Cachectic
Cachectic
Cachectic (pronounced: kuh-KEK-tik) is a term used in medicine to describe a patient who is in a state of poor health and malnutrition due to a chronic illness or disease.
Etymology
The term "cachectic" is derived from the Greek word "kakhexia", which means "bad condition". It is composed of two parts: "kakos" meaning "bad" and "hexis" meaning "condition".
Definition
A cachectic patient is characterized by a significant loss of body weight, muscle atrophy, fatigue, weakness, and significant loss of appetite 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, AIDS), and some autoimmune disorders.
Related Terms
- Anorexia: A lack or loss of appetite for food. It is a common symptom of cachexia.
- Atrophy: The process of wasting away, especially as a result of the degeneration of cells.
- Malnutrition: A condition that results from eating a diet in which one or more nutrients are either not enough or are too much such that it causes health problems.
- Cancer: A group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body.
- Autoimmune disease: A condition arising from an abnormal immune response to a normal body part.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Cachectic
- Wikipedia's article - Cachectic
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