What Are the Symptoms of Cachexia?

Cachexia is also called cachexia. It is manifested as extremely thin, skinny, shaped like a skull, anemia, weakness, completely bedridden, life can not take care of itself, extreme pain, general failure and other syndromes. Mostly caused by cancer and other serious chronic diseases. It can be regarded as a poisoning state caused by the disturbance of many organs throughout the body. The occurrence of this disease often refers to the body in a serious state of dysfunction.

Basic Information

nickname

Cachexia

English name

Cachexia

Visiting department

Oncology, Internal Medicine

Common causes

Caused by cancer or other serious chronic wasting disease

Common symptoms

Extreme weight loss, anemia, weakness, multiple organ failure, etc.

Causes of cachexia and common diseases

Mostly caused by cancer and other serious chronic wasting diseases. Pathogenic factors cause the body's metabolism to change through various ways, leading to weakened oxidation processes in the body, accumulation of incomplete oxidation products, and inability to fully utilize nutrients. It is found in a variety of diseases, including tumors, AIDS, severe trauma, postoperative surgery, malabsorption, and severe sepsis. Among them, cachexia associated with tumors is the most common and is called tumor cachexia.

Cachexia test

Check nutrition status

Progressive weight loss over 3 months, weight loss 7.5% from original weight (at diagnosis), or body mass index (BMI) <80%.

2. Medical history

Has a history of chronic wasting diseases, accompanied by loss of appetite (poor appetite, reducing appetite by 1/3 compared to healthy), fatigue.

3. Blood test

Blood routine examination, liver and kidney function and electrolyte examination. Total protein <55g / l, albumin <35g / l, prealbumin <250mg / l.

Differential diagnosis of cachexia

Should be distinguished from diabetes, hyperthyroidism and other diseases due to hormone secretion leading to wasting.

Cachexia treatment principles

The best way to treat cachexia caused by cancer is to treat cancer. At the same time, it focuses on supplementing nutrition, promoting appetite, and reducing wasteful metabolism. You can also consider applying traditional Chinese medicine such as reconciling qi and blood, and replenishing and curing this type of medicine.