The causes of unintentional weight loss are many and in most of the cases of weight loss the cause can be found by careful physical examination and some direct investigations or testing. But in approximately 20%-25% of the cases of weight loss the cause can not be found despite extensive testing and in general their survival is much better than those individuals for whom the cause can be found.
The causes of weight loss are different in elderly and for the young adults. For the elderly the common causes of unintentional weight loss are depression, cancer and gastrointestinal pathology and for young adults the common causes of unintentional weight loss are diabetes, eating disorders and other psychiatric illnesses, hyperthyroidism and infections like HIV. The causes of unintentional weight loss are also different in males and females (in young adult females anorexia nervosa can be a leading cause of unintentional weight loss).
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