgical resection is performed: only the diseased part is removed.

The liver is an organ that can regenerate, so removing a large part does not create problems to the organism.

Liver Transplant

Is used for transplantation when the tumor is small.

The organ is implanted may be just a dead person or the patient may receive part of the liver by a relative.

After this operation, the patient work, the immunosuppressant’s are administered so that there may be rejecting the new organ by the body does not recognize it as a family.

A serious side effect of taking immunosuppressive agents is that patients are more susceptible to infections because the immune system very low.

The cases of cancer is not curable

Unfortunately, when the cancer is diagnosed late and the chances of recovery of a probable intervention are not there.

The only thing to do is to make as painless as possible the course of the disease.

The techniques used to relieve pain are several:

That ablative therapy is the introduction of substances directly into the vein to destroy cancer cells is used alcohol, laser and radio waves;

Radiation therapy uses beams of light of very strong and focused, even if painless light can cause sudden illnesses such as fatigue and nausea;

Chemoembolization is a type of chemotherapy that includes the introduction of the chemotherapy drug directly into the liver, is a technique that minimizes some classic side effects of chemotherapy: the hair loss such as this is not happening, however, there may be other side effects such as such as vomiting, the use of chemoembolization has been shown to be able to reduce the spread of the tumor and reduce pain.

Cancer pain therapy against liver cancer

There is a wide range of analgesics used to counter pain.

Obviously the type of analgesia will be chosen based on how strong the pain.

Paracetamol is used in cases of mild pain, and in severe cases is used as morphine or codeine is opiates.

The use of these drugs can lead to the occurrence of episodes of constipation: in these cases will need to use a laxative.

Nb Communicating to a patient who is suffering from an incurable disease, it must be done with tact and discretion.

The reactions are subjective:

Some people react by saying that the doctor is wrong;

Who gets angry with the family and the medical team?

Those who try to know what is the best way to live better than and as long as possible;

There are those who fall into depression and he now sees no hope;

Then there is a reason he who lives with the awareness of the disease.

The use of a psychologist has proved very useful, especially in very severe cases.

Having a little help, also based drugs, it can undoubtedly alleviate the burden a little bit of this ugly disease.

Heart Attack | Symptoms of Heart Attack

HEART / CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

The heart is the main organ of the circulatory system, is the most delicate (it weighs only 300 g) but is also the most resistant because it is made from the fibers more resistant organism. The heart is a very efficient pump, beating 100,000 times each day to push 4000 liters of blood through nearly 100,000 km of blood vessels. More than a million Americans die annually of heart disease. The most common cause of congestive heart failure are coronary heart disease (causing blocks that kill muscle cells) and hypertension (which thickens the heart muscle). The research enabled us to gain a better understanding of coronary heart disease (see atherosclerosis, atherosclerosis, angina and coronary heart disease) and hypertension (see hypertension) and now we know how to prevent them. Exercise and nutrition are key to maintaining a healthy heart muscle.

The arteries that supply blood to the heart are placed around the heart like a crown, which is why they are called coronary arteries. These arteries supply blood and oxygen to small arteries connected to the heart. Angina is characterized by chest pain caused by a decrease in circulation in these small arteries that provides little oxygen to the heart. The silent ischemia differs dall'angina just because it does not cause pain and is considered more dangerous because it gives no warning of what could happen. The electrocardiogram will highlight any problems. Attacks can be triggered by a heavy meal, from excessive physical exertion, stress, emotional stress or cold. The frequency and duration of attacks varies, and can go for several attacks in a few days in attacks in several years.

The intensity of pain can range from a feeling of pressure up to an unbearable pain. Usually starts at the top of the chest or throat and radiates to the shoulder and left arm. The patient is pale, sweaty and very anxious. The symptoms are very similar to those of a heart attack, differentiated by the duration of pain, which lasts only a few minutes and nell'angina is alleviated by rest. We must consider, however, that if the blood supply is very inadequate as angina pectoris can become a heart attack.

