Malaise

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Malaise is a feeling of general discomfort or uneasiness, an "out of sorts" feeling, 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 usage may have originated in folk medicine, but it is adopted from the French word meaning "discomfort," "feeling faint," "feeling sick."

The "winter malaise" is another rendition of the term. This is described as feeling run down, depleted, fatigued, "out of sorts", depressed, or a combination of all the aforementioned symptoms. Unlike the colloquial term, the winter malaise is generally not associated with the oncoming of any particular illness (unless one considers the possibility of Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal affective disorder

Seasonal affective disorder , also known as winter depression or winter blues, is a mood disorder first identified ten centuries ago by Avicenna, in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depression symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer, repeatedly, year after year....
). It is the culmination of the body adjusting to cold winter conditions and a possible depressing atmosphere due to either being forced inside due to the cold, or forced into a mundane daily routine because of the winter conditions. It is important to understand the difference between a winter malaise and depression in order to be treated properly for any of the symptoms that are exhibited.

The term is also often used figuratively in other contexts; for example, "economic

Economics

File:Ballard Farmers' Market - vegetables.jpgEconomics is the Social sciences that studies the Production theory basics, Distribution , and Consumption of Good and Service ....
malaise" refers to an economy that is stagnant or in recession.

Cause

There can be various causes to a malaise, from the slightest like an emotion

Emotion

An emotion is a mental and physiological state associated with a wide variety of feelings, thoughts, and behavior.Emotions are subjective experiences, or experienced from an individual point of view....
(causing vagal response) or hunger (light hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycaemia or hypoglycemia is the medical term for a Pathology state produced by a lower than normal level of Blood glucose. The term hypoglycemia literally means "under-sweet blood" ....
) to the most serious (cancer

Cancer

Cancer is a class of diseases in which a group of cell display uncontrolled growth , invasion , and sometimes metastasis . These three malignant properties of cancers differentiate them from benign tumors, which are self-limited, do not invade or metastasize....
, cerebrovascular accident, internal bleeding

Internal bleeding

Internal bleeding is bleeding occurring inside the body. It can be a serious medical emergency depending on where it occurs , and can potentially cause death and cardiac arrest if proper medical treatment is not received quickly....
, etc.).

Generally speaking, the malaise expresses that "something is wrong," like a general warning light, but only a medical examination can determine the cause.

First aid response

As stated above, it is not possible to easily determine the cause of the malaise, and thus whether it is slight or not, and whether it is an emergency or not (for example, a cancer is very serious, possibly deadly, but it is usually not an absolute emergency as the life is not likely to be threatened in the next few hours).

The first response is:

to keep the person safe, protected from the external dangers and weather (cover with a jacket or a blanket in cold conditions);
to place the person to rest, possibly in a calm place: to propose the recumbent position, but to let the person adopt the most comfortable position; the aim is to prevent from falling down, and to make the blood circulation easier;
to ask questions:

How does the person feel,
when did it start,
if it is the first time it has happened,
if the person has a known disease, known health problems,
if the person had a recent accident,
if the person is under medical treatment,
if the person was already hospitalized;

talk to the person to calm him or her down.

Some signs and symptoms have a particular importance for the assessment of the situation and indicate a possible medical emergency

Medical emergency

A medical emergency is an injury or illness that is Acute and poses an immediate risk to a person's life or long term health. These emergencies may require assistance from another person, who should ideally be suitably qualified to do so, although some of these emergencies can be dealt with by the victim themselves....
:

unusual and violent headache
Headache

In medicine a headache or wiktionary:cephalalgia is a symptom of a number of different conditions of the head and sometimes neck. Some of the causes are benign while others are medical emergencies....
(see, e.g. hemorrhagic stroke);
a chest pain, like a vise pressing;
intense stomach pain, that lasts or comes again and again;
the person has abundant sweat whereas it is not a hot ambiance and he or she did not make any physical effort (this can be related to a problem of carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide

Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalent bond to a single carbon atom. It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure and exists in Earth's atmosphere in this state....
elimination);
the person is very pallid (this can be related to problem of blood circulation) or blue (possibly respiratory problem); on a person with darker skin, this can be seen on the internal face of the lips or the nails;
the person has problems breathing (makes efforts to breathe, or sounds can be heard at inhalation
Inhalation

Inhalation is the movement of air from the external environment, through the air ways, and into the alveoli.Inhalation begins with the onset of contraction of the diaphragm , which results in expansion of the intrapleural space and an increase in negative pressure according to Boyle's Law....
and/or exhalation
Exhalation

Exhalation is the movement of air out of the bronchial tubes, through the airways, to the external environment during Breath out.Exhaled air is rich in carbon dioxide, a waste product of cellular cellular respiration during the production of Adenosine_triphosphate....
);
the person has difficulties speaking (e.g. too weak to be heard, words without sense, mouth distorted);
the person has partial paralysis in an arm or a leg, even if it does not last;
agitation (violent behaviour, or uncontrolled movements).

