emaciations

Emaciation, including its plural form emaciations, refers to extreme loss of body weight and tissue, especially adipose tissue and skeletal muscle, resulting in a gaunt or wasted appearance. It is a clinical sign rather than a disease, arising from an energy deficit or wasting processes associated with malnutrition, chronic illness, or severe systemic disease.

Common causes include prolonged inadequate intake (starvation or eating disorders), malabsorption syndromes, chronic infections such as tuberculosis or HIV/AIDS, cancer cachexia, chronic liver or kidney disease, heart failure, inflammatory or autoimmune diseases, and hypermetabolic states such as thyrotoxicosis. Emaciation may occur in famine, poverty, or as a complication of medical illness.

Pathophysiology involves a negative energy balance with mobilization of fat stores followed by loss of lean body mass. Metabolic rate may be altered, and immune function, wound healing, and strength decline. Clinically, patients may present with visible bone prominences, reduced subcutaneous fat, fatigue, weakness, edema in some conditions, and poor tolerance of activity.

Diagnosis is based on history of weight loss, physical examination, and nutritional assessment; body mass index, weight trajectory, and body composition measurements may be used. Laboratory tests may reveal anemia, hypoalbuminemia, micronutrient deficiencies, and disease-specific abnormalities. Management focuses on treating the underlying cause and implementing nutritional rehabilitation with cautious refeeding to avoid refeeding syndrome, plus supplementation and monitoring by a multidisciplinary team. The prognosis depends on etiology and duration of wasting, but emaciation generally signals serious disease and requires prompt attention.