What is an asthenic condition in adults. Treatments for general weakness depend on the cause of asthenia. Treatment of asthenia after influenza

Asthenic syndrome or asthenia is a gradually developing psychopathological disorder that accompanies many diseases in the body. Asthenic syndrome is expressed by a decrease in physical and mental performance, fatigue, increased lethargy or irritability, sleep disturbances, autonomic disorders, and emotional instability.

What is asthenic syndrome: General concepts

Asthenia in medicine is by far the most common syndrome. This condition can be caused by:

Therefore, doctors in almost any field encounter asthenia: cardiology, gastroenterology, surgery, neurology, psychiatry, traumatology. Asthenic syndrome may be the first a symptom of an incipient disease, accompany its height or develop during recovery.

It is necessary to distinguish between asthenia and ordinary fatigue that occurs after significant mental or physical stress, non-compliance with rest and work schedules, climate change or time zones. Asthenia, unlike physiological fatigue, appears gradually and lasts long time(sometimes several years), does not go away after proper rest and requires medical intervention.

Causes of asthenic syndrome

According to many authors, this condition is based on exhaustion and overexertion higher nervous activity. The very cause of asthenia may be a disorder of metabolic processes, excessive energy consumption or insufficient supply of nutrients. Any factors that lead to exhaustion of the body can potentiate the appearance of this condition:

Classification of asthenic syndrome

In medical practice, functional and organic asthenia are distinguished. Organic is observed in 40% of cases and is caused by progressive organic pathology or with a person’s existing chronic somatic diseases. Organic asthenia in neurology accompanies:

• severe traumatic brain injury;
• infectious-organic pathologies of the brain (tumor, abscess, encephalitis);
• degenerative processes (senile chorea, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's syndrome);
• vascular disorders (ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, chronic cerebral ischemia);
• demyelinating diseases (multiple sclerosis, multiple encephalomyelitis).

Functional asthenia occurs in 60% of cases and is considered a reversible and temporary condition. It is also called reactive asthenia, since, by and large, it represents the body’s reaction to an acute illness, physical overexertion or a stressful situation.

Based on etiology, post-traumatic, somatogenic, post-infectious, and postpartum asthenia are also distinguished.

Based on clinical symptoms, asthenia is divided into hypo- and hypersthenic forms. The hypersthenic form is accompanied by high sensory excitability, as a result of which the person is irritable and does not tolerate bright lighting, loud noise and sounds. The hyposthenic form, on the contrary, is characterized by a decrease in susceptibility to external factors, this leads to drowsiness and lethargy person.

Taking into account the duration of development, asthenia is divided into chronic and acute. Acute asthenic syndrome, as a rule, is functional in nature. It appears after prolonged stress, infection (influenza, measles, dysentery, infectious mononucleosis, rubella) or acute illness (pneumonia, bronchitis, gastritis, pyelonephritis). Chronic asthenia is characterized by a long duration and is often organic. Functional chronic asthenia refers to a state of constant fatigue.

A separate category is neurasthenia - asthenic syndrome, which is associated with depletion of higher nervous activity.

Symptoms of asthenic syndrome

The complex of symptoms distinctive for asthenia has 3 components:

• immediate clinical symptoms of asthenia;
• disorders that are caused by a person’s psychological reaction to the disease;
• disorders that are associated with the underlying pathological condition of the disease.

Manifestations of asthenia itself are often absent or not clearly expressed in the morning, developing and increasing throughout the day. In the evening, this disease reaches its maximum peak, which forces a person to take a rest before moving on to household chores or continuing work.

Fatigue

With asthenia, the most common complaint is fatigue. People notice that they get tired faster than before, and the feeling of fatigue does not go away even after a long rest. When it comes to physical labor, there is a reluctance to do the usual work and general weakness.

The situation is much more complicated in the case of intellectual work. People complain of decreased intelligence and attentiveness, memory impairment, difficulty concentrating. Patients note difficulties in formulating their thoughts and expressing them verbally.

Often, patients cannot concentrate on thinking about a specific problem; when making decisions, they are somewhat lethargic and absent-minded, and have difficulty finding the words to express an idea. In order to do the work that was feasible before, people are forced to take breaks; in order to solve a certain problem, they try to think through it not in general, but by dividing it into parts. But this does not give the necessary results, increases anxiety and increases the feeling of fatigue.

Psycho-emotional disorders

Deterioration in productivity at work causes the appearance of negative psycho-emotional states that are associated with a person’s attitude to the problem that has arisen. Moreover, patients quickly lose self-control, become tense, hot-tempered, irritable and picky. They have extremes in their assessment of what is happening, anxiety states or depression, sudden changes in mood. The worsening of psycho-emotional disorders, which are characteristic of asthenia, can lead to the appearance of hypochondriacal or depressive neurosis, neurasthenia.

Autonomic disorders

Asthenic syndrome is almost always accompanied by nervous system disorders. autonomic system. These include pulse lability, tachycardia, a feeling of heat or chilliness in the body, changes in blood pressure, loss of appetite, local (feet, armpits or palms) or generalized hyperhidrosis, sensations of pain along the intestines, constipation. Men often experience a deterioration in potency.

Sleep disorders

Taking into account the form, asthenic syndrome can manifest itself as sleep disorders of different nature. The hypersthenic form is characterized by intense and restless dreams, difficulty falling asleep, feeling groggy after sleep, early waking up, night awakenings. Sometimes some people have the feeling that they have not slept almost all night, although in reality this is not the case. The hyposthenic form is characterized by the appearance of daytime sleepiness. Moreover, poor quality of night sleep and problems with falling asleep persist.

