Information about Underweight
The term underweight refers to a human who is considered to be under a healthy weight. The definition is usually made with reference to the body mass index (BMI). A BMI of under 18.5 is usually referred to as underweight[1]. It is important to note that the BMI is a statistical estimate and some individuals classified as underweight may be perfectly healthy. In fact, caloric restriction may be a viable means of increasing the lifespan, and it can easily lead to a BMI of less than 18.5. This medical definition of underweight may differ from other uses of the term, such as those based on attractiveness.
In the presence of adequate food resources, underweight is generally the result of mental or physical disease. There are hundreds of possible medical causes for excessive weight loss or a person being underweight. Some of the more prevalent include:
Underweight can also be a primary causative condition. Severely underweight individuals may have poor physical stamina and a weak immune system, leaving them open to infection. According to Robert E. Black of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, "Underweight status ... and micronutrient deficiencies also cause decreases in immune and non-immune host defenses, and should be classified as underlying causes of death if followed by infectious diseases that are the terminal associated causes."[2] People who are malnutrative underweight raise special concerns, as not only gross caloric intake may be inadequate, but also intake and absorption of other vital nutrients, especially essential amino acids and micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals.
In women, being grossly underweight can result in amenorrhea[3] (absence of menstruation) and possible complications during pregnancy. It can also cause anemia and hair loss.
Underweight is an established risk factor for osteoporosis[4] even for young people. This is a particular insidious consequence, because the affected persons do not notice the danger, they can feel fit and may be brilliant for example in endurance sports. After the occurrence of first spontaneous fractures the damage is often already irreversible.
If weight loss results from a disease, resolving the illness and consuming adequate calories can bring many underweight individuals to a healthy body weight.
Classification & external resources
ICD-10 B20-B24
ICD-9 042 - 044
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Causes
The most common cause of a person being underweight is primarily malnutrition caused by the unavailability of adequate food, which can run as high as 50% in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. The effects of primary malnutrition may be amplified by disease; even easily treatable diseases such as diarrhea may lead to death.In the presence of adequate food resources, underweight is generally the result of mental or physical disease. There are hundreds of possible medical causes for excessive weight loss or a person being underweight. Some of the more prevalent include:
- Poverty
- Famine
- Torture
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Bulimia Nervosa
- Cancer Treatment
- Tuberculosis
- Hyperthyroidism
- Type 1 Diabetes
- Anxiety and depressive disorders
- Drug abuse
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Malfunctioning digestive organs
- Dental pain
- Obsessive over-training
- HIV/AIDS
- Genetics
- Stimulant use
Problems
The most immediate problem with underweight is that it might be secondary to, and/or symptomatic of, an underlying disease. Unexplained weight loss requires professional medical diagnosis.Underweight can also be a primary causative condition. Severely underweight individuals may have poor physical stamina and a weak immune system, leaving them open to infection. According to Robert E. Black of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, "Underweight status ... and micronutrient deficiencies also cause decreases in immune and non-immune host defenses, and should be classified as underlying causes of death if followed by infectious diseases that are the terminal associated causes."[2] People who are malnutrative underweight raise special concerns, as not only gross caloric intake may be inadequate, but also intake and absorption of other vital nutrients, especially essential amino acids and micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals.
In women, being grossly underweight can result in amenorrhea[3] (absence of menstruation) and possible complications during pregnancy. It can also cause anemia and hair loss.
Underweight is an established risk factor for osteoporosis[4] even for young people. This is a particular insidious consequence, because the affected persons do not notice the danger, they can feel fit and may be brilliant for example in endurance sports. After the occurrence of first spontaneous fractures the damage is often already irreversible.
Weight gain
If an individual is severely underweight to the point where problems with his or her health develop, it may be necessary for the person to make a concentrated effort to gain weight. The treatment for an underweight individual is to increase the food energy intake so that more food energy is consumed than is being used as work. It is usually suggested that weight training is also to be undertaken to increase muscle mass.If weight loss results from a disease, resolving the illness and consuming adequate calories can bring many underweight individuals to a healthy body weight.
See also
References
1. ^ National Heart Lung and Blood Institute [1] Accessed July 23, 2007.
2. ^ Black, Robert E, Morris, Saul S, Bryce, Jennifer: "Where and Why are 10 Million Children Dying Every Year?", The Lancet, Vol 361, June 28 2003. [2]
3. ^ Nelson, Lawrence M MD, MBA, Bakalov, Vladimir MD, "Amenorrhea", eMedicine, May 17 2005. [3]
4. ^ Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource, May 8, 2005. [4].
2. ^ Black, Robert E, Morris, Saul S, Bryce, Jennifer: "Where and Why are 10 Million Children Dying Every Year?", The Lancet, Vol 361, June 28 2003. [2]
3. ^ Nelson, Lawrence M MD, MBA, Bakalov, Vladimir MD, "Amenorrhea", eMedicine, May 17 2005. [3]
4. ^ Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource, May 8, 2005. [4].
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weight is a measurement of the gravitational force acting on an object. Near the surface of the Earth, the acceleration due to gravity is approximately constant; this means that an object's weight is roughly proportional to its mass.
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Body mass index (BMI) or Quetelet Index is a statistical measure of the weight of a person scaled according to height. It was invented between 1830 and 1850 by the Belgian polymath Adolphe Quetelet during the course of developing "social physics".
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Calorie restriction or Caloric restriction (CR) is the practice of limiting dietary energy intake in the hope that it will improve health and retard aging. In human subjects, CR has been shown to lower cholesterol, fasting glucose, and blood pressure.
