Malaise

For the Swedish entomologist, inventor of the Malaise trap, see René Malaise.

Malaise

ICD-10	R53
ICD-9	780.7
MedlinePlus	003089
eMedicine	topic list

Malaise (pronounced /məˈleɪz/, mal-aze) is a feeling of general discomfort or uneasiness, of being "out of sorts", often the first indication of an infection or other disease. Malaise is often defined in medicinal research as a "general feeling of being unwell". This word is originally a French word existing since the 12th century.

The term is also often used figuratively in other contexts; for example, "economic malaise" refers to an economy that is stagnant or in recession; compare depression. The term is particularly associated with the stagflation of the 1970s, as in the popularly called "malaise" speech of President Jimmy Carter (the speech, however, did not use the term). (The term "malaise" as used for the 1970s stagflation predates the speech, however.^[1])

Cause

There can be various causes of malaise, from the slightest like an emotion (causing vasovagal response) or hunger (light hypoglycemia) to the most serious (cancer, stroke, heart attack, internal bleeding, etc.)

Generally speaking, the malaise expresses that "something is not going right," like a general warning light, but only a medical examination can determine the cause.

Associated conditions

Akathisia Altitude sickness Anemia Aphthous ulcer Appendicitis Babesiosis Bolivian hemorrhagic fever Borderline personality disorder Cat scratch disease Chickenpox Chronic fatigue syndrome Chronic myelogenous leukemia Chronic kidney disease Chronic sinusitis Common cold Conjunctivitis Coryza Diabetes mellitus Diabetic nephropathy Dysautonomia

Ebola Epilepsy Fever Fibromyalgia Gilbert's syndrome Haemochromatosis Hemolytic anemia Herpes zoster HIV / AIDS HELLP syndrome Hepatitis Hyponatremia Infectious mononucleosis Influenza Lead Poisoning Leukemia Lupus erythematosus Lyme disease Major depressive disorder Malaria

MRSA Migraine Multiple myeloma Neurotoxicity Opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome Plague Pneumonia Q fever Rabies Rheumatoid arthritis Scrofula Sickness behavior Sleeping sickness Smallpox Staphylococcus Streptococcal pharyngitis Syphilis Withdrawal

Scurvey

See also

• Fatigue (medical)
• Malaise speech
• Prodrome

Notes and references

1. ^ One example can be found in The Next 200 Years: A Scenario for America and the World, by Herman Kahn et al., published in 1976, p. 2.

External links

• MedlinePlus Encyclopedia 003089