Malaise

Feeling of general discomfort

Not to be confused with nausea. For the Swedish entomologist and inventor of the Malaise trap, see René Malaise.

Medical condition

Malaise

Other names| Discomfort, uneasiness
Pronunciation|

* /məˈleɪz/ mə-LAYZ

Specialty| Family medicine, Internal medicine, Pediatrics, Geriatrics, Psychiatry, Clinical psychology
Symptoms| Feeling of uneasiness or discomfort
Diagnostic method| Based on symptoms
Differential diagnosis| Pain, anxiety, depression

In medicine, malaise is a feeling of general discomfort, uneasiness or lack of wellbeing and often the first sign of an infection or other disease.[1] It is considered a vague term – describing the state of simply not feeling well. The word has existed in French since at least the 12th century.

The term is often used figuratively in other contexts, in addition to its meaning as a general state of angst or melancholia.

## Cause

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Malaise is a non-specific symptom and can be present in the slightest ailment, such as an emotion (causing fainting, a vasovagal response) or hunger (light hypoglycemia[2]), to the most serious conditions (cancer, stroke, heart attack, internal bleeding, etc.).

Malaise expresses a patient's uneasiness that "something is not right" that may need a medical examination to determine the significance.

Malaise is thought to be caused by the activation of an immune response, and the associated pro-inflammatory cytokines.[3]

## Figurative use

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"Economic malaise" refers to an economy that is stagnant or in recession (compare depression). The term is particularly associated with the 1973–75 United States recession.[4] An era of American automotive history, centered around the 1970s, is similarly called the "malaise era."

The "Crisis of Confidence" speech made by US President Jimmy Carter in 1979 is commonly referred to as the "malaise speech", although the word itself was not actually in the speech.[5]

## See also

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* Ennui – Mental state experienced when an individual is left without anything to doPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
* Fatigue (medical) – State of tiredness, exhaustion or loss of energyPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
* Malaise Créole – Social exclusion of Mauritius Creoles
* Nosology – Branch of medicine that deals with classification of diseases
* Post-exertional malaise – Worsening of symptoms with activity
* Prodrome – Premonitory signs or symptoms of disease
* Torpor – State of decreased physiological activity in an animal

## Notes and references

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1. ^ "Malaise: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia". medlineplus.gov. Archived from the original on 2016-09-16.
2. ^ Sommerfield, Andrew J.; Deary, Ian J.; McAulay, Vincent; Frier, Brian M. (1 February 2003). "Short-Term, Delayed, and Working Memory Are Impaired During Hypoglycemia in Individuals With Type 1 Diabetes". Diabetes Care. 26 (2): 390–396\. doi:10.2337/diacare.26.2.390. PMID 12547868. Archived from the original on 13 September 2016 – via care.diabetesjournals.org.
3. ^ Dantzer, Robert (1 December 2016). "Cytokine, Sickness Behavior, and Depression". Immunology and Allergy Clinics of North America. 29 (2): 247–264\. doi:10.1016/j.iac.2009.02.002. ISSN 0889-8561. PMC 2740752. PMID 19389580.
4. ^ 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.
5. ^ ""Crisis of Confidence" Speech (July 15, 1979)". Miller Center, University of Virginia. Archived from the original (text and video) on July 21, 2009.

Look up malaise in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

## External links

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Classification|

* ICD-10: R53
* ICD-9-CM: 780.7

|

External resources|

* MedlinePlus: 003089
* eMedicine: search/Malaise

* MedlinePlus Encyclopedia: 003089

* v
* t
* e

Signs and symptoms that are general or constitutional

Temperature|

| heat|

* Fever
* of unknown origin
* drug-induced
* postoperative
* Hyperthermia
* Hyperhidrosis
* Night sweats

|

cold|

* Chills
* Hypothermia

Aches and pains|

* Headache
* Chronic pain
* Cancer pain
* Myalgia
* Tenderness

Malaise and fatigue|

* Lassitude
* Lethargy
* Atrophy
* of muscle
* Asthenia

Miscellaneous|

* Cachexia
* Anorexia
* Polyphagia and polydipsia
* Flu-like symptoms

* v
* t
* e

Common cold

Viruses|

* Adenovirus
* Coronavirus
* Enterovirus
* Rhinovirus

Symptoms|

* Cough
* Fatigue
* Fever
* Headache
* Loss of appetite
* Malaise
* Muscle aches
* Nasal congestion
* Rhinorrhea
* Sneezing
* Sore throat
* Weakness

Complications|

* Acute bronchitis
* Bronchiolitis
* Croup
* Otitis media
* Pharyngitis
* Pneumonia
* Sinusitis
* Strep throat

Drugs|

* Antiviral drugs
* Cold medicine

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