
August 21, 2002
Other Illnesses
Question from Malaysia:
My husband, who has had diabetes for more than five years, was recently diagnosed with bronchiectasis and just last week he had pneumonia and was hospitalized for 5 days. He has had rapid weight loss (over 6 kilograms) since the beginning of this year, and his skin has lost much elasticity and fat. What could be cause of this sudden downturn as all these years his diabetes was very well controlled with proper diet and medication?
Answer:
The diabetes sounds like it has been under good control and is not the cause of the weight loss. However, any chronic pulmonary disease may also do this given the increased energy required for breathing.
JTL