Weight loss: Differential Diagnosis by Symptom Pattern

• •Pain location and relation to meals
• •Stool pattern (watery, bloody, greasy) and vomiting profile
• •Associated systemic signs such as fever or jaundice

• •Pattern of cough, dyspnea, and pleuritic pain
• •Oxygen saturation and respiratory rate
• •Auscultation findings and imaging pattern

• •Subacute/chronic course with metabolic trigger profile
• •Weight, appetite, and temperature regulation changes
• •Lab pattern consistency across repeated tests

• •Character of pain and exertional trigger
• •Hemodynamic instability, pulse pattern, and blood pressure
• •ECG and cardiac biomarkers trend

• •Constitutional symptoms (weight loss, night sweats, fatigue)
• •Persistent or progressive pattern without clear acute trigger
• •Abnormal blood counts and imaging findings

Immediate testing when red flags are present

• •Vital signs and focused triage examination
• •Pulse oximetry and ECG
• •Basic blood panel (CBC, CRP, electrolytes, glucose)
• •Immediate imaging based on dominant red flags

Group-directed workup

• •CBC / CRP
• •Liver panel and lipase
• •Stool tests
• •Abdominal ultrasound
• •Pulse oximetry
• •Chest X-ray
• •CRP / CBC
• •Spirometry in stable setting