Diagnosis of the disease

Asthenia itself, as a rule, does not cause diagnostic difficulties for a doctor of any specialization. In cases where asthenic syndrome is the result of a disease, injury, stress, or is a harbinger of developing pathological changes in the body, then the symptoms are pronounced.

If asthenic syndrome appears against the background of an existing disease, then its symptoms may be in the background and not so noticeable behind the symptoms of the main disease. In these situations, the symptoms of asthenia can be determined by interviewing the patient with details of his complaints.

Much attention should be paid to questions about a person’s mood, his attitude towards work and other responsibilities, his sleep state and his own state. Not every patient can tell a doctor about their difficulties in the intellectual sphere. Many patients often exaggerate real violations. In order to objectively identify the picture, the doctor, together with a neurological examination, needs to conduct an examination of the person’s mnestic sphere and determine his emotional state. Sometimes it is necessary to differentiate asthenia from depressive neurosis, hypersomnia, and hypochondriacal neurosis.

Diagnosis of asthenia necessarily requires examining a person for the presence of the underlying disease that caused the appearance of the asthenic condition. For this purpose, additional consultations with a cardiologist, gastroenterologist, pulmonologist, gynecologist, oncologist, nephrologist, infectious disease specialist, endocrinologist, and traumatologist may be used.

Clinical examinations are required: coprogram, general and biochemical analysis of urine and blood, blood sugar levels. Diagnosis of infectious diseases is carried out using PCR diagnostics and bacteriological examinations.

Treatment of the disease

• to avoid contact with various negative influences, including drinking alcohol;
• to normalize the rest and work regime;
• following a fortified diet;
• introduction of a daily regimen of health-improving physical procedures.

Patients with asthenia benefit from foods enriched with tryptophan (turkey meat, bananas, wholemeal baked goods, cheese), vitamin B (eggs, liver) and other vitamins (currants, rose hips, kiwi, sea buckthorn, citrus fruits, strawberries, apples, fresh fruit juices and raw vegetable salads). Of no small importance for sick people is psychological comfort at home and a calm environment at work.

Drug treatment in general medical practice comes down to taking adaptogens: Rhodiola rosea, ginseng, pantocrine, Eleutherococcus, Chinese magnolia vine. In America, the practice of therapy with significant doses of B vitamins has been adopted, but this method of treatment is limited in use by a large number of adverse allergic reactions.

Some doctors believe that the best way would be complex vitamin therapy, including not only vitamins B, but also PP, C, as well as microelements that are involved in metabolism (calcium, magnesium, zinc). Neuroprotectors and nootropics (nootropil, ginkgo biloba, fesam, aminalon, pantogam, picamelon) are often used in treatment. But their effectiveness has not been fully proven due to the lack of large-scale research in this area.

Asthenic conditions include to one of the most common syndromes in the clinic of nervous, mental and somatic diseases. They arise as a consequence of intoxication and infectious diseases and accompany the process of chronic somatic disease as one of the important symptoms. They are the initial stage of many severe organic diseases of the brain, are observed throughout the entire course, exhausting all psychopathological manifestations, or characterize the onset of some mental illnesses. Asthenia marks the onset of a period of convalescence after treatment or a spontaneous recovery from psychosis and, finally, is an independent form of the disease after overwork or mental trauma (neurasthenia).

Asthenic syndrome (asthenia) is a state of increased fatigue, irritability and unstable mood, combined with vegetative symptoms and sleep disturbances.

Asthenia (from the Greek astheneia - powerlessness, weakness) is a neuropsychic weakness, manifested in increased fatigue and exhaustion, a reduced sensitivity threshold, extreme mood instability, sleep disturbance (Petrovsky A.V., Yaroshevsky M.G., 1998). With asthenic syndrome, general weakness, increased exhaustion, and irritability are observed; attention is impaired, memory disorders may occur (Zinchenko V.P., Meshcheryakov B.G., 2001).

With asthenic syndrome, the ability for prolonged physical and mental stress is weakened or completely lost. Characterized by affective lability with a predominance of low mood and tearfulness, irritable weakness, combining increased excitability and rapid onset of impotence, as well as hyperesthesia (increased sensitivity to bright light, loud sounds, pungent odors, touch or intolerance thereof). Frequent headaches, sleep disorders in the form of constant drowsiness or persistent insomnia, and various autonomic disorders. Also typical is a change in well-being depending on a drop in barometric pressure, heat or other climatic factors: fatigue, irritable weakness, and hyperesthesia increase (Snezhnevsky A.V., 1985).

Asthenia is excessive expenditure of energy as a result of increased reactivity and slow recovery. In an asthenic state, it predominates the irritable process due to the weakening of the inhibitory process at the first stage, the weakening of the excitation process at the subsequent stage increases, and, finally, extreme inhibition is observed in extremely severe cases (Ivanov-Smolensky A. G., 1952.).

Asthenic syndrome, as a rule, develops gradually. Its first manifestations are often increased fatigue and irritability, along with a constant desire for activity even in an environment favorable to rest (the so-called fatigue that does not seek rest). In severe cases, this syndrome may be accompanied by aspontaneity, passivity, and apathy. Asthenic syndrome must be distinguished from mildly expressed depressive states, which are manifested not so much by low mood and vitality of affect, but by a subjective feeling of weakness, lethargy, indifference to the environment, and malaise (Snezhnevsky A. V., 1985).

