Malaise

For the Swedish entomologist, inventor of the Malaise trap, see René Malaise.
Malaise
Classification and external resources
ICD-10 R53
ICD-9-CM 780.7
MedlinePlus 003089
eMedicine topic list

Malaise (/məˈlz/ muh-LAZE) is a feeling of general discomfort, uneasiness or pain, often the first indication of an infection or other disease.[1][2] The word has existed in the French language since at least the 12th century.

The term is also often used figuratively in other contexts; for example, "economic malaise" refers to an economy that is stagnant or in recession (compare depression). The term is particularly associated with the US 1973–75 recession.[3] A speech made by President Jimmy Carter in 1979 is commonly referred to as the "malaise" speech, although the term was not in the speech.

Cause

Malaise is a non-specific symptom and can present in the slightest ailment, such as an emotion (causing fainting, a vasovagal response) or hunger (light hypoglycemia[4]), to the most serious conditions (cancer, stroke, heart attack, internal bleeding, etc.).

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 pro-inflammatory cytokines associated.[5]

See also

Notes and references

  1. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003089.htm
  2. http://www.nytimes.com/health/guides/symptoms/malaise/overview.html
  3. One example can be found in The Next 200 Years: A Scenario for America and the World, by Herman Kahn et al., published in 1976, p. 2.
  4. http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/26/2/390
  5. 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.
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