Cachexia is a condition that causes extreme weight loss and muscle. Its etymology is found in the Greek: kakos , which means “bad”, and hexis , which means “condition”. This condition is precisely a side effect of chronic conditions, such as cancer, type 1 diabetes, HIV, and multiple sclerosis.
Although there are other factors that can cause a person to lose weight, cachexia is different in that a person who does not eat enough will lose fat, but a person with cachexia will lose fat and muscle mass, even if they are eating properly.
Cachexia-related diseases
AIDS
Cancer
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Chronic renal insufficiency
Congestive heart failure
Crohn’s disease
Cystic fibrosis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Symptoms
Not all people with cachexia may appear undernourished , for example if a person with cachexia had been overweight before developing a chronic disease. Because cachexia is sometimes difficult to recognize, doctors use a variety of criteria to diagnose it. The patient must have experienced the following:
-Lose more than 5% of your body weight unintentionally
-Having a body mass index (BMI) of less than 20 in a person under 65 years of age or a BMI of less than 22 in a person over 65 years of age.
-Have less than 10% body fat.
-Have high levels of cytokines in the blood. (When levels of cytokines rise in the blood, they activate a compound that reduces the creation of new muscle in the body.)
-Have an albumin level of less than 35 grams per liter. (Albumin is a protein made by the liver that helps maintain fluid balance in the body. Its loss is associated with cachexia and can lead to edema or swelling.