Despite certain differences in definitions, there are common clinical signs that provide grounds for introducing the concepts of “asthenia”, “asthenic syndrome”, “asthenic condition”. These symptoms relate primarily to the mental state of the patient, but invariably relate to the somatic, including neurological (mainly vegetative) sphere. The most typical and constant are four symptoms.

1. Irritability. Depending on the form and stage of the disease, it can manifest itself in anger, explosiveness, increased excitability, grumpiness, pickiness or dissatisfied grumpiness. Fussy anxiety, irritable dissatisfaction with oneself and others, restlessness are observed with asthenia of atherosclerotic etiology. Internal anxiety, restless activity, “inability to rest” are characteristic of irritability with neurasthenia. In some forms of asthenia, irritability is expressed by vulnerability, sensitivity with tears and dissatisfaction for clearly inappropriate reasons. Irritability can be very short-lived, quickly giving way to tears, a smile or an apology (a manifestation of resentment and dissatisfaction of a recovering somatic patient). They can last for hours, repeating again and again, or be almost permanent (with hypertension and atherosclerosis). Depending on the etiology, stage, and form of asthenia, the phenomena of irritability can be sharply expressed, determine the entire clinical picture (hypersthenic stage of neurasthenia, traumatic cerebrovascular disease), be closely combined with other symptoms of asthenia, or recede into the background, appearing occasionally in a mild form (irritability in convalescents). after prolonged infections and intoxications). However, to one degree or another and in one form or another, the symptom of irritability is inherent in every asthenic state.

2. Weakness. Like irritability, the symptom of weakness is heterogeneous in itself and appears in various clinical combinations with other painful disorders in different forms of asthenia. In some patients, this is an almost constant, more or less quickly emerging feeling of physical and mental fatigue, limiting performance, often occurring even before starting work. Others have an inability to exert themselves for a long time, rapid exhaustion, leading to a drop in the quality and quantity of work performed within a few hours after it begins. Weakness may manifest itself:
in a feeling of powerlessness, adynamia, inability to remember, creativity, which is accompanied by tears and despair (convalescents after somatic diseases), or in a feeling of lethargy, weakness, difficulty thinking, fragments of associations, lack of thoughts, a feeling of emptiness in the head, a drop in activity and interest in environment (asthenia in schizophrenia);
in drowsiness in combination with constant physical and mental fatigue (asthenia after suffering encephalitis);
in causeless fatigue, lethargy with a drop in mental productivity, bradypsychia and drowsiness, reaching the degree of stunning (asthenia in gross organic diseases of the brain);
in the form of increased physical and mental exhaustion with sudden sweating, “vascular play” and general tremor, especially often occurring after excitement or conflict.

However, no matter how different the manifestations and degree of weakness are, increased exhaustion, fatigue, a subjective feeling of fatigue and decreased productivity at work are evident with any asthenia.

3. Sleep disorders. And this symptom is pathognomonic, but clinically heterogeneous in various forms and stages of asthenia of different origins. The combinations of sleep disorders with other pathological manifestations of asthenia are also different. For example, asthenia in the initial stage of hypertension is characterized mainly by difficulty falling asleep, and the stronger the fatigue, the more difficult it is usually to fall asleep.

Sleep disorders can manifest as unusually persistent and prolonged insomnia or sleep without a “feeling of sleep,” when the patient resolutely (and subjectively truthfully) denies staff reports that he slept at night.

The sleep of a patient with neurasthenia is characterized by sensitivity, anxiety, “transparency,” sometimes also “lack of a sense of sleep,” and always a lack of refreshment after sleep. Such disorders are combined with characteristic fluctuations in mood, well-being and performance, with “tightening” headaches and other mental and somatic disorders typical of this disease. Insomnia with neurasthenia is often associated with a temporary increase in performance at night.

Sleep disorders can be characterized by a distortion of the sleep “formula” (drowsiness during the day, insomnia at night), bouts of hibernation from a few minutes to longer periods. Such sleep disorders are combined with typical mental, neurological and somatic symptoms of the disease (encephalitis) that gives rise to such asthenia.

The sleep of a patient with asthenia due to cerebral atherosclerosis is characterized by early awakening with a feeling of unaccountable anxiety, internal restlessness, and a premonition of impending misfortune. Such sleep disturbances are combined with a decrease in performance and other somatic and mental changes inherent in this disease.

4. Autonomic disorders are also a mandatory symptom of every asthenic condition. Depending on the etiology of the disease that caused asthenia, the characteristics of the patient’s nervous system and a number of other points, they can be expressed insignificantly or, on the contrary, come to the fore. Sometimes these disorders determine, especially in the patient’s subjective complaints and sensations, the picture of the disease or remain, “stuck”, after successful treatment and the disappearance of other symptoms of asthenia (protracted autonomic disorders in some cases of asthenia, etc.).

Most often, various forms of vascular disorders occur.

G.V. Morozov (1988) considers the most common disorders of the cardiovascular system to be fluctuations in blood pressure, tachycardia and pulse lability, various unpleasant or simply painful sensations in the heart area, ease of paleness or redness of the skin, a feeling of heat at normal body temperature or, on the contrary, increased chilliness, increased sweating - sometimes local (palms, feet, armpits), sometimes relatively generalized.

