What Is Muscle Wasting?

Wasting (emaciation) refers to the loss of body weight due to disease or certain factors. When it is less than 10% of the standard weight, it is called wasting. Body fat and protein are reduced. The weight loss mentioned here is generally progressive in a short period of time. There is a comparison of weight values measured before and after weight loss. There are obvious loosening of clothes, loosening of belts, larger shoes, and reduction of subcutaneous fat. , Weak muscles, loose skin, protruding bones and other evidence. As for weight loss after dehydration and edema subsides, it cannot be called weight loss.

Basic Information

Causes of wasting and common diseases

Insufficient food intake

(1) Weight loss caused by lack of food, partial eclipse or improper feeding: it can be seen in children with malnutrition and rickets.

(2) Wasting due to difficulty in eating or swallowing: common in oral ulcers, mandibular arthritis, osteomyelitis, and esophageal tumors.

(3) weight loss caused by anorexia or loss of appetite: common in anorexia nervosa, chronic gastritis, adrenal insufficiency, acute and chronic infections, uremia and malignant tumors.

2. Food digestion, absorption, and utilization disorders

(1) Chronic gastrointestinal diseases: common in gastrointestinal diseases such as gastric and duodenal ulcers, chronic gastritis, gastroptosis, gastrointestinal tumors, chronic colitis, chronic enteritis, intestinal tuberculosis and clonal diseases.

(2) Chronic liver, gallbladder, and pancreatic diseases: such as chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, liver cancer, chronic biliary infection, chronic pancreatitis, gallbladder, and pancreatic tumors.

(3) Endocrine and metabolic diseases: common in hyperthyroidism, diabetes, etc.

(4) Chronic wasting diseases: such as tuberculosis.

(5) Others: Jiufu laxatives or drugs that irritate the stomach and intestines.

3. Food needs to be increased or consumed too much

Such as growth, development, pregnancy, breastfeeding, overwork, hyperthyroidism, long-term fever, malignant tumors, trauma and post-operative.

Differential diagnosis of weight loss

Simple wasting

Simple weight loss includes physical weight loss and exogenous weight loss.

(1) Physical weight loss: It is mainly non-progressive weight loss, which has a certain inheritance.

(2) Exogenous weight loss: It is usually affected by various factors such as diet, habits and psychology. Insufficient food intake, partial eclipse, anorexia, missed meals, irregular lifestyle and lack of exercise and other dietary habits as well as psychological stress such as high work stress, mental stress and excessive fatigue are all causes of exogenous weight loss.

2. Secondary weight loss

The weight loss caused by various diseases is called secondary weight loss.

(1) Gastrointestinal diseases: such as gastritis, gastric prolapse, gastric and duodenal ulcers, etc.

(2) Metabolic diseases: such as hyperthyroidism and diabetes.

(3) Chronic wasting diseases: such as tuberculosis and liver disease may cause weight loss.

(4) Malignant tumors, chronic infections, gastrointestinal diseases, anorexia nervosa (anorexia nervosa), severe trauma and burns.

(5) Simple upper body weight loss: a manifestation of progressive lipodystrophy. Progressive lipodystrophy is a rare autonomic nervous system disease characterized by adipose tissue metabolic disorders. Its clinical and histological characteristics are slowly progressive bilateral distribution, basically symmetrical, well-defined, subcutaneous adipose tissue atrophy or disappearance. Sometimes, it can be combined with limited adipose tissue hyperplasia and hypertrophy.

In addition, post-abdominal surgery, such as after cholecystectomy, may also lead to weight loss.

Weight loss check

Routine urine test

When red blood cells, casts, and proteins appear in urine, chronic connective tissue diseases such as chronic nephritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, kidney tumors, and renal tuberculosis should be considered. The appearance of urine glucose should be considered diabetes. Leukopenia is consistent with pyelonephritis and requires further examination.

2. Routine blood test

(1) Anemia: malignant tumor, leukemia, aplastic anemia, chronic infectious disease.

(2) Increased white blood cell count: various bacterial infections, leukemia, and leukemia-like reactions.

(3) Decreased white blood cell count: aplastic anemia, agranulocytosis, typhoid fever, systemic lupus erythematosus, cirrhosis, etc.

(4) Thrombocytopenia: leukemia, aplastic anemia.

(5) Accelerated ESR: There is no specific diagnostic significance, but organic diseases should be further examined, and special attention should be paid to finding malignant tumors, tuberculosis or extrapulmonary tuberculosis.

3. Endocrine examination

Analysis and significance of endocrine test results.