Journals / Osmangazi Tıp Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 48 Sayı: 4

Somatic Symptom Disorder Presenting with Severe, Cachexia-Level Weight Loss: An Interesting and Rare Case Report

Rıza Altunbaş(UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES, ŞANLIURFA MEHMET AKİF İNAN HEALTH RESEARCH CENTER)0000-0002-6588-0016
Özlem Örer Beğinoğlu(UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES, ŞANLIURFA MEHMET AKİF İNAN HEALTH RESEARCH CENTER)0000-0001-7182-8700
Rabia Altunbaş(UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES, ŞANLIURFA MEHMET AKİF İNAN HEALTH RESEARCH CENTER)0000-0002-5356-1448
Pages
763–767
Publication Date
2026-06-09
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

This case illustrates a rare presentation of SSD characterized by severe psychogenic weight loss and highlights the importance of early multidisciplinary management in atypical and treatment-resistant cases to prevent adverse medical outcomes.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:A 42-year-old man developed a persistent belief that he had gastric cancer following his maternal uncle’s death from the same disease.
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Key Findings & Data:Over a two-year follow-up period, extensive psychiatric and medical treatments yielded only minimal improvement.
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Conclusion & Impact:This case illustrates a rare presentation of SSD characterized by severe psychogenic weight loss and highlights the importance of early multidisciplinary management in atypical and treatment-resistant cases to prevent adverse medical outcomes.
🔬Design:Olgu Sunumu
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Somatoform Bozukluklar · Hipokondriyazis · Ağırlık kaybı

Abstract

A 42-year-old man developed a persistent belief that he had gastric cancer following his maternal uncle’s death from the same disease. He was initially diagnosed with illness anxiety disorder (IAD); however, due to progressive loss of appetite and marked weight reduction despite normal endoscopic findings, his diagnosis was later revised to somatic symptom disorder (SSD). Over a two-year follow-up period, extensive psychiatric and medical treatments yielded only minimal improvement. The patient was eventually hospitalized with pneumonia and died from sepsis. A gastric biopsy obtained during his final admission incidentally revealed early-stage adenocarcinoma. This case illustrates a rare presentation of SSD characterized by severe psychogenic weight loss and highlights the importance of early multidisciplinary management in atypical and treatment-resistant cases to prevent adverse medical outcomes.

Özet

42 yaşında bir erkek hasta, dayısının aynı hastalıktan ölmesinin ardından mide kanseri olduğuna dair kalıcı bir inanç geliştirdi. Başlangıçta hastalık anksiyetesi bozukluğu (HAD) teşhisi kondu; ancak normal endoskopik bulgulara rağmen ilerleyici iştahsızlık ve belirgin kilo kaybı nedeniyle tanısı daha sonra somatik semptom bozukluğu (SSB) olarak değiştirildi. İki yıllık takip süresi boyunca uygulanan kapsamlı psikiyatrik ve tıbbi tedaviler yalnızca minimal iyileşme sağladı. Hasta sonunda pnömoni nedeniyle hastaneye kaldırıldı ve sepsis nedeniyle hayatını kaybetti. Son yatışı sırasında alınan mide biyopsisi ile tesadüfen erken evre adenokarsinom teşhis edildi. Bu vaka, şiddetli psikojenik kilo kaybı ile karakterize nadir bir SSB tablosunu göstermekte ve olumsuz tıbbi sonuçları önlemek için atipik ve tedaviye dirençli vakalarda erken multidisipliner tedavinin önemini vurgulamaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Altunbaş, R., Beğinoğlu, Ö. Ö., Altunbaş, R. (2026). Somatic Symptom Disorder Presenting with Severe, Cachexia-Level Weight Loss: An Interesting and Rare Case Report. Osmangazi Tıp Dergisi, Cilt: 48 Sayı: 4, 763–767. https://doi.org/10.20515/otd.1835353

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