An almost constant complaint with asthenia is headaches, which are not uniform in various asthenic conditions. Headaches with neurasthenia most often occur during anxiety, fatigue, at the end of the working day, they are of a tightening nature (patients indicate that they are wearing a hoop on their head - “a neurasthenic helmet”). With asthenia of hypertensive origin, headaches occur more often at night and in the morning. The patient gets up with a severe headache and often wakes up because of it; the pain is “bursting in nature.” With traumatic cerebrastia, headaches are often constant, intensifying with heat, fluctuations in barometric pressure, and affective outbursts. Headaches with vascular syphilis are often “shooting” in nature. With asthenia of schizophrenic origin, you can hear a complaint not only of pain, but also that “something is crawling in your head”; “the brains dry out, swell,” etc.

Vascular instability also manifests itself in fluctuations in blood pressure. An increase in blood pressure often occurs after unrest and is short-term and mildly expressed. The lability of blood vessels also causes slight paleness or redness, especially during anxiety. The pulse is labile, usually rapid. Patients complain of discomfort in the heart area, stabbing pain and palpitations, often without increased heart rate. In some patients (for example, with traumatic asthenia), vascular asymmetries occur: different blood pressure figures on the right and left brachial arteries, etc. According to T. S. Istamanova (1958), extrasystoles and changes in the electrocardiogram are often found, varying depending on from the state of higher nervous activity.

Asthenic syndrome belongs to the group of psychopathological disorders and is characterized by gradual development. Mental illness develops against the background of many chronic diseases. Asthenic disorder is characterized by frequent headaches and dizziness, decreased performance, increased irritability, and drowsiness.

What is asthenic syndrome?

An asthenic state is a psychopathological disorder in which the patient complains of fatigue, weakness, irritability and other disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system. This condition is considered one of the most common, as it develops against the background of many pathologies of internal organs and systems, and develops in both adults and women.

Symptoms caused by asthenic syndrome are permanent. Increased fatigue, which is the main symptom of this psychopathological disorder, does not disappear after long rest, and therefore requires therapeutic intervention.

This syndrome differs from ordinary fatigue, which is short-term in nature and occurs against the background of physical and mental overload, poor nutrition and other reasons.

Asthenia is diagnosed when its symptoms bother the patient for several months or years.

Reasons for the development of asthenia

In approximately 45% of patients with asthenia, the causes of its development are due to organic damage to internal organs and systems. The risk group includes people with diseases of the cardiovascular system:

• hypertension of various etiologies;
• coronary heart disease;
• myocardial infarction;
• carditis;
• arrhythmia.

Asthenic disorder can also be provoked by: deficiency of nutrients supplied to the central nervous system, excessive energy expenditure, and metabolic disorders.

Asthenic manifestations are diagnosed against the background of pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract:

• dyspeptic disorders;
• pancreaduodenitis;
• peptic ulcer;
• gastroenterocolitis.

The appearance of asthenia is promoted by diseases of the genitourinary system: cystitis, chronic kidney pathologies, glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis.

Possible causes of asthenia include disturbances in the functioning of the endocrine system caused by hypo- and hyperthyroidism, diabetes mellitus, and diseases of the adrenal glands.

Asthenic depression often develops after childbirth or due to hormonal changes in the body.

Organic causes also include:

• systemic pathologies;
• allergic reaction;
• oncological diseases;
• congenital diseases of the kidneys, heart, lungs;
• hepatitis of various types;
• tuberculosis;
• meningitis;
• encephalitis;
• ARVI;
• autoimmune diseases.

In addition, vegetative-vascular asthenia is distinguished, which occurs against the background of VSD.

In addition to organic reasons, asthenia is caused by stopping taking a number of medications (withdrawal syndrome), giving up alcohol or cigarettes, severe stress, prolonged and excessive physical activity.

People with low intelligence, living in distant settlements or with dementia are susceptible to asthenic disorder. In this case, the cause of the psychopathological condition lies in irreversible changes affecting the brain. Vascular diseases (atherosclerosis) also lead to such disorders.

Classification of asthenic syndrome

Depending on the causes of occurrence, functional and somatogenic (somatic) asthenia are distinguished. Both forms of the disorder occur with approximately the same frequency.

Functional asthenia is temporary and reversible. This form of disorder develops due to psycho-emotional or physical overload, stress, and acute infectious diseases.

Somatogenic asthenia occurs due to the prolonged course of chronic diseases.

Depending on the characteristics of asthenic syndrome, its course is divided into:

1. Spicy. In fact, this is another name for functional asthenia. Develops under the influence of severe stress or an infectious disease.
2. Chronic. This type of disease is characterized by a long course.

Asthenic disorder is also divided into two types, taking into account both causative factors and features of the clinical picture:

1. Senile. This type of disorder is mainly diagnosed in older people. Senile asthenia usually develops as a consequence of vascular pathologies that cause brain damage and provoke the onset of dementia.
2. Neurocirculatory. The cause of asthenia is vegetative-vascular dystonia.

In addition to these types of classifications, asthenia is divided into 2 forms depending on the characteristics of clinical manifestations:

1. Hypersthenic. Characterized by increased irritability. Patients with this form of disorder cannot tolerate strong odors, strong sounds, or bright lights.
2. Hyposthenic. The development of this form of asthenic syndrome is accompanied by a decrease in the body’s response to external stimuli. As a result, patients experience drowsiness, lethargy, and apathy.

Severe brain pathologies caused by infection or other reasons often cause the development of organic emotionally labile asthenic disorder. This form of the disorder is characterized by sudden mood swings and emotional incontinence.

Organic brain damage provokes the development of a form of disorder called encephalasthenic syndrome. This type of disorder is characterized by the following symptoms:

• inability to remember information;
• decreased ability to work;
• weakening of will;
• decreased intelligence;
• inability to adapt.

