Hello! I am Liu Jian
Today is the 591st issue that Jian Ge said to accompany you
There are special seats on the bus, the elderly, the sick and the disabled, and the other 4 categories are very clear, but what does this "weak" mean? Weak, refers to weakness, this is not an adjective, but a disease, today, we will talk about this disease.
How to count as debilitated
Weakness is not simply a syndrome that looks weak, but a syndrome in which different degrees of functional decline occurs in four aspects: physiology, cognition, social psychology and nutrition. A recent review of debilitating in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) discusses various definitions of debilitating, which may be clinically possible due to the many areas involved in debilitation:
Physiologically, it can be manifested as weakened strength and endurance, decreased physiological function, often tiredness and fatigue, decreased physical activity; cognitively, cognitive impairment such as memory loss caused by physical weakness, but may be reversible. From the social psychology, there is a decline in social relations and social support, psychological vulnerability, and emotional instability. Nutritionally, it can manifest itself as a sudden and drastic loss of body weight, a decrease in muscle mass and strength, an easy fall, and even a disability [1].
Clinically, if the following symptoms appear, such as weakness, exhaustion, decreased activity, anorexia, decreased eating, weight loss, sarcopenia, bone mass reduction, slowed pace, poor balance ability, muscle atrophy due to reduced exercise, malnutrition, etc., should be vigilant against weakness.
The review article also notes the interconnection between debilitating syndrome and cardiovascular disease. It is common for cardiovascular disease to be associated with debilitating because cardiovascular disease itself can cause hospitalization, decreased physiology, or inactivity, which can induce or exacerbate debilitating levels; in turn, weakness can worsen cardiovascular conditions and worse prognosis [1].
Weakness is reversible
Debilitation can occur at all ages, but older adults are more common, with a prevalence of 4% to 59% in different countries and regions, and a prevalence of 19% to 53% in predelapse, with more female patients [1].
Weakness is a dynamic process, and is reversible, when the body function from the pre-debilitation to the debilitated state, the body function is difficult to fully recover from stress damage, in this process, identify the high-risk population of debilitation, early intervention is beneficial.
The decline of body function generally goes through 4 stages
Obesity, smoking, alcoholism, low socioeconomic status, women, lack of exercise, low education, multiple medications, falls, multiple comorbidities, poor cognitive function, depression, or spousal depression are more likely to be debilitating [1].
For the prevention of debilitation, especially in elderly patients who already have cardiovascular diseases, attention should be paid to preventing the occurrence and progression of debilitation through active physical activity, drugs, cognitive, nutritional and psychosocial interventions, such as cardiac rehabilitation, and if debilitation has occurred, attention should be paid to improving the quality of life of patients.
Brother Jian said
Weakness refers to a syndrome in which there are different degrees of functional decline in four aspects: physiological, cognitive, psychosocial and nutritional, resulting in disability, disability, and even death.
Clinically, debilitated patients often present with symptoms such as weakness, exhaustion, decreased activity, and weight loss.
Debilitation and cardiovascular diseases interact with each other, and high-risk groups and patients with cardiovascular diseases should pay attention to the prevention of debilitation.
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"On the Heart" - Medicine, Health and Lifestyle of the Heart
Works by Professor Liu Jian