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Physical attractiveness is the perception of the physical traits of an individual human person as pleasing or beautiful. It can include various implications, such as sexual attractiveness, cuteness, and physique.
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A famine is a social and economic crisis that is commonly accompanied by widespread malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality.
Although many famines coincide with national or regional shortages of food, famine has also occurred amid plenty or on account of
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Although many famines coincide with national or regional shortages of food, famine has also occurred amid plenty or on account of
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Torture, according to international law, is "any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third
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Anorexia Nervosa
Classification & external resources
ICD-10 F 50.0 -F 50.1
ICD-9 307.1
OMIM 606788
DiseasesDB 749
eMedicine emerg/34 med/144
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Classification & external resources
ICD-10 F 50.0 -F 50.1
ICD-9 307.1
OMIM 606788
DiseasesDB 749
eMedicine emerg/34 med/144
- For the symphonic black metal band, see Anorexia Nervosa (band)''
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Bulimia nervosa
Classification & external resources
ICD-10 F50.2
ICD-9 307.51
Bulimia nervosa, commonly known as bulimia , is an eating disorder and psychological condition in which the subject engages in recurrent binge eating followed by
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Classification & external resources
ICD-10 F50.2
ICD-9 307.51
Bulimia nervosa, commonly known as bulimia , is an eating disorder and psychological condition in which the subject engages in recurrent binge eating followed by
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Hyperthyroidism
Classification & external resources
Triiodothyronine (T3, pictured) and thyroxine (T4) are both forms of thyroid hormone.
ICD-10 E 05.
ICD-9 242 , 775.
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Classification & external resources
Triiodothyronine (T3, pictured) and thyroxine (T4) are both forms of thyroid hormone.
ICD-10 E 05.
ICD-9 242 , 775.
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Diabetes mellitus type 1
Classification & external resources
ICD-10 E10
ICD-9 250.x1, 250.x3
OMIM 222100
DiseasesDB 3649
MedlinePlus 000305
eMedicine med/546
MeSH D003922 Diabetes mellitus type 1
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Classification & external resources
ICD-10 E10
ICD-9 250.x1, 250.x3
OMIM 222100
DiseasesDB 3649
MedlinePlus 000305
eMedicine med/546
MeSH D003922 Diabetes mellitus type 1
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Drug abuse has a wide range of definitions related to taking a psychoactive drug or performance enhancing drug for a non-therapeutic or non-medical effect. Some of the most commonly abused drugs include alcohol, amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cocaine, methaqualone,
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MeSH D015212
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- IBD redirects here. For the national newspaper, see Investor's Business Daily. For bike shops, see Independent bicycle dealer.
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gastrointestinal tract (GI tract), also called the digestive tract, or the alimentary canal, is the system of organs within multicellular animals that takes in food, digests it to extract energy and nutrients, and expels the remaining waste.
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- Human immunodeficiency virus 1
- Human immunodeficiency virus 2
Classification & external resources
ICD-10 B20-B24
ICD-9 042 - 044
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Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
Classification & external resources
The Red ribbon is a symbol for solidarity with HIV-positive people and those living with AIDS.
ICD-10 B 24.
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Classification & external resources
The Red ribbon is a symbol for solidarity with HIV-positive people and those living with AIDS.
ICD-10 B 24.
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Stimulants are drugs that temporarily increase alertness and awareness. They usually have increased side-effects with increased effectiveness, and the more powerful variants are therefore often prescription medicines or illegal drugs.
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immune system is a collection of mechanisms within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own healthy
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An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. In an infection, the infecting organism seeks to utilize the host's resources to multiply (usually at the expense of the host).
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Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is part of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. It was the first institution of its kind in the world.
Founded in 1916 by William H. Welch and John D.
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Founded in 1916 by William H. Welch and John D.
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Amenorrhoea
Classification & external resources
ICD-10 N91
ICD-9 626.0
Amenorrhoea (BE), amenorrhea (AmE), or amenorrhœa, is the absence of a menstrual period in a woman of reproductive age.
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Classification & external resources
ICD-10 N91
ICD-9 626.0
Amenorrhoea (BE), amenorrhea (AmE), or amenorrhœa, is the absence of a menstrual period in a woman of reproductive age.
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Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, inside the body of a female mammal such as a human. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations (for example, in the case of twins or triplets).
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Osteoporosis
Classification & external resources
ICD-10 M 80. -M 82.
ICD-9 733.0
DiseasesDB 9385
eMedicine med/1693 ped/1683
MeSH D010024 Osteoporosis is a disease of bone leading to an increased risk of fracture.
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Classification & external resources
ICD-10 M 80. -M 82.
ICD-9 733.0
DiseasesDB 9385
eMedicine med/1693 ped/1683
MeSH D010024 Osteoporosis is a disease of bone leading to an increased risk of fracture.
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Food energy is the amount of energy in food that is available through digestion. The values for food energy are expressed in kilocalories (kcal) and kilojoules (kJ).
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Weight training is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. It uses the force of gravity (in the form of weighted bars, dumbbells or weight stacks) to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric
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MUSCLE (multiple sequence comparison by log-expectation) is public domain, multiple sequence alignment software for protein and nucleotide sequences.
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Body image is a person's perception of his or her physical appearance. A person with a poor body image will perceive his or her own body as being unattractive or even repulsive to others, while a person with a good body image will see him or herself as attractive to others, or will
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