With encephalasthenic syndrome, total dementia is often diagnosed.

To determine how to treat asthenia, it is necessary to establish the cause of its occurrence and it is often possible to identify it by the characteristics of the clinical picture.

Symptoms of asthenia

Symptoms of asthenia are varied. The first signs of asthenia appear during the day. Moreover, symptoms that develop in the late afternoon are more pronounced.

The main symptom of functional asthenia is severe fatigue. Patients quickly get tired when doing any task, and their previous performance is not restored even after a long rest. People with asthenic disorder note:

To solve problems, patients have to constantly take short breaks. As a result, against the background of such disorders, asthenic depression develops, which is characterized by the following symptoms:

• decreased self-esteem;
• constant anxiety;
• anxious state.

As the asthenic syndrome develops, the symptoms are complemented by signs of psycho-emotional disorders. Their appearance is explained by problems that arise due to decreased performance. This causes patients to become irritable and tense. Psycho-emotional disorders are characterized by a sharp change in mood, a predominance of optimistic or pessimistic views. The progression of asthenia causes depressive neurosis.

Associated symptoms

The development of a psychopathological disorder in most patients is accompanied by dysfunction of the autonomic system, which manifests itself in the form of the following symptoms:

Asthenia is often accompanied by:

• prolonged headaches;
• decreased libido in men;
• sleep disturbance.

Patients with asthenic syndrome are bothered by bad dreams. During the night, patients often wake up. After waking up, patients experience weakness, which increases in the evening.

With asthenia, it is possible to increase body temperature to 38 degrees and enlarge the peripheral (cervical, axillary and other) lymph nodes.

Neurocirculatory disorder

A neurocirculatory disorder that occurs against the background of dysfunction of the autonomic system is characterized by multiple symptoms. Each sign of a pathological disorder is combined into several syndromes:

1. Cardiac. Diagnosed on average in 90% of patients with this disease. The development of cardiac syndrome is accompanied by pain that is localized in the chest. In this case, the appearance of the symptom is not associated with dysfunction of the heart muscle.
2. Sympathicotonic. This syndrome is characterized by the presence of tachycardia, surges in blood pressure, pale skin and motor agitation.
3. Vagotonic. Characterized by a weak heartbeat. With vagotonic syndrome, low blood pressure is observed, which provokes headaches, dizziness, hyperhidrosis, and intestinal upset.
4. Mental. The syndrome manifests itself in the form of unreasonable attacks of fear and mood swings.
5. Asthenic. Patients with this syndrome react acutely to changing weather conditions and get tired quickly.
6. Respiratory. Patients experience difficulty breathing (feeling short of air).

Neurocircular asthenia is characterized by the appearance of several syndromes simultaneously.

Symptoms depending on the causative factor

Neurotic disorders that cause asthenic syndrome manifest themselves in the form of increased muscle tone, which is why patients complain of constant weakness.

With vascular pathologies, the brain experiences an acute need for nutrients. Such disorders provoke decreased muscle tone and slow thinking.

Oncological diseases of the brain and organic damage to its tissues cause:

With organic brain lesions, symptoms are persistent and long-lasting.

Similar clinical phenomena occur after injuries to the central nervous system. In this case, the addition of clinical manifestations of autonomic disorders is possible. Moreover, the symptoms of VSD become more pronounced during the course of respiratory and other diseases.

Asthenic syndrome, which occurs against the background of acute respiratory viral infection, manifests itself as a hypersthenic disorder, in which increased irritability and nervousness are noted. If the respiratory disease becomes severe, the disorder takes on a hyposthenic form. With this development, there is a gradual decline in cognitive functions and performance.

Diagnosis of asthenic manifestations

Due to the fact that asthenic syndrome causes multiple symptoms characteristic of various mental disorders, this nervous pathology is difficult to diagnose.

To accurately determine the disease, the patient is tested, during which it is necessary to answer more than 10 questions. The survey results show the presence or absence of symptoms characteristic of asthenia.

Psychopathological disorder must be differentiated from other similar disorders:

• hypochondriacal neurosis;
• hypersomnia;
• depressive neurosis.

In this case, additional research helps to identify the cause. Asthenic syndrome is diagnosed by performing a number of laboratory tests:

If damage to the central nervous system or VSD is suspected, an MRI of the brain is prescribed. Additional examinations are also carried out to identify disturbances in the functioning of other organs.

How to treat asthenia?

Treatment of asthenia is carried out provided that other forms of disorders characterized by similar clinical manifestations are excluded. The treatment regimen is selected taking into account the disease that caused the asthenic disorder.

To cure asthenia, the patient must make significant adjustments to his lifestyle. It is important to avoid stressful situations until complete recovery. For this purpose, patients are often prescribed treatment in a sanatorium.

To get rid of asthenia, medications whose action is aimed at eliminating the disease that caused this disorder help. Treatment with medications, depending on the nature of the pathology, is carried out under the supervision of a doctor, and it is mandatory if therapy for asthenia for VSD is prescribed.

Medicines are prescribed as prescribed by a specialist and for treatment at home.

Drug therapy

Drugs are selected taking into account the cause and nature of the symptoms of the disease. At the initial stage of treatment, medications are used in minimal dosages.

Functional asthenia is treated with nootropics:

Nootropics are used for severe deterioration of cognitive functions. It is recommended to supplement these medications with adaptogens, which include extracts:

• ginseng;
• Rhodiola rosea;
• lemongrass;
• Eleutherococcus.

