Could You Have Tuberculosis? Ten Symptoms to Watch For

5. Loss of Appetite

Unexplained loss of appetite can often indicate a health concern. It is this symptom that earned tuberculosis the name "consumption," when patients began experiencing extreme weight loss or wasting due to lack of appetite. In a recent series of US patients with tuberculosis, 45% lost weight and 26% had anorexia or loss of appetite. Changes in energy regulatory hormones may explain wasting in TB patients. Abnormal elevations of peptide YY, a hormone secreted by the small and large intestine that acts as an appetite suppressant, was discovered in some subjects.