{{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, incessant sensation of 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 combining forms of ''poly-'' + ''-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 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 hormones 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 carbohydrates and fats.<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 * Diabetes mellitus type 1 * Familial 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) * 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 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 * Binge eating * Charles Domery * Compulsive overeating * Counterregulatory eating * Eating disorder * 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