Decompensation

Decompensation refers to the functional deterioration of a structure or system that had been previously working with the help of allostatic compensation. It is a term used in medicine to describe an organ's inability to compensate for functional deficiency, leading to failure.

Overview

In the context of medicine, decompensation may occur due to an existing pathological condition or when compensatory mechanisms are exceeded, leading to the worsening of a disease or a medical condition. Decompensation may be acute or chronic and is a common term used in cardiology, psychiatry, and hepatology.

Cardiology

In cardiology, decompensation refers to the failure of the heart to maintain adequate blood circulation, after long-term damage, leading to heart failure. This can be due to various conditions such as myocardial infarction, hypertension, and valvular heart disease.

Psychiatry

In psychiatry, decompensation describes a deterioration of mental health in a patient who, up until that point, was maintaining his or her mental illness. The term is commonly used to describe an individual's inability to maintain defense mechanisms in response to stress, resulting in personality disturbance or psychological imbalance.

Hepatology

In hepatology, decompensation refers to the development of specific complications in patients with cirrhosis. Decompensated cirrhosis is a life-threatening condition where the liver is damaged to the point that it can no longer perform its vital functions.

See also

• Compensation (psychology)
• Compensation (medicine)
• Homeostasis

References

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