Polyphagia or hyperphagia is excessive hunger or increased appetite.
Video Polyphagia
In medicine
In medicine, polyphagia (sometimes known as hyperphagia) is a medical sign meaning excessive hunger and abnormally large intake of solids by mouth. It can be caused by disorders such as diabetes, Kleine-Levin syndrome (a malfunction in the hypothalamus), and the genetic disorders Prader-Willi syndrome and Bardet-Biedl syndrome. Knocking out vagal nerve receptors has been shown to cause hyperphagia.
Maps Polyphagia
Causes
Causes of increased appetite include:
- Anxiety
- Stress
- Depression
- Certain drugs
- Diabetes mellitus
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hypoglycemia
- Fatigue
- Depression
- Premenstrual syndrome
- Prader-Willi syndrome
- Bulimia
- Graves' disease
- Kleine-Levin syndrome
Diabetic ketoacidosis
Polyphagia usually occurs early in the course of diabetic ketoacidosis. However, once insulin deficiency becomes more severe and ketoacidosis develops, appetite is suppressed.
Etymology and pronunciation
The word polyphagia () uses combining forms of poly- + -phagia, from the Greek words ????? (polys), "very much" or "many", and ???? (phago), "eating" or "devouring".
See also
References
External links
- Diseases and conditions associated with Polyphagia
Source of article : Wikipedia