A weight change in adults requires evaluation for potential secondary causes if the loss or gain of total body weight cannot be attributed to purposeful alterations in diet or activity. There are few data, however, to specify the exact weight change that is clinically significant. Weight loss is considerably more indicative of underlying pathology than is weight gain. For example, a minimum loss of 7% of body weight in less than 6 months represents a potentially serious symptom. As the loss or gain approaches 25% of body weight, morbidity and mortality rise more rapidly regardless of the cause.
Copyright © 1990, Butterworth Publishers, a division of Reed Publishing.