Cachexia

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Template:SignSymptom infobox | }} Cachexia is loss of weight, muscle wasting, fatigue, weakness and anorexia (not anorexia nervosa) in someone who is not actively trying to lose weight. It can be a sign of various underlying disorders; when a patient presents with cachexia, a doctor will generally consider the possibility of cancer, certain infectious diseases (e.g. tuberculosis) and some autoimmune disorders. Cachexia physically weakens patients to a state of immobility stemming from anorexia, asthenia, and anemia, and response to standard treatment is usually poor.

1 Mechanism
2 Treatment
3 See also
4 External links

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Mechanism

The exact mechanism in which these diseases cause cachexia is poorly understood, but there is probably a role for inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) -which is also nicknamed cachexin for this reason-, Interferon gamma (IFNɣ), and Interleukin 6 (IL-6), as well as the tumor secreted proteolysis-inducing factor (PIF).

Related malnutrition syndromes are kwashiorkor and marasmus, although these do not always have an underlying causative illness; they are most often symptomatic of severe malnutrition.

Those suffering from the eating disorder anorexia nervosa appear to have high plasma levels of ghrelin. Ghrelin levels are also high in patients who have cancer-induced cachexia (Garcia et al 2005).

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Treatment

A number of physicians and medical researchers are pursuing the approach of treating the condition with high levels of antioxidants, finding that vitamin E in particular seems to stabilize the function of the liver, which allows the patient a chance to regain lost immunity.

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