Thinness and Cachexia

CLINICAL DIAGNOSTIC MANUAL

Thinness and cachexia are clinical conditions marked by significant loss of body weight, muscle mass, and adipose tissue.

Thinness can be a normal state for some individuals, but cachexia is a serious pathological condition associated with various chronic and malignant diseases.

Cachexia is characterised by systemic inflammation, increased catabolism, and decreased protein synthesis, leading to severe weight loss that cannot be fully reversed with nutritional support.

Pathology	Symptoms and Clinical Signs	Suspected Diagnosis	Confirmed Diagnosis
Low Caloric Intake	Weight loss, weakness, fatigue. Low BMI, signs of nutritional deficiency.	Clinical history of dietary intake. Physical examination.	Nutritional and dietary evaluation. Blood tests for deficiencies.
Thyrotoxicosis	Weight loss, nervousness, palpitations, heat intolerance. Tachycardia, warm and moist skin.	Clinical history and physical examination. Thyroid function tests (low TSH, elevated T3/T4).	Confirmation with thyroid function tests.
AIDS	Weight loss, recurrent infections, chronic diarrhoea. Signs of immunodeficiency, lymphadenopathy.	Clinical history and physical examination. HIV antibody test and viral load.	Confirmation with positive HIV test and viral load assessment.
Neoplasia	Weight loss, fatigue, localised pain, palpable masses. Signs of systemic or localised disease.	Clinical history and physical examination. Imaging studies, tumour markers.	Confirmation with biopsy and histopathological studies.
Tuberculosis	Weight loss, fever, night sweats, persistent cough. Signs of chronic infection, lymphadenopathy.	Clinical history and physical examination. Tuberculin test (PPD), chest X-ray.	Confirmation with positive sputum culture for Mycobacterium tuberculosis.