India, Aug. 11 -- Many people welcome unexpected weight loss, especially if they have struggled with their weight for years. Yet when the number on the weighing scale drops without changes in your diet, exercise, or daily routine, it deserves attention. Unexplained weight loss is one of the symptoms patients often dismiss until it is accompanied by a persistent cough or breathlessness. By then, valuable time may already have been lost. Dr G Chaitanya Kiran, consultant, interventional pulmonology and sleep medicine, Manipal Hospital, Bhubaneshwar, explained when to take unexplained weight loss seriously.

Dr G Chaitanya highlighted that losing more than 5 percent of your body weight over six to twelve months without trying is generally con...