In medicine, malaise is a feeling of general discomfort, uneasiness or lack of wellbeing and often the first sign of an infection or other disease.[1] It is considered a vague term – describing the state of simply not feeling well. The word has existed in French since at least the 12th century.
The term is often used figuratively in other contexts, in addition to its meaning as a general state of angst or melancholia.
Cause
Malaise is a non-specific symptom and can be present in the slightest ailment, such as an emotion (e.g., causing fainting, a vasovagal response) or hunger (e.g., light hypoglycemia[2]), to more serious conditions (e.g., cancer, stroke, heart attack, internal bleeding).
Malaise expresses a patient's uneasiness that "something is not right" that may need a medical examination to determine the significance.
Malaise is thought to be caused by the activation of an immune response, and the associated pro-inflammatory cytokines.[3]
See also
- Ennui – Emotion of uninterest in surroundings
- Fatigue (medical) – State of tiredness, exhaustion or loss of energy
- Malaise Créole – Social exclusion of Mauritius Creoles
- Nosology – Branch of medicine that deals with classification of diseases
- Post-exertional malaise – Worsening of symptoms with activity
- Prodrome – Premonitory signs or symptoms of disease
- Torpor – State of decreased physiological activity in an animal
Notes and references
- ↑ "Malaise: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia". medlineplus.gov. Archived from the original on 2016-09-16.
- ↑ Sommerfield, Andrew J.; Deary, Ian J.; McAulay, Vincent; Frier, Brian M. (1 February 2003). "Short-Term, Delayed, and Working Memory Are Impaired During Hypoglycemia in Individuals With Type 1 Diabetes". Diabetes Care. 26 (2): 390–396. doi:10.2337/diacare.26.2.390. PMID 12547868. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016 – via care.diabetesjournals.org.
- ↑ Dantzer, Robert (1 December 2016). "Cytokine, Sickness Behavior, and Depression". Immunology and Allergy Clinics of North America. 29 (2): 247–264. doi:10.1016/j.iac.2009.02.002. ISSN 0889-8561. PMC 2740752. PMID 19389580.