What are the causes and common symptoms of cachexia?
Cachexia is the condition that leads to progressive muscle wasting and weight loss. It is the symptom of multiple life-threatening conditions like multiple sclerosis, HIV, chronic renal failure, and cancer. People suffering from cachexia start losing weight even after eating adequately. It is a more commonly seen disease than what one might think, and it needs more research to know the details of this syndrome. From what is known yet about the disorder, the following are the common causes and symptoms of cachexia. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Causes of cachexia
You might be wondering What Causes Cachexia? The interaction of multiple factors can cause cachexia. People suffering from it have abnormal levels of particular substances in the body, which leads to muscle wasting and weight loss. The substances interact with each other in a way that prevents muscle growth, causes inflammation, increases muscle breakdown, and increases metabolism. The potential causes of cachexia are still getting studied by scientists, though tumors might be one of the main causes behind it.
The symptoms of cachexia
Let’s move on to the symptoms, now that you know What Causes Cachexia?
Involuntary weight loss
In the case of cachexia, the weight loss is involuntary, which means the patient does not need to try to lose weight. But, it is not limited only to weight loss. Weight loss takes place even while the patients get enough calories in his daily diet, and even if he has more calories than what he spends as energy. Involuntary weight loss gets defined by the loss of about five percent body weight in a matter of six to twelve months. However, even lower amounts of loss in body weight can be concerning.
Wasting of skeletal muscles
Muscle wasting is the sign of cachexia, and it accompanies the fat loss. It can be quite insidious too. For people who are obese or overweight at the time of being diagnosed, even significant muscle wasting might take place without any outward signs of actual weight loss.
Loss of appetite or anorexia
Anorexia or loss of appetite is another common symptom of cachexia. This is another symptom that is not the same as just a loss of appetite. In the case of cachexia, it is not just not wanting to have food, but rather it is about simply not wanting to eat anything.
Lower quality of life
Muscle wasting affects the patient’s ability to move or partake in any activity that he might usually find enjoyable.
It is important to keep in mind that cachexia usually denotes a much more serious ailment underlying it. If any of the symptoms given above seem familiar to you, it would be a good idea to checkup with your doctor once.