Asthenia (weakness)
Health and lifestyle FAQs
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What is asthenia (weakness)?
Asthenia is when you feel fatigued mentally and physically. You may find it difficult to move your body due to a lack of energy and/or strength. Asthenia is a common sign of several medical conditions. It can also develop as a side effect of some medications.
You may feel weakness throughout your whole body or specific body parts (regional weakness).
Symptoms
Regional weakness
If you have regional weakness due to asthenia, you may feel that moving requires a great deal of effort.
The body parts experiencing regional weakness may also display additional symptoms, such as:
- Muscle spasms or cramps
- Shaking or tremors
- Delayed or slowed movement
Full body weakness
Full-body weakness may affect your entire body. You may also experience extreme tiredness or fatigue.
Other possible signs and symptoms of full-body weakness include:
- Fever
- Flu-like symptoms
- Difficulty carrying out day-to-day tasks
Complications
Weakness can also be a sign of severe conditions such as a stroke or a heart attack.
If you experience additional symptoms, such as pain in the chest, dizziness, difficulty breathing, or light-headedness, please seek emergency assistance.
Causes
There are many causes of weakness, which is why it’s important to seek help from a specialist. They can help discover the underlying cause of the issue.
Certain medications, such as mild tranquilisers to treat anxiety, antidepressants, and antihistamines, can cause weakness as a side effect. Please speak to your doctor regarding your prescription if you are experiencing symptoms, as you may need to change your course of medication.
Certain underlying health conditions that can cause asthenia include:
- Anaemia
- Low blood pressure
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Thyroid disease
- Poorly managed or undiagnosed diabetes
- Cancer
As you age, you may also experience weakness. This is because you are more likely to develop conditions that cause weakness, including certain muscle diseases, arthritis, or liver disease.
Lifestyle factors can also cause weakness, including not eating a balanced diet and a sedentary lifestyle.
Some heart conditions can cause weakness. These can include:
Diagnosis
A medical specialist will assess your symptoms, family and medical history to explore whether the cause is related to the heart. Asthenia can be a symptom of many advanced health conditions. We need to eliminate other causes of the condition before we can suggest any treatments related to the heart.
If your specialist is concerned that you may feel weak because of your heart, they will conduct further tests.
These may include:
- Exercise stress tests, such as a stress echo
- An electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)
- Holter monitor (portable ECG)
- An echocardiogram (echo)
- Cardiac MRI or CT scans
- A tilt table test
- Chest X-ray
These tests allow us to pin down any heart conditions you may have. It also allows us to assess the severity of your condition and determine the most suitable treatments.
Treatment
Treatment for weakness heavily depends on the diagnosis process and what we discover during the tests we perform.
We will tailor your treatment plan based on your needs.
Lifestyle changes such as staying active, maintaining a balanced diet and proper sleep hygiene, and keeping stress levels low can help alleviate symptoms. Read more about how to make lifestyle changes to improve heart health in our blog, ‘Lifestyle changes to help manage arrhythmia’.
Alterations to your medication may also help combat weakness. It is important you speak to a medical professional about symptoms you suspect may be caused by your prescription.
Book an appointment
Feeling weak can keep you from doing your day-to-day tasks, but we are here to help.
Our specialist will discuss your treatment in depth so you understand its purpose and how it will work. We are happy to answer any questions to ensure you feel comfortable with our treatment plan.
Call London Heart Clinic on 0203 303 0325 to book an appointment.
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