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Malaise

Feeling of general discomfort From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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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.

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

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Cause

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]

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Figurative use

"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]

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See also

  • Ennui – Mental state experienced when an individual is left without anything to do
  • Fatigue (medical) – State of tiredness, exhaustion or loss of energy
  • 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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