Good results are demonstrated by antiasthenic drugs that have a sedative effect: Novo-Passit, Sedasen.

Asthenic depression, depending on its complexity, is treated with antidepressants or tranquilizers. The first group of drugs includes:

Among the tranquilizers used for asthenia are Phenibut, Atarax, and Clonazepam. Antidepressants and tranquilizers are allowed to be used only after consultation with a doctor.

For organic asthenic disorder and other forms of psychopathological condition, antipsychotics (Teralen, Eglonil) and B vitamins are also prescribed.

Regardless of the form of asthenia, symptoms and treatment, for the patient’s successful recovery it is necessary to apply a set of measures. Tablets do not help if the patient does not make lifestyle adjustments.

Psychotherapeutic treatment

Asthenic disorders are successfully treated through psychotherapeutic therapy. In this case, various techniques are used:

1. Influencing the general condition of the patient and eliminating individual manifestations of anxiety-asthenic syndrome. To achieve the desired result, methods of self-hypnosis, hypnosis, auto-training and others are used. This treatment of asthenic syndrome in adults reduces anxiety and improves the patient's condition.
2. Methods influencing the mechanisms of development of the disorder. Asthenic syndrome is treated using cognitive behavioral therapy and neuro-linguistic programming.

If necessary, psychotherapeutic techniques are used to eliminate the factor causing the disorder. This approach allows us to identify the relationship between certain events (for example, conflicts within the family) and the development of asthenia.

Non-drug treatments

For asthenia, treatment should be comprehensive. Already at the initial stage, patients need to:

• get rid of bad habits;
• normalize rest and work schedules;
• avoid conflict situations;
• do physical exercise daily.

By following the above rules, you can get rid of a disorder such as asthenic depression.

In addition to the above treatment methods, physiotherapeutic measures are used:

• Charcot's shower;
• phototherapy;
• acupuncture;
• massage and others.

Non-drug treatment methods are unable to fully combat organic asthenic disorder. However, this approach helps to reduce the intensity of symptoms characteristic of this type of psychopathological disorder.

Prevention of asthenic phenomena

Understanding the characteristics of asthenia, what kind of disease it is, helps you independently select measures to prevent this mental disorder. To avoid its development, it is necessary to promptly treat any diseases.

Asthenic conditions often occur against the background of physical and mental fatigue, therefore, for prevention purposes, it is recommended to fully rest and sleep at least 7-8 hours a day. If necessary, you can take medications that strengthen the immune system and tone the nervous system.

Asthenic reactions respond well to treatment if you seek help from a doctor in a timely manner. The prolonged development of asthenic syndrome leads to complications in the form of neuroses, schizophrenia and chronic depression.

Asthenia is a special psychopathological disorder that gradually progresses and affects a person’s well-being. Against the background of excessive exhaustion of attention and a tendency to fatigue quickly, a person’s ability to work is significantly reduced.

Of course, the asthenic condition is the most common syndrome complex in medicine, since it accompanies most known infections - from common colds to food poisoning and tuberculosis. It manifests itself both in gastrointestinal pathologies and in the postpartum period in women.

Specialists in various fields of work experience asthenia - traumatologists, psychotherapists, and neurologists. Differential diagnosis can be quite difficult. After all, first it is necessary to establish what reason led to the occurrence of asthenia, and only after that can treatment begin. In some cases, competent pharmacotherapy cannot be avoided.

Main reasons

Since asthenia is regarded by experts as the initial stage of mental or neurological diseases, it must be differentiated from accumulated fatigue and pathological weakness after a serious illness.

A thorough history taking allows us to identify various causes of asthenia:

• overstrain of the structures of the higher nervous system that arose due to a number of objective reasons;
• minimal intake of nutrients and microelements from outside - a depleted diet;
• severe disorder of metabolic processes in the body.

Such factors arise periodically in the life of any person, but they will not always lead to asthenic disorders. In addition, exacerbations of somatic pathologies can provoke negative symptoms - peptic ulcer and pancreatitis, ARVI and tuberculosis, myocardial infarction and pneumonia.

The reason may also be a person’s excessive passion for his work. Lack of sleep, uncorrected diet, lack of proper rest - all this, accumulating, leads to the appearance of asthenia, and in some cases even to.

A change of place of residence, severe stressful situations, and conflicts with colleagues can also have an impact.

It is necessary to understand that asthenia can occur due to a variety of reasons, not necessarily related to the presence of a mental disorder. The causes of this condition can be chronic somatic diseases, infectious pathologies, and even excessive stress at home or at work. The most common causes of asthenia are shown in the figure.

Development mechanism

Since asthenia is characterized by depletion of energy resources in the human body, in this negative state, first of all, there is a malfunction of the reticular formation. Localized in the area of ​​the brain stem, it is responsible for the parameters of wakefulness and sleep, for autonomic regulation, as well as for the activity of muscle groups.

The asthenic variant of exhaustion will lead to disorders in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system, which plays a major role in the formation of stress. Immunological structures are also involved in the mechanism - if they are deficient, the tendency to asthenia increases significantly.

Asthenia can develop due to depletion of a person’s adaptive capabilities. If the human body remains for a long time under the conditions of some stress factor, then after some time its ability to maintain balance, to maintain balance, deteriorates. In this case, they talk about reactive asthenia. It is most typical for late pregnancy (especially if it occurs with problems), breastfeeding, and can develop during the period of recovery from serious illnesses.