When atherosclerosis has damaged the movement to the point of completely blocking a coronary artery and prevent the flow of oxygen to the heart, a part of the heart cells die and we have the emergence of what is technically called a myocardial infarction, or attack heart. Unlike dall'angina, stroke strikes suddenly, without warning. Infarction is usually caused by a rupture or a clot. The fatty deposits need years to build up on artery walls, but a blood clot that forms quickly in people with atherosclerosis (including children) can block an artery and stop the flow of oxygen immediately.

Each year 300,000 people die of heart attacks before reaching hospital, 10% died within 3 days, and among those surviving 1 to 5 will have another attack within 4 years. The symptoms are a very sharp pain that starts in the lower chest or upper abdomen. The pain often spreads to the neck and shoulders, down arms, especially on the left side and sometimes on the back. The intensity of pain increases and is not mitigated by the immobility or nitroglycerin, a drug often given to patients suffering from angina pectoris in mild form.

Other symptoms of a heart attack are pale and sweating, low blood pressure, pulse weak and rapid and sometimes nausea and vomiting. Fever, usually low, appears 24 to 48 hours after the start of the attack. 15% of heart attacks but not pain, just a feeling of restlessness and severe anxiety and panic, this kind of attack is called "silent coronary attack."

The patient should be immediately rescued by a doctor and taken to a hospital. The patient is usually subjected to an electrocardiogram, a test that detects changes of cardiac function and damage to the heart muscle. Often, however, this examination reveals the heart damage just a few hours or even days after the attack. Is also carried out a blood test to see if there was myocardial infarction.

During the first three weeks of treatment, the patient may have other heart irregularities, must observe a complete rest, to decrease the work of the heart. They are often administered painkillers and oxygen. Since the work of the heart increases after meals, nutrition during the first days after a heart attack will consist of six small meals. One should avoid cold liquids because they can cause irregularities in heart function. The protein intake should be plenty to replace those lost in the damaged heart cells. After six weeks, healing is almost complete and the patient may gradually resume exercise.

The heart muscle weakened or damaged by diseases such as rheumatic fever, heart attacks, hypothyroidism, atherosclerosis or beri-beri, is unable to properly circulate blood throughout the body. This movement is inefficient, causing a congestion of many organs with blood and other body fluids, is called congestive heart failure. The first symptoms of congestive heart failure are undue fatigue and shortness of breath due to work or exercise. Another symptom is the swelling, especially of feet and ankles. Congestion of abdominal organs causes nausea, loss of appetite and gas. The fluid in the lungs makes breathing difficult and can cause persistent cough.

A damaged heart muscle needs a particular weight-loss program. The lack of appetite, indigestion and excessive loss of nutrients from the body after a heart attack causing a state of malnutrition. A balanced diet from a nutritional point of view, it is important because the heart to recover its functionality. Protein-rich foods, fruits, vegetables and whole grains in your diet should replace the large quantities of refined starch, sweet, hydrogenated fats and cholesterol. Excessive intake of fat is considered harmful because it can weaken the arteries, reducing the elasticity or obstruct with cholesterol. We recommend the consumption of oils, like olive and rapeseed oils, which increase the level of HDL cholesterol (see High Cholesterol). The fibers are very important and the protein is essential to strengthen all muscles, including the heart.

The nutrients can be helpful. An additional intake of vitamin E is necessary to keep the oxygen in the blood. Vitamin E strengthens the heart muscle, sometimes acts as a diuretic to rid the body of excess fluids, reduces blood pressure too high and can be as effective as an anticoagulant to prevent clots. (Vitamin E temporarily increases blood pressure, heart disease for which should start with lower doses such as 100 IU per day. Use of this vitamin can be dangerous for patients with rheumatic heart disease). Vitamin E in combination with unsaturated fatty acids makes it possible to reduce cholesterol by preventing the metabolic imbalance that causes the accumulation of cholesterol in the arteries. (The increase in consumption of oils rich in Omega 3 and Omega 6, should be followed by an increase in vitamin E).

