Underweight
| Classification according to ICD-10 | |
|---|---|
| R63.4 | Abnormal weight loss |
| ICD-10 online (WHO version 2019) | |
As underweight a body weight is in a body mass index (BMI) of / m² referred to below 18.5 kg. For children, an assessment based on the BMI is only suitable to a limited extent; here, age-dependent reference values or the target length weight must be used. A target length weight of less than 90% is characteristic of underweight children. Children in developing countries in particular are underweight.
Causes of underweight are malnutrition , anorexia ( anorexia nervosa ) and serious or chronic diseases. In the case of significant emaciation, one speaks of inanition , in the case of severe clinical pictures of cachexia .
Symptoms and ailments
Underweight is characterized by a loss of adipose tissue and, in some cases, muscle tissue . The constant malnutrition weakens the body and leads to a lack of vital nutrients such as vitamins and minerals . Hunger edema can develop . In addition, underweight people often complain of impaired performance, tiredness, poor eyesight, chest pain, loss of appetite and difficulty concentrating.
Children are particularly affected, because the constant undersupply affects growth and intellectual development.
Consequences and complications
Persistent underweight weakens the human body, leads to deficiency symptoms and slows down the metabolism . In extreme cases, emaciation can lead to death. In children, growth is slowed. In women, menstrual bleeding may stop and, as a result, fertility may be reduced.
Being underweight also promotes the development of osteoporosis , even in younger people. This is a particularly insidious consequence, because the people affected do not feel any of it, they can feel perfectly fit and, for example, be excellent endurance athletes. After the first spontaneous fractures have occurred, the damage is often no longer curable.
Web links
- Underweight - kindergesundheit-info.de: independent information service of the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA)
- Information from the German Nutrition Advice and Information Network (DEBInet) on the subject of underweight ( Memento from December 26, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ Alphabetical directory for the ICD-10-WHO version 2019, volume 3. German Institute for Medical Documentation and Information (DIMDI), Cologne, 2019, p. 909
- ^ WHO: Obesity - preventing and managing the global epidemic. In: WHO Technical Reports Series 894 Geneva, 2000
- ^ Dietrich Michalk: Differential Diagnosis Pediatrics . Elsevier, Urban & Fischer, 2005, ISBN 978-3-437-22530-7 , p. 25
- ↑ Global Health Observatory: Underweight in Children
- ↑ Does being underweight harm your health? Consumer information service (vis) Bavaria. Retrieved March 3, 2014
- ↑ L. Caregaro et al. a .: Osteopenia and osteoporosis in adult patients with anorexia nervosa. Role of nutritional factors . In: Nutritional Therapy & Metabolism Volume 24, Number 4, 2006, pp. 194-202.
