Cachexia

The cachexia represents a condition of extreme exhaustion of an organism. Pathology is characterized by the general weakness, the sharp progressing decrease in body weight and delay of all physiological processes. These disturbances are accompanied by an adynamy, a depression and other changes of mentality. The cachexia can be both independent damage, and a complication of various diseases, and demands the immediate address to the doctor.

Cachexia symptoms

The cachexia is followed by the following symptoms:

• Rapid loss of weight to 50% of body weight more;
• Muscular weakness;
• Dehydration;
• Sleep disorder;
• Lowering of arterial pressure;
• Tendency to infections;
• Capacity loss.

At exhaustion skin loses elasticity, becomes flabby, and also turns pale or gets an earthy shade. It occurs owing to dehydration, a vitamin deficiency and disappearance of hypodermic cellulose. Trophic change of nails and hair is observed, stomatitis develops.

Various disturbances of functions of digestive tract and urinogenital system are characteristic of a cachexia. Women have an amenorrhea due to reduction of volume of the circulating blood. Avitaminosis is expressed, mainly, in a hypoproteinemia, a hypoalbuminemia, deficit of iron and B12 vitamin.

Except the listed defeats, exhaustion of an organism is followed by various mental disorders. At an adynamy there are an irritability, tearfulness and a subdepression which in process of development of pathology are replaced by slackness, apathy and lack of physical forces. In cases of an aggravation of the basic disease which served as the cachexia reason stupefactions in the form of an amental syndrome, and also a rudimentary or heavy delirium can be shown. Quite often exhaustion is accompanied by alarming and sad states, an apathetic stupor, a pseudoparalytic syndrome or other forms of mental disturbances. Even if the cause of exhaustion managed to be removed, the adynamy continues to be present at an extent of the long period.

Cachexia reasons

Set of the reasons promoting development of a cachexia can be divided into five groups conditionally:

• Deficit of nutrients in an organism owing to starvation, diseases of a gullet, teeth or an oral cavity;
• Insufficient absorption of useful elements because of diseases of a stomach and intestines, and also operations on these bodies;
• The increased need for proteins, fats and carbohydrates during rehabilitation after severe injuries or during the postoperative period;
• Bystry loss of vitamins and microelements at damages of kidneys or massive burn damage of fabrics;
• Acceleration of metabolic processes because of failures of endocrine system, heart failure, infections.

Exhaustion happens primary and secondary. The main reasons for primary, or pituitary cachexia, the following disturbances are considered:

• Brain injury;
• Long psychogenic stress;
• Anorexia;
• Tumoral or systemic lesion of a hypophysis;
• Autoimmune hypophysitis;
• Persistent specific infection;
• Hemorrhage;
• Embolism.

The secondary, or symptomatic type of exhaustion is caused by the listed below factors:

• Malabsorption;
• Hypoinsulinism;
• Deficit of glucocorticoids;
• The increased synthesis of a glucagon;
• Excess products of somatostatin;
• Growth of new growths.

Pituitary cachexia

The pituitary cachexia, or Simmonds's syndrome is the pathology caused by defeats of the basis of a brain which lead to development of functional gipotalamo-pituitary insufficiency. As the main clinical manifestation the hardest exhaustion in a combination to senile involution of bodies and fabrics acts. The disease etiology, except infection of area of a hypophysis, includes tuberculosis, syphilis, a necrosis after hemorrhage or an embolism, a sclerosis, a tumor.

Usually pituitary cachexia proceeds slowly and can remain not diagnosed within long years. But in certain cases, depending on the nature of damage of a hypophysis, all symptoms quickly progress, and without treatment the cachexia results in coma and death.

Statistically, the disease arises preferential at women of 30-40 years. The first sign is disturbance of a menstrual cycle, up to total disappearance monthly. Then exhaustion develops, secondary sexual characteristics disappear, internals atrophy, and also mental health is broken.

At treatment of a cachexia of this type apply replaceable hormonal therapy:

• Adrenocorticotropic hormone;
• Cortexone;
• Sex hormones;
• Prednisolonum and other glucocorticoids.

Besides, enter normal saline solution, glucose solution, vitamins and provide high-calorific food and rest.

Cancer cachexia

The cancer cachexia is exhaustion of an organism against the background of development of a malignant tumor. For development of pathology localization and volume of a new growth do not matter though at digestive tract tumors exhaustion is expressed stronger. It is considered that the cancer cachexia is connected with the following phenomena:

• Atypical metabolism which causes the high need of tumoral fabric for the substrates used for its growth;
• Toxic influence of a tumor on structures and functions of healthy bodies and fabrics.

As a result the disease leads to irreversible deviations of a homeostasis and a lethal outcome.

Treatment of a cachexia at a malignant tumor symptomatic. In particular, apply delta 9 - tetrahydrocannabinol as anti-vomitive, including, after chemotherapy as medical kannabinoida significantly stimulate appetite and growth of body weight. By means of fish oil in certain cases also stop loss of weight, but in general this field of oncology is insufficiently investigated.