Anorexia (deriving from the Greek όρεξη (orexe) = appetite) is the decreased sensation of appetite. While the term in non-scientific publications is often used interchangably with one of its subtypes, anorexia nervosa, there are many possible causes for a decreased appetite, some of which may be harmless while others pose significant risk for the person. The term symptom (from the Greek syn = con/plus and pipto = fall, together meaning co-exist) has two similar meanings in the context of physical and mental health: A symptom may loosely be said to be a physical condition which shows that one has a particular illness or disorder (see... In medicine, a sign is a feature of disease as detected by the doctor during physical examination of a patient. ... The following codes are used with International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ... The following is a list of codes for International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ... The appetite is the desire to eat food, felt as hunger. ... Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by voluntary starvation and exercise stress. ...

Causes

Common disorders that cause anorexia include anorexia nervosa, severe depression, cancer, dementia, AIDS, and chronic renal disease. Environmentally induced disorders, such as altitude sickness, can also trigger an acute form of anorexia. Clinical depression is a health condition of depression with mental and physical components reaching criteria generally accepted by clinicians. ... When normal cells are damaged or old they undergo apoptosis; cancer cells, however, avoid apoptosis. ... Dementia (from Latin demens) is progressive decline in cognitive function due to damage or disease in the brain beyond what might be expected from normal aging. ... The Red Ribbon is the global symbol for solidarity with HIV-positive people and those living with AIDS. AIDS is an acronym for Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and is defined as a collection of symptoms and infections resulting from the depletion of the immune system caused... Chronic renal failure (CRF, or chronic kidney failure, CKF) is a slowly progressive loss of renal function over a period of months or years and defined as an abnormally low glomerular filtration rate, which is usually determined indirectly by the creatinine level in blood serum. ... Altitude sickness (also: acute mountain sickness (AMS) or altitude illness) is a pathological condition that is caused by lack of adaptation to high altitudes. ...

Anorexia may also be seen in congestive heart failure, perhaps due to congestion of the liver with venous blood. Congestive heart failure (CHF) (also called congestive cardiac failure and heart failure) is the inability of the heart to pump a sufficient amount of blood throughout the body, or requiring elevated filling pressures in order to pump effectively. ... The liver is an organ in vertebrates, including humans. ... In the circulatory system, venous blood is blood returning to the heart. ...

Although the presenting symptom (the one which prompts a patient to seek medical attention) in acute appendicitis is abdominal pain, the presence of anorexia is requisite to making the diagnosis. Abdominal pain can be one of the symptoms associated with transient disorders or serious disease. ... Diagnosis (from the Greek words dia = by and gnosis = knowledge) is the process of identifying a disease by its signs, symptoms and results of various diagnostic procedures. ...

Some medications, antidepressants for example, can have anorexia as a side effect. Most notoriously, however, chemicals that are a member of the phenethylamine family are known to have more intense anorectic properties. For this reason, many individuals suffering from anorexia nervosa seek to use these medications as a crutch. Such prescription medications include Ritalin, Adderall, Dexedrine, and Desoxyn. In some cases, these medications are prescribed to patients prior to undergoing an operation requiring general anesthesia. This is a prophylactic measure taken to ensure no food will back up into the esophagus and cause the patient to stop breathing during the procedure. An antidepressant is a medication used primarily in the treatment of clinical depression. ... Phenethylamine (Phenethylamine) is an alkaloid and monoamine. ... Methylphenidate (C14H19NO2), or MPH, is an amphetamine-like prescription stimulant commonly used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adults. ... Adderall® CII is a pharmaceutical amphetamine used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy. ... Dextroamphetamine (also known as dextroamphetamine sulfate, dexamphetamine, dexedrine, Dexampex, Ferndex, Oxydess II, Robese, Spancap #1, and, informally, Dex), a stereoisomer of amphetamine, is an indirect-acting stimulant that releases norepinephrine from nerve terminals, thus promoting nerve impulse transmission. ... Bulk pharmaceutical bottle of Desoxyn Desoxyn® CII is a pharmaceutical form of methamphetamine hydrochloride (also known as desoxyephedrine, hence the name Desoxyn), indicated for treatment of Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD), narcolepsy, and exogenous obesity. ...

Results

Inability to eat in the long term may lead to involuntary weight loss, may contribute to cachexia (wasting) and to malnutrition. In the context of physical health, weight loss is the process of losing body weight, typically by losing fat. ... Malnutrition is a general term for the medical condition in a person or animal caused by an unbalanced diet—either too little or too much food, or a diet missing one or more important nutrients. ...