{{short description|Abnormally strong sensation of hunger or desire to eat}} {{for|the ecological concept|Hyperphagia (ecology)}} {{Infobox medical condition | name = Polyphagia | synonyms = Hyperphagia | specialty = [[Endocrinology]], [[Psychiatry]] | symptoms = | complications = | onset = | duration = | types = | causes = | risks = | diagnosis = | differential = | prevention = | treatment = | medication = | prognosis = | frequency = | deaths = }} '''Polyphagia''', or '''hyperphagia''', is an abnormally strong, [[wikt:incessant|incessant]] sensation of [[Hunger (physiology)|hunger]] or desire to eat often leading to [[overeating]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Polyphagia |url=https://hpo.jax.org/app/browse/term/HP:0002591 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220302212845/https://hpo.jax.org/app/browse/term/HP:0002591 |archive-date=2 March 2022 |access-date=6 October 2022 |website=Human Phenotype Ontology}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |date=February 2014 |title=Hyperphagia: current concepts and future directions proceedings of the 2nd international conference on hyperphagia |url=https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4159941/ |journal=Obesity |volume=22 Suppl 1 |issue=0 1 |pages=S1–S17 |doi=10.1002/oby.20646 |issn=1930-739X |pmc=4159941 |pmid=24574081}}</ref> In contrast to an increase in appetite following exercise, polyphagia does not subside after eating and often leads to rapid intake of excessive quantities of food. Polyphagia is not a disorder by itself; rather, it is a symptom indicating an underlying medical condition. It is frequently a result of abnormal blood glucose levels (both [[hyperglycemia]] and [[hypoglycemia]]), and, along with [[polydipsia]] and [[polyuria]], it is one of the "3 Ps" commonly associated with uncontrolled [[diabetes mellitus]].<ref>[https://www.diabetes.co.uk/symptoms/polyphagia.html Diabetes.co.uk]</ref>
== Etymology == The word ''polyphagia'' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|p|ɒ||l|i|ˈ|f|eɪ|dʒ|i|ə }}) uses [[classical compound|combining forms]] of ''[[wikt:poly-#Prefix|poly-]]'' + ''[[wikt:-phagia#Suffix|-phagia]]'', from the Greek words πολύς (polys), "very much" or "many", and φᾰ́γω (phago), "eating" or "devouring".
== Underlying conditions and possible causes == Polyphagia is one of the most common symptoms of diabetes mellitus. It is associated with hyperthyroidism and endocrine diseases, e.g., [[Graves' disease]], and it has also been noted in [[Prader–Willi syndrome]] and other genetic conditions caused by chromosomal anomalies. It is only one of several diagnostic criteria for bulimia and is not by itself classified as an eating disorder. As a symptom of [[Kleine–Levin syndrome]], it is sometimes termed megaphagia.<ref name="pmid14023898">{{cite journal |vauthors=Critchley M |title=Periodic hypersomnia and megaphagia in adolescent males |journal=Brain |volume=85 |issue= 4|pages=627–56 |date=December 1962 |pmid=14023898 |doi=10.1093/brain/85.4.627 |url=}}</ref>
Impaired [[leptin]] signaling in [[vagus nerve|vagal nerve]] receptors has been shown to cause hyperphagia.<ref name="pmid25161883">{{cite journal|vauthors=de Lartigue G, Ronveaux CC, Raybould HE|year=2014|title=Deletion of leptin signaling in vagal afferent neurons results in hyperphagia and obesity|journal=Molecular Metabolism|volume=3|issue=6|pages=595–607|doi=10.1016/j.molmet.2014.06.003|pmc=4142400|pmid=25161883}}</ref>
Changes in [[hormone]]s associated with the female [[menstrual cycle]] can lead to extreme hunger right before the period. Spikes in [[estrogen]] and [[progesterone]] and decreased [[serotonin]] can lead to cravings for [[carbohydrate]]s and [[fat]]s.<ref name="cc">{{cite web |title=Polyphagia |url=https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/24637-polyphagia-hyperphagia |publisher=Cleveland Clinic |access-date=3 June 2023 |date=2023}}</ref>
Polyphagia is found in the following conditions:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/medgen/9369|title = Polyphagia (Concept Id: C0020505) - MedGen - NCBI|website=ncbi.nlm.nih.gov}}</ref>
* Chromosome 22q13 duplication syndrome * Chromosome 2p25.3 deletion ([[MYT1L syndrome]]) * Chromosome Xq26.3 duplication syndrome * [[Congenital generalized lipodystrophy]], types 1 and 2 * [[Type 1 diabetes|Diabetes mellitus type 1]] * Familial [[Renal glycosuria|renal glucosuria]] * [[Frontotemporal dementia]] * [[Frontotemporal dementia]], [[ubiquitin]]-positive * [[Graves' disease]] * [[Hypotonia]]-[[cystinuria]] syndrome * [[Kleine–Levin syndrome]] * [[Leptin]] deficiency or dysfunction * [[Leptin receptor]] deficiency * [[Luscan-Lumish syndrome]] * Macrosomia adiposa congenita * Intellectual developmental disorder, autosomal dominant 1 * Obesity, hyperphagia, and developmental delay (OBHD) * [[ROHHAD|Rapid-onset obesity with hypothalamic dysregulation, hypoventilation, and autonomic dysregulation (ROHHAD syndrome)]] * [[Pick's disease]] * [[Prader–Willi syndrome]] * [[Proopiomelanocortin]] deficiency * [[Schaaf–Yang syndrome]]
== Polyphagia in diabetes == Diabetes mellitus causes a disruption in the body's ability to transfer glucose from food into energy.{{clarify|date=May 2024}} Polyphagia in [[Diabetes mellitus, type 2|type 2 diabetes]] is usually not as apparent as the polyphagia in [[type 1 diabetes]]. In type 1 diabetes, it probably results from cellular starvation and the depletion of cellular stores of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.<ref name="cc" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Grossman |first=Sheila |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UYe6oAEACAAJ |title=Porth's Pathophysiology: Concepts of Altered Health States |date=2014 |publisher=Lippincott Williams & Wilkins |isbn=978-1-4698-8829-3 |edition=9th |page=1314 |language=en}}</ref>
==See also== * [[Anorexia (symptom)|Anorexia]] * [[Binge eating]] * [[Charles Domery]] * [[Compulsive overeating]] * [[Counterregulatory eating]] * [[Eating disorder]] * [[Munchies (food craving)|Effects of cannabis]] * [[Erysichthon of Thessaly]] * [[Hedonic hunger]] * [[Tarrare]]
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == {{Medical resources | ICD10 = {{ICD10|R|63|2|r|50}} | ICD9 = {{ICD9|783.6}} | DiseasesDB=29453 | MeshID=D006963 }} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20030630120237/http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/sym/excessive_hunger.htm Diseases and conditions associated with Polyphagia]
{{General symptoms and signs}} {{Authority control}}
[[Category:Polyphagia| ]] [[Category:Symptoms and signs: Endocrinology, nutrition, and metabolism]]