Asthenia
Asthenia refers to feelings of weakness, tiredness, and fatigue. Those who experience it might have restricted mobility in specific body parts. It may also trigger mental fatigue. Some underlying medical conditions triggering generalized weakness and fatigue include the flu, strep throat, thyroid disease, anemia, and Celiac disease. Chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, depression, anxiety, sleep apnea, lack of sleep, diabetes, heart failure, deficiency of vitamin B12, cancer, stroke, and heart attack can also cause it.
Apart from health conditions, certain medications can also cause asthenia. These include tranquilizers, antidepressants, antihistamines, chemotherapy, and opioids. Vitamin and medication misuse may also lead to weakness. Muscle diseases, arthritis, COPD, kidney disease, and other conditions that may accompany aging can also result in asthenia. Some lifestyle choices like sedentary behavior and poor diet may trigger the condition.
For isolated weaknesses, you may experience slow or delayed movements, uncontrollable tremors or shaking, muscle twitching, and muscle cramps. Those with full-body fatigue may feel pain and discomfort, symptoms of the flu, and a fever. If you start to experience dizziness, lightheadedness, confusion, difficulty speaking, vision changes, chest pain, or breathing difficulty, it’s advised to seek medical treatment immediately, as these are symptoms of severe medical conditions.