Hypothyroidism can be bad in some cases responsible for the metabolism of fats. Vitamins A (beta-carotene), B complex (especially niacin), vitamin C and minerals zinc and selenium are needed to keep arteries healthy and protect them dall'aterosclerosi. Chromium helps the metabolism of blood fats and it is believed that the superoxide dismutase (SOD) promotes the reconstruction of the heart tissue. We have found extremely low levels of copper in people who have been leading to the rupture of an aneurysm and death. Copper is important for the strength and elasticity of blood vessels. Aspirin helps the blood to remain fluid.

Excess weight can be a factor that causes rapid heartbeat and hypertension. The extra pounds severely penalize the heart and circulatory system in general. A balanced diet will provide a reduction in weight without the undesirable symptoms that are found eating just one or two types of food as in the fad diets. Exercise is vital and should be practiced under medical supervision. Sedentary people have a higher risk of heart attack by 190%.

Stress can increase blood pressure as well as the heartbeat. The fluctuations in blood pressure against the artery walls and contribute to damage the arteries harden. Exercise is the best way to treat stress and increase muscle tone of the heart and entire body. Unless decided otherwise by your doctor, started to walk ten minutes a day and gradually build up to an hour. The pace should be lively but should be increased gradually. Heavy physical exercise (work or leisure) that are not used should be avoided because the heart may not be able to meet these demands unusual (see Aerobic Exercise in Part II).

Using the method explained in Part II we can calculate the ideal heart rate achieved during exercise. To slow the heart rate should be reduced foods, avoid emotional stress, limit the use of drugs, alcohol and tobacco. It should be remembered that those substances to which an individual is allergic to increase the pace of the wrist produced in this way further stress on the heart.

NUTRIENTS THAT MAY BE EFFECTIVE IN THE TREATMENT OF HEART AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE:

    Organs              Substance           Quantity *

    Heart / Blood / Circulatory System       Vitamin A            In the form of beta-carotene

                B Complex          50 mg with meals

                Vitamin B1          In addition, according to the prescribed doses

                Vitamin B6          In addition, according to the prescribed doses

                Choline                

                Folic Acid            

                Inositol                

                Niacin    In addition, according to the prescribed doses

                Pantothenic acid             

                Phosphatidyl-choline     According to the prescribed doses

                Vitamin C with bioflavonoids      1000 mg 3 times daily

                Vitamin D           

                Vitamin E             Start at 100-200 IU, 100 IU increase

                                up to a week at 800-1000 IU

                                a day, medical supervision is necessary

                Calcium chelate                1500-2000 mg divided between meals and time

                                go to bed

                Chrome               

                Phosphorus       

                Iodine  

                Magnesium        1000 mg per day

                Manganese       

                Potassium           1000 mg per day

                Copper                 According to the prescribed doses (by a doctor)

                Selenium             200 mcg daily

                Zinc       

                Protein                

                Unsaturated fatty acids                 Evening primrose oil or olive oil

                L-carnitine           500 mg 2 times daily

                Lecithin                According to the prescribed doses

                SOD      

                Kelp       3 tablets with meals

                RNA      

                Digestive Enzymes          With meals, according to the prescribed doses

                Coenzyme Q10                 50-100 mg 3 times daily

                Garlic     2 capsules 3 times daily

Is not intended to use the knowledge contained in these pages for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes.

For any treatment or diagnosis of disease, ask a doctor.

The information is taken from "Nutrition Almanac"

Gayle J. Kirschmann and John D. Kirshmann

Diabetes | Causes of diabetes

Diabetes is metabolic alteration resulting from a decline in insulin activity. In particular, diabetes may be due to a reduced availability of this hormone to an impediment to its normal action, or a combination of these two factors. A feature always present in diabetes mellitus is the ' hyperglycemia, which with the passage of time, tend to associate certain complications of blood vessels: the macro vascular (ie a ' atherosclerosis particularly severe and early),that is not specific of diabetes, and  macroangiopathy (ie changes in the movement of small arteries, which become particularly apparent in the retina, the kidney and nerve), which is specific to the disease.