Classification

Experts usually divide asthenia, depending on the root cause that provoked it, into organic and functional. Both options are currently diagnosed with approximately equal frequency.

A temporary, completely reversible negative condition will be called functional asthenia. It is a direct result of excessive psycho-emotional or post-traumatic stress, severe infectious diseases suffered by a person, as well as physical overload. Functional asthenia is a negative reaction of the human body to aggressive external factors. This form is also called reactive.

While organic asthenia is interconnected with various chronic diseases already formed in the patient. For example, multiple sclerosis or encephalomyelitis or an abscess, a brain tumor. With the organic variant of the pathology, structural changes in the brain can always be detected.

It is necessary to understand that asthenia is not an independent condition, but a consequence of another disease. Therefore, it can be both functional (reversible) and organic, depending on what kind of disease, functional or organic, led to its appearance.

According to another classification, which is based on the etiological factor, asthenic conditions are divided into:

• post-infectious;
• somatogenic;
• postpartum;
• post-traumatic.

According to the main clinical manifestations, the asthenic syndrome complex is usually divided into:

1. The initial stage of the pathology is hypersthenic asthenia. The person has obvious intolerance, excessive irritability, significant mood swings, hyperreaction to external stimuli - auditory, visual, and tactile.
2. A form of irritability combined with weakness - a person is overly excited, but at the same time feels completely weakened and exhausted. His mood can fluctuate from good to negative, and the impulse to physical activity turns into complete apathy.
3. Hyposthenic asthenia is the most severe form of pathology. It is characterized by a maximum decrease in performance, up to a refusal to get out of bed, a persistent feeling, persistent drowsiness, and a lack of any emotions or interest in events.

Separately, experts highlight neurasthenia, which is associated with excessive exhaustion of the higher nervous system; you will learn more about this mental disorder in.

Asthenia can be acute, if the causative factor acted suddenly (for example, severe bleeding), and chronic (with chronic diseases).

Symptoms

Symptoms of asthenia will indicate the appearance of abnormalities in a person’s body that are directly related to the insufficiency of the energy resources of the nervous structures.

Manifestations of the asthenic syndrome complex itself are minimally expressed after waking up, but gradually increase throughout the working day, reaching their maximum in the evening.

A common complaint with asthenia is a feeling of fatigue. A person tells a specialist during a consultation that he gets tired much faster and more strongly than he did before. Even a long, quality rest does not improve your well-being. There is no desire to fulfill your responsibilities at work or at home. Intellectual activity is also significantly hampered - it is difficult to concentrate, memory and attention suffer.

Patients are characterized by such signs of asthenia:

• inability to concentrate on thinking about the problem at hand;
• difficulty finding words and expressing one’s own thoughts;
• increased absent-mindedness;
• a certain lethargy;
• the need to take frequent breaks when performing even the simplest work.

Mental asthenia will manifest itself as a decrease in productivity in professional activities - various negative psycho-emotional states arise. For example, tension, pickiness, irritability, loss of self-control.

Patients experience mood swings - from euphoria to depression and anxiety, and categorical assessment of current events. The lack of adequate treatment can lead to the appearance.

Neurocirculatory asthenia is accompanied by various disorders of the autonomic structures. Symptoms of nervous exhaustion of this form are a tendency to tachycardia, fluctuations in pressure parameters, a feeling of chilliness or heat in the extremities, excessive sweating, changes in appetite, pain impulses in the abdomen and head.

Cerebral asthenia will be accompanied by severe sleep disturbances. It becomes difficult for a person to fall asleep, the sleep is filled with dreams (often unpleasant in its content), restless, and intermittent. In the morning hours there remains a feeling of general weakness.

Fatigue after a hard day is a normal phenomenon that the body can cope with. But if even a long rest does not help you feel better, it makes sense to suspect “problems” in the nervous system. Asthenic conditions are gradually becoming a painful norm for modern society. How to cope with pathology? Why does it occur and what are its symptoms?

Asthenia - what is it?

Asthenia is also known as neuropsychic weakness, asthenic syndrome, asthenic condition, asthenic reaction. This is a pathological condition in which the patient suffers from rapid fatigue and increased exhaustion, which results in reduced performance, mood swings and a general deterioration in general well-being.

Any asthenic disorder is considered a relatively mild syndrome, and the importance of its treatment may be underestimated. However, in this state a person loses the ability to function normally. Often, nervous asthenia serves as a favorable background for the formation and development of other, more severe mental or somatic disorders. And although effective treatment methods exist today, many patients continue to ignore unhealthy fatigue.

Asthenia: causes of the syndrome

The manifestation of an asthenic state is associated with excessive consumption of the “reserves” of the central nervous system. There is also a malfunction in the functioning of the reticular activating system, which is responsible for active wakefulness. The reasons due to which physical or mental asthenia develops are mainly:

1. Mental impairment. Depression, schizophrenia, and cognitive disorders are associated with pathological changes in the structure of the brain and suppression of impulses entering it. Often, in childhood, such patients had to deal with ridicule, aggression, violence, and excessive demands from adults.
2. Diseases of the nervous system, accompanied by vascular and organic lesions. This group includes: neurocirculatory dystonia, encephalitis and other inflammatory diseases, Alzheimer's disease. Due to persistently increased muscle tone, patients suffer from pain and chronic fatigue.
3. Infectious and inflammatory pathologies. Asthenia can occur against the background of ARVI, influenza, tuberculosis, food toxic infection, etc. The waste products of pathogens also have a negative impact on the patient’s condition.
4. Endocrine pathologies. We are talking about diabetes mellitus and hyper-/hypothyroidism. Because of these diseases, energy processes in the body are disrupted.
5. Problems with the digestive, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems. Any pathology, be it colitis, hypertension or bronchial asthma, makes the body vulnerable and provokes its exhaustion. Chronically low immunity also contributes to this.
6. Injuries. Damage to the head and spine is mainly dangerous. Moreover, chronic trauma in the form of osteochondrosis can also have a negative impact.
7. Physical, mental, emotional stress. If a person does not know how to properly organize his daily routine, sooner or later he will encounter asthenia. The degree of stress also has a significant impact: those who are constantly worried and worried quickly “exhaust” their nervous system.

