Polyphagia (Overeating)

What is Polyphagia (overeating)?

It is excessive or extreme hunger that does not end after eating. It leads to overeating and excessive consumption of food. Individuals never feel full and feel the need to eat constantly.

Understanding growth and weight gain/loss-related symptoms and features

Symptoms may affect multiple parts of the body. Understanding which part of the body a symptom affects can help us to better understand the potential underlying causes of a symptom, including a rare disease or genetic syndrome.

Symptoms that affect the growth and or weight gain/loss of an individual may also affect the ability of their body to function properly. This might affect their movement, their brain development, and the other organs of their body including the heart.

Growth charts help to track a child’s physical development, including weight and height, and flag any issues or concerns. An issue with under or overgrowth may be the result of an underlying medical condition or may trigger a secondary medical problem. In some cases, a physical grown problem may be due to environmental factors, including under or overfeeding.

Symptoms relating to physical growth may be many and wide-ranging. They can include a walking delay, issues with speech and language including late talking, trouble socializing with others, or with showing emotion.

What should I do next?

In some instances, polyphagia and overeating may be one of the features of a rare disease or genetic syndrome. To find out if someone with Polyphagia, may be due to a genetic syndrome, it is important to have a consultation and evaluation with a clinical genetic specialist. Specialists may also suggest specific genetic testing or other types of tests to help reach a diagnosis. FDNA’s AI technology can help speed up the diagnostic process by analyzing facial features and other health information.