Diabetes mellitus is a common disease. In the United States are reported each year about 200,000 new cases of diabetes mellitus and the percentage of world population affected by the disease is estimated at 5%, with a slightly higher prevalence in women (approximately 25% more than males). The prevalence of diabetes mellitus in Italy is 3%. It increases with age ranging from 0.5% in the age group under 30 years up to 10% or more above the age of 65. About 90% of the diabetic population suffers from type 2 diabetes, while only a minority suffers from type 1 diabetes.

Diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance

By definition, diabetes is characterized by hyperglycemia. To determine this, and then to see whether or not there is diabetes, perform a venous blood sample (as used in most laboratories), and on it, you go to determine what is the amount of glucose present.

Under the new criteria proposed by the expert committee of the ADA (1997), to say that a person is suffering from diabetes, they must satisfy the following criteria:

    - When blood sugar is > 200 milligrams of glucose on deciliter of blood ( mg / dl ) at any time of day;

    - When the fasting blood glucose > 126 mg / dl;

    - When your blood sugar level after 120 minutes from ' OGTT ( oral glucose tolerance test ) is > 200 mg / dl.

The ADA and the WHO use the term impaired glucose tolerance ( IGT, Impaired Glucose Tolerance ) to indicate a metabolic state intermediate between normal and diabetes, in which blood glucose is determined two hours after oral glucose load and must be between 140 and 200 mg / dl.

Classification

The classification accepted by the WHO in 1980 provided for the division into five classes of diabetes. According to this classification are distinguished:

    - Diabetes , "insulin-dependent (IDDM)" , as defined above also infant-juvenile diabetes;

    - Diabetes is a  "non-insulin dependent (NIDDM) , also known as diabetes of ' adulthood or maturity;

    - Diabetes from malnutrition , especially common in tropical countries;

    - other types of diabetes secondary to other diseases such as pancreatic disease ( chronic pancreatitis , pancreatic cancer ), endocrine diseases responsible for an excessive secretion of counterregulatory hormones ( Cushing's syndrome , acromegaly ,  pheochromocytoma , hyperthyroidism , Glucagonom, somatostatinoma, aldosteronoma); use of drugs that induce hyperglycemia (glucocorticoids, thyroid hormone , interferon, pentamidine, adrenergic agonists); intake of toxic substances abnormalities of insulin or its receptor, genetic abnormalities;

    - A gestational diabetes ( GDM ) , linked to pregnancy .

A new classification, the easier and now internationally recognized, dividing it in type 1 diabetes, accounted for almost all of the immune form (ie, mediated by a dysregulation of the immune system of the subject), and type 2 diabetes, should instead to a deficiency of insulin secretion by pancreatic cells or tissue resistance to the status of the action of insulin itself. Any form of diabetes may require insulin therapy at any stage it is found, therefore the use of insulin in itself does not classify the patient. It is therefore wrong to classify the various forms of insulin-dependent diabetes and insulin-independent.

Other much more rare forms may be associated with viral infections (congenital rubella, cytomegalovirus), a common form of diabetes is not mediated by the immune system to various genetic syndromes (Down, Klinefelter, Turner, Friedreich's ataxia, Laurence Moon Biedl syndrome, myotonic dystrophy , Prader Willi syndrome, Huntington's disease) or to particular conditions of insulin resistance. This category of rare forms of diabetes also caused a clearly identified genetic defects in hereditary nature of the cell, usually arising at a young age, characterized by modest hyperglycemia and defined - for their similarity with the clinical type 2 diabetes - MODY, or Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young.

Wight Loss | Weight Loss Diet

Weight Loss

Contents

Although it is the desire of many people, especially women, a steady weight loss can be a sign that something is wrong. And 'well then investigate

Description

One of the most common obsessions today is that of thinness. Women young and old, but increasingly also men, are all to be able to lose their excess pounds. Almost everyone, in fact, are just happy that they see the needle of their balance has dropped more than they should, regardless, though, that sometimes a sudden drop in body weight may instead be a signal that anything positive.

