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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Is Causing Steady Loss In Weight?

I pray you can help me --no one has been able too--I have lost about 50 pounds in the past year --no one can figure out the cause --I am 81 years old --5'1" and now weigh 95 --from 150--I look like I excaped from a dougeon--I am in a big medical center --Pittsburgh,Pa --I have been to 2 local 'digestive disorders clinics" they feel that I have a malasorbtion problem--I take 24000 units of Creon 3/4 times a day --I think it is a wrong diagnosis because I am still slowly losing weight I would travel anywhere for help--I don't know what to do --can you help me ???
posted on Fri, 14 Mar 2014
Twitter Thu, 30 Oct 2014 Answered on
Twitter Fri, 31 Oct 2014 Last reviewed on
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Internal Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
Hi and thank you so much for this query.

I am so sorry to hear about this weight loss. It is huge and you have all reasons to get concerned. Did they do tests to show that you have malabsorption? How are your stools? With malabsorption, the problem does not lie in how much calories you take but how much you absorb from the gut. This means that you may take as much as you have mentioned but just a tiny proportion finally makes it way into the body for use. The concern is not malabsorption but what they are proposing to arrest and revers the trend. Ask specific questions about what they are doing and what goals they wish to accomplish. Do you have any night sweats? Fevers? Unexplained weight loss in elderly always raises the question of a possible undiagnosed cancers. Ask your doctors about this.


I hope this helps. I wish you well. Feel free to ask more questions and request for more information if you feel so.
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What Is Causing Steady Loss In Weight?

Hi and thank you so much for this query. I am so sorry to hear about this weight loss. It is huge and you have all reasons to get concerned. Did they do tests to show that you have malabsorption? How are your stools? With malabsorption, the problem does not lie in how much calories you take but how much you absorb from the gut. This means that you may take as much as you have mentioned but just a tiny proportion finally makes it way into the body for use. The concern is not malabsorption but what they are proposing to arrest and revers the trend. Ask specific questions about what they are doing and what goals they wish to accomplish. Do you have any night sweats? Fevers? Unexplained weight loss in elderly always raises the question of a possible undiagnosed cancers. Ask your doctors about this. I hope this helps. I wish you well. Feel free to ask more questions and request for more information if you feel so.