We often feel tired in our day-to-day life. Weakness felt in any body part or all over the body is known as asthenia, through this blog, we will learn about its types, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment
Any kind of feeling of weakness which may be physically induced or mentally induced can cause body weakness. It is not in particular a disease but a symptom rather which might be induced due to an underlying disease or it can happen as a side effect of medications.
A body weakness or asthenia can be experienced by people in particular such as arms or legs. While a generalised body weakness is usually associated with some bacterial or viral infection such as influenza or hepatitis.
Asthenia can be short-lived or might pertain for a longer period. When it persists for a long duration, seeking medical help becomes necessary.
What Are the Types of Asthenia?
Asthenia can occur in various forms, for shorter duration or longer duration as well. Some of the types are mentioned below:
- Asthenia associated with flu- An infection such as flu or other diseases can often make you feel muscle weakness. Muscle weakness can make you emotionally stunted, feel angry or could limit your ability to function.
- Asthenic depression- If you are having frequent mood changes which might be unpredictable as well, this can lead to symptoms such as impaired attention, loss of memory, and irritability.
- Vegetative syndrome- It can be a serious illness, which can affect both children and adults.
- Nerve asthenic syndrome- It is a type of neurosis severely affecting the central nervous system, if you are suffering from it you may become violent.
- Cerebroasthenic syndrome- Uncontrollably emerging emotions usually associated with an ununderstood illness of head trauma disrupting the neural tissue functioning.
- Expressed asthenic syndrome- It is a disturbed mental state due to which you are more likely to face anxiety because you become more sensitive to stressful situations.
- Alcohol asthenia- Asthenia can often occur in alcoholic people.
Why Does Asthenia Happen?
Asthenia is a general condition which can be induced due to many diseases. Some of the causes are mentioned below-
- Underlying health condition causing asthenia
Some underlying conditions can lead to generalised fatigue such as- Anaemia
- Viral
- Flu
- Fibro myalgia
- Lacking sleep
- Unmanaged or poorly managed diabetes
- Anxiety
- Thyroid diseases
- Celiac diseases
- State of depression
- Sleep apnea
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Deficiency such as vitamin B-12
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Congestive heart failure
- Cancer
- Natural Ageing
Certain diseases associated with ageing can also lead to asthenia such as- Liver diseases
- Insomnia
- Sleep disorders
- Arthritis
- Muscle diseases
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Medication-Related side effects causing asthenia
- Use of tranquillisers for treating anxiety
- Antihistamines
- Antidepressant medications
- Ongoing chemotherapy
- Opioids usage
- Overdose of certain medications or vitamins
- Other Causes causing asthenia
What Are the Symptoms of Asthenia?
- Generalised weakness/full body weakness
Generalised weakness is usually associated with viral or bacterial infections such as flu, you may feel certain symptoms such as-- Fever
- Flu like symptoms
- Pain in affected area
- Isolated weakness
You may feel pain in certain parts of your body which may impair your functioning, other features include- Slow movement or delayed movements
- Twitching of muscles
- Muscle cramps
- Uncontrolled shaking or tremors movements
- Emergency symptoms
If you are starting to face certain symptoms, you should inform your doctor or relative immediately- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Breathing difficulty
- Speaking difficulty
- Vision changes
- Pain in chest
- Lightheadedness
How Is Asthenia Diagnosed?
Asthenia can be diagnosed by using and combining various tools and tests some of then are mentioned below-
- Blood Tests
- CBC
- Vitamin B12 level
- Folate levels
- Ferritin levels
- Inflammatory markers for ruling out diseases
- Autoantibodies detection test for autoimmune disorders
- Biochemical tests-
- Blood glucose test
- LFT- liver function test
- Vitamin D levels
- Iron profile
- B12 and folate levels
- Thyroid Function Test
- Serum electrolytes
- Renal function test
- Urine Tests
- For diabetes
- liver illness
- Renal illness
- Pregnancies
- Urine toxicology
- Other Tests
How Is Asthenia Treated?
Once the correct diagnosis has been made, the treatment becomes easy, some of the treatment methods are mentioned below-
- Symptomatic relief- Symptoms can be treated by certain medications such as NSAIDs or Antidepressants
- Correcting Deficiencies- If you have vitamin or mineral deficiencies, you might be prescribed certain supplements such as Vit D for vit D deficiency
- Non-pharmacologic management of Chronic asthenia
- Infection-related Asthenia - For treating certain infections, antibiotics are used
- Autoimmune disorder-related asthenia- Certain immunosuppressant medications are used to treat autoimmune diseases to help relieve the symptoms
- Stress-related neurotic disorders causing asthenia- Certain psychological orders such as panic disorder or stress response disorder might be treated with medications like antidepressants or with cognitive behavioural therapy.
Other approaches include
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know that I have asthenia?
Asthenia is a sense of body weakness which may cause mental fatigue as well. It can happen in any part of the body or the whole body as well. For getting it diagnosed you should consult a doctor so that you know the exact aetiology which is causing you to feel asthenia.
What are the risk factors for asthenia?
Asthenia can be caused due to many reasons such as
- Nutritional deficiencies such as vit-B12 deficiency
- Viral infections
- Blood related diseases such as anaemia
- Muscular disorders like muscular dystrophy
- Sleep problems like sleep apnea
- Other serious problems such as chronic fatigue syndrome
How to cure asthenia?
You can fight asthenia by
- Organising your schedule
- Relaxing
- Sleeping properly
- Thinking positive
- Having nutritious diet
- Avoiding stimulating substances
- Most importantly consulting a doctor for knowing its exact cause
What is the difference between asthenia and fatigue?
Fatigue is generally related to some psychological or physiological symptoms. It is often difficult to distinguish between the two, although a thorough examination can conclude diagnosis.
What are the other names for asthenia?
Asthenia can also be described by the patient/doctor as
- Abnormal loss of strength
- Astheny
- Feebleness
- Frailness
- Frailty
- Infirmity
- Valetudinarian
- Debility
What medicines can cause asthenia?
Some drugs can also cause asthenia such as
- methyldopa(aldomet)
- Bactrim
- Propranolol (inderal)
- Metoprolol (lopressor)
- Dexamethasone (decadron)
- Cardizem (diltiazem)
- Donnatal
- Amitriptyline (elavil)
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