From the medical point of view in fact, when the weight loss (considered as a weight reduction of 10 percent or 15 percent of ideal weight) occurs at a time too quickly and steadily, it means that something is goes.

If the thinness comes in conjunction with a diet that you are facing, however this should not justify excessive weight loss than expected.

Where, however, without the presence of obvious causes, you lose more than two pounds in the space of just nine or ten days, and the phenomenon continues over time, you should be suspicious.

In all these cases, you should contact a physician to undergo a thorough examination and, when necessary, laboratory analysis (both blood and urine tests) aimed at making a picture of the overall health of the organism and, if is the case, to investigate the activity of the thyroid gland *, that if he works in excess can cause a sudden weight loss.

IN SPRING

During the years when the spring or the summer come suddenly, with intense heat waves with changes in temperature or not indifferent, it can happen to lose your appetite for some time.

Nothing serious, but in this case it is better to keep "fresh" as possible and eat with plenty of fruits and vegetables.

How does it manifest

Sudden weight loss is often caused by factors little worrying, and perhaps repeated many times throughout their lives.

IN CASE OF INFLUENZA

A strong attack or a flu problem that causes pain to the teeth can affect appetite, losing a few pounds without any compromise to health.

DURING A TRIP

Other situations very common, but often cause a drop in weight, are traveling abroad in countries where dietary habits are very different than usual. No problem: just try to adapt to the new diet.

IF YOU CHANGE POWER

When a person decides to radically change their daily diet, such as becoming vegetarian, you may notice a few pounds to lose, especially in the early days of the change. This is not a problem, but only signal that the body is getting used to the new way to take food.

Body tilt

The causes of weight loss that can be so identified are essentially divided into two categories:

- Physiological causes (ie natural);

- Pathological causes (relating to diseases).

The first come into play when weight loss is determined by alterations in normal bodily functions, not caused by disease or trauma.

A common physiological causes of weight loss is the change in eating habits: in this sense is the typical variation of normal living conditions due, for example, a new job, forcing a hasty meal at the bar.

If we must get used to lunch with a sandwich swallowed in a hurry to run back in the office, it can happen that, in the long run, we determine impact on weight.

The activity

When there is a change in physical activity or work, change, inevitably, the daily energy expenditure of calories, then you must make sure to follow proper nutrition.

In fact, if you change the usual work with one that involves a greater physical effort and does not increase with the amount of food assimilated, the body, to continue to supply enough power to true, will use the resources of stored fat, reducing the Within a short time.

Likewise, if you suddenly start a new and costly form of physical activity without adjust their daily diet, you risk incurring the same problem.

Stress

At certain times of life, can be subjected to strong emotional tensions that have a high probability of going to also affect body weight.

In the case of bereavement or when you lose your job, it is normal that the situation of distress that has been created also affects their willingness to eat.

However, stress is a condition difficult to categorize because every individual has different manifestations. That is not surprising that, for other people, anxiety due to negative situations leads to an increase in appetite and an unusual voracity.

Diseases

In many cases, the sudden and unexplained weight loss is caused by diseases and disorders that can affect both the body's organs for the assimilation of food, as in the case of:

- Intestinal infections

- Changes in absorption,

Shares are not directly related to the digestive system *, but which may affect the energy body, as in the case of:

- Thyroid dysfunction,

- Tumors.

If you have diabetes

Disease that affects young people suddenly (type I diabetes) or already old (type II) diabetes results in a constant and rapid weight loss at an equally steady and rapid increase in appetite and food consumed.

The cause of this serious disorder must be sought in the sudden and excessive increase in the amount of sugar in the blood (hyperglycemia).

This significant increase results in a greater loss of sugar through the urine and, in the long run, the reduction of fat deposits in the human body.

