Cachexia, aka wasting syndrome, is weight loss and muscle wasting caused by a chronic disease. It causes symptoms of fatigue and weakness, and the physical appearance of emaciation, or extreme leanness.
Disease caused emaciation can be due in part to inadequate food intake because of a lack in appetite. But with cachexia, the weight loss and muscle wasting is mainly the effects a disease has on fat and muscle metabolism.
Cachexia is marked by the occurrence of complex metabolic changes. So, unlike emaciation from anorexia nervosa, malnutrition or starvation, your loss of weight caused by cachexia cannot simply be restored by a change in diet.
Some health conditions that may cause muscle wasting, weight loss cachexia symptoms are:
Cachexia associated with cancer is often called cancer cachexia. It frequently occurs with:
Not so much with breast cancer or lower gastrointestinal cancer. And sometimes cancer treatments, i.e. chemotherapy or radiation, might contribute to associated emaciation because of nausea, vomiting and diarrhea symptoms.
Consuming additional calories does not relieve weight loss and muscle wasting symptoms of cachexia. Thus, high calorie supplementation or parenteral nutritional support only helps with your emaciation if oral intake is a problem, i.e. swallowing difficulties.
Presently, there’s no effective treatment cachexia caused emaciation. Research is ongoing.