Pathological exhaustion can both accompany the disease and serve as its consequence - until the body recovers. An asthenic state provoked by nervous experiences, worries, and conflicts is called neurasthenia.

Functional and organic asthenia – what is it?

Asthenia, depending on the causes of development, is of two main types. Exists:

1. Functional asthenia. Observed in 45% of cases. This type of asthenia is called reactive and belongs to temporary conditions. This category includes:

• pre-nosological asthenia is a common fatigue found in managers, executives, and white-collar workers;
• postpartum asthenia – typical for women who have just given birth;
• Iatrogenic asthenia – occurs due to a medical error or as a side effect of medications taken;
• chronic asthenia – such that it periodically worsens;
• overexertion asthenia – associated with mental or physical fatigue;
• post-infectious asthenia – manifests itself after diseases of an infectious nature;
• psychiatric asthenia – accompanies functional borderline disorders (depression, insomnia, anxiety, etc.)

Organic syndrome is usually more severe because it is associated with damage to the central nervous system. Functional asthenic conditions are generally reversible and can respond well to therapy: in some cases, the syndrome even disappears on its own, if only the provoking factor ceases to act.

Asthenia: symptoms of a pathological condition

The signs that manifest as asthenia of the nervous system are varied. In many cases, symptoms depend on the cause of the pathology, for example:

• with the atherosclerotic nature of asthenia, the patient complains of memory loss and increased tearfulness;
• with hypertension, patients talk about pain in the heart area;
• With gastritis, there is discomfort in the stomach area.

But there are also standard symptoms of asthenia. Among them:

1. Increased fatigue.
2. Problems concentrating, forgetfulness.
3. Difficulty finding words during a conversation, vague formulation of thoughts.
4. No improvement after rest, heaviness in the head after a night's sleep.
5. Tension, anxiety, excitement, conviction of one’s own inadequacy.
6. Rapid loss of self-control, grumpiness, pickiness, mood swings.

Signs of asthenia are least pronounced in the first half of the day, usually beginning to appear after lunch and in the evening.

Asthenic personality disorder - what is it?

Asthenic today is understood as dependent personality disorder. The person then:

• feels helpless, incapable, incompetent;
• constantly seeks support from others;
• seeks to shift responsibility for his life to others;
• cannot make independent decisions;
• feels fear of independent life;
• afraid to be alone;
• submits to the needs of other people.

Dependent disorder belongs to the group of panic and anxiety disorders. It is not directly related to asthenia.

Asthenia: how to treat it yourself?

Self-therapy for asthenia mainly involves lifestyle changes. Necessary:

1. Avoid night shifts at work. Be sure to sleep 7-8 hours at night.
2. Rest during the day, do not overwork.
3. Minimize stress levels. Change jobs if necessary.
4. Do gymnastics daily.
5. Eat properly.
6. Stop drinking alcohol and drugs, get rid of nicotine addiction.

Essentially, this is all that a person can do himself. If changing your daily routine does not help, treatment of asthenia will have to be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. Especially if the problem is caused not by stress and overwork, but by some disease.

Asthenic condition: treatment with a psychotherapist

Psychotherapy is an important component of the treatment of asthenic conditions. Today there are three main directions:

1. Etiotropic. The impact is on the immediate cause of asthenia in order to force a person to look critically at his condition. Children's conflicts and traumas are analyzed, family and gestalt therapy are carried out.
2. Pathogenic. The goal of therapy is to interrupt the chain of pathology formation. NLP techniques, correction of conditioned reflexes, influence on cognitive-behavioral acts are used.
3. Symptomatic. The goal of treatment is to eliminate interfering signs. To do this, they practice auto-training, suggestions, and hypnosis.

Often psychotherapy and lifestyle changes are enough to achieve recovery. Additionally, the following may be recommended: exercise therapy, massage, water procedures, acupuncture.

Asthenia: treatment - drugs

Drug therapy for asthenia is carried out only on the recommendation of a doctor. Applicable:

1. Nootropics (Piracetam, Pyritinol). Increases mental resistance to overload and stimulates memory.
2. Tranquilizers (Phenibut, Atarax, Clonazepam). Suppress anxiety.
3. Antidepressants (Fluoxetine, Imipramine). They help normalize sleep and appetite, improve mood, and enhance mental activity.
4. Atypical antipsychotics (Clozapine, Aripiprazole). They accelerate metabolic processes and make the cells of the cerebral cortex more resistant to negative influences.
5. Sedatives (Valerian, Novopassit). Strengthen the effect of other medications. Regulate the processes of inhibition and excitation.

If necessary, other drugs may be prescribed for asthenia. In each case, therapy is selected individually.

Asthenia is a condition that cannot be ignored. If the feeling of powerlessness does not disappear within a few days, but only intensifies, measures need to be taken. And the main one is a visit to a specialist.