The cure for diabetes usually involves the administration (subcutaneous injections) of insulin, the hormone that allows cells to consume sugar, avoiding it completely expelled from the body.

Malabsorption

When a person that lives with the right amount of food and follow a balanced and varied diet, however, presents problems of thinness, the cause may be sought in an alteration of the absorption of proteins, vitamins and fat content in foods. A food Malabsorption can be caused by certain disorders, the most common of which are:

- Celiac disease, namely the intestinal intolerance to gluten and food * in which this substance is present (bread, pasta), and often can also cause a severe diarrhea;

- Whipple's disease, which causes fat deposits in the small intestine because of which the food that arrives is not absorbed but excreted in the feces.

Special Issues

Depression

Many times, people with depression tend to lose appetite and thus weight loss rather abruptly. Only in some cases, defined atypical depression, people tend to have a huge hunger, a craving for food, especially carbohydrates (bread, pasta). However, in most cases, the loss of interest in respect of life typical of depressive illness, causes a rejection of both the pleasures of the table is the desire to feed themselves adequately to the needs of the organism.

Alcohol

People who have problems with alcohol addiction, or that are used to consume large quantities of alcohol, easily lose their appetite and progressively.

This happens because their body has its own consumption of calories by alcohol ingestion, and therefore no longer feels the need to feed themselves with food and regular meals.

Anorexia

Often the result of psychological or nervous disorders, anorexia nervosa mainly affects women in particularly difficult periods of their lives, such as adolescence, or the arrival of old age. This disease leads those affected to refuse any type of nutrition and food for long periods of time, and endangering all the vital functions of the human organism.

Digestion

Another category of disorders that leads to problems of weight loss is that relating to changes in the digestion. In these cases, the amount of food ingested by a person is correct, but the troubles in the digestive system do not allow the proper absorption.

As a result, the food is expelled almost completely and the person loses weight. The major digestive problems are:

- Failure in the functioning of the pancreas usually caused by hormonal imbalance, alters the digestion of food causes nausea and diarrhea;

- Shortage of production of bile *: port to damage in the digestive system, as the task of bile is precisely to facilitate the work of such apparatus;

- Infections caused by bacteria and parasites that creep in the digestive system, and especially in the gut. Cause a major disruption to the work of the intestinal lining, making it difficult its task of digestion and absorption of food. These are in fact rejected by the intestine eg patient expelled through diarrhea.

Among the intestinal parasites most popular is the tapeworm, or "tapeworm" that eating the food ingested by the host, prevents man to absorb the nutrients it needs.

TUMORS

A sharp weakening of physical, coupled with a rapid weight loss, can unfortunately be the first sign of a tumor. For when the body develops cancer cells, it undergoes a process of impoverishment of all those who may be its vital energy.

The development of cancer - so the disease is called in medical terms - means that the tumor mass, gradually increasing in volume, treats from all the healthy cells as much energy as possible. This phenomenon naturally leads those affected to a very rapid and obvious weight loss, despite their appetite remains constant.

Too many hormones

A sudden weight loss can sometimes be caused by the dysfunction of the thyroid gland, which deals with the production of hormones responsible for managing a number of important metabolic functions *.

When the thyroid gland does "too much" and would produce an excessive amount of hormones, the body pays the consequences. This condition, called hyperthyroidism, in fact, involves a disproportionate increase in the activity of the cells forming the body, because of which they are consumed amounts of protein, carbohydrate and fat content much higher than normal.

Consequently, people suffering from this disease sometimes eat more than normal, but continues to lose weight.

There is also another type of weight loss related to incorrect production of hormones, caused by the malfunction of another gland that provides the production of hormones: the adrenal gland *.

This disorder - also called Addison's disease - is caused by underproduction of cortisol and aldosterone, the lack of which causes the body to a lack of appetite and vomiting.

Gland under fire

The thyroid gland is often the culprit of a sudden weight loss. If it produces too much hormone, causes a speeding up metabolism, ie an energy higher than normal.