The following step depends on the organization of the emergency medical assistance. Some countries provide free medical advice by phone (e.g., SAMU

SAMU

SAMU is the Emergency Medical Services in France. It was founded in 1968 by coordinating the existing SMUR teams .The name SAMU is also used by several French-speaking countries as well as Spanish-speaking countries such as Argentina, it then standing for Sistemas de Atencion M?dica de Urgencias y Emergencias and Portuguese-speakin...
in France): it is then useful to call this service to know what to do. Otherwise, it is useful to contact the usual general practitioner

General practitioner

A general practitioner, or GP is a Physician who provides primary care and Specialty in family medicine. A general practitioner treats Acute and Chronic and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes....
of the person, to get his or her advice, or any medical or paramedical professional at least. The bystander who calls must mention all the elements collected so far. When it is not possible to contact the individual's primary-care physician, it is then necessary to assess the situation in order to decide whether it is necessary to call an ambulance

Ambulance

file:Ambulancebroomfieldhospital.jpgfile:C12 air ambulance.jpgfile:Scilly Isles Ambulance Service alongside Tresco quay.jpgAn ambulance is a vehicle for transporting sick or injured people, to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury....
.

Some specific situations require specific actions:

the person is a casualty of an accident: the malaise is likely to be related to a physical trauma, the person should only be touched by professionals, except immediate danger (e.g. fire hazard, bleeding that must be stopped…); this is a life threatening situation (even if the casualty is conscious), which requires an immediate call for help;
in case of chest pain or respiration difficulties, the most comfortable position is usually seated or half seated (back at 45°), because the weight pulls the viscera down, allowing the lung
Lung

The lung is the essential respiration organ in air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located in the chest on either side of the heart....
s to develop downwards (pushing the diaphragm), and it reduces the blood pressure inside the chest (pulmonary hypertension
Pulmonary hypertension

In medicine, pulmonary hypertension is an increase in blood pressure in the pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein, or pulmonary capillaries, together known as the lung Pulmonary circulation, leading to dypsnea, dizziness, fainting, and other symptoms, all of which are exacerbated by exertion....
);
in case of stomach pain, the most comfortable position is often with the thighs perpendicular to the body (this relaxes the abdominal muscles
Human abdomen

The human abdomen is the part of the body between the pelvis and the chest. Anatomically, the abdomen stretches from the thorax at the thoracic diaphragm to the pelvis at the pelvic brim....
); this can be done with a lying person by lifting the legs and placing them on a chair, the bystander can also kneel beside the person and support his or her legs;
when the person has a medical treatment for this situation, it is necessary to help this person taking the medication; this includes sugar for some diseases; otherwise, a non medical bystander should never propose food, drink or any medication;
a pregnant woman should be laid on her left side, in order to release the pressure on the inferior vena cava
Inferior vena cava

The inferior vena cava is the large vein that carries de-oxygenated blood from the lower half of the body into the right atrium of the heart....
;
the person falls unconscious
Unconsciousness

Unconsciousness, more appropriately referred to as loss of consciousness or lack of consciousness, is a dramatic alteration of mental state that involves complete or near-complete lack of responsiveness to people and other environmental stimuli....
: this is a life threatening situation which requires immediate action (recovery position
Recovery position

The recovery position or more technically known as the lateral recumbent position is a first aid technique recommended for assisting people who are unconsciousness, or nearly so, but are still breathing....
if the person breathes, cardiopulmonary resuscitation
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is an emergency medical procedure for a victim of cardiac arrest or, in some circumstances, respiratory arrest. CPR is performed in hospitals, or in the community by layman or by emergency response professionals....
otherwise);

An important point is to watch the person until he or she recovers or the arrival of the ambulance, for the situation is likely to worsen.

See also First aid
First aid

First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by a layman to a sick or injured Casualty until definitive medical treatment can be accessed....
and Emergency action principles
Emergency action principles

Emergency action principles are the guiding rules to be employed by the first person, or persons, on the scene of an emergency. The nature of emergencies is such that it is impossible to prescribe a specific list of actions to be completed before the event happens, so principles form a framework on which to base forward actions....
.

First responder response

The first responder

First responder

First responder is a term used to describe the first medically-trained responder to arrive on scene of an emergency, accident, natural or human-made disaster, or similar event....
response is not very different from the first aid response. The assessment is completed by (according to the education and the available equipment):

measurement of the respiration frequency; mechanical ventilation
Mechanical ventilation

In medicine, mechanical ventilation is a method to mechanically assist or replace spontaneous respiration .Mechanical ventilation is typically used after an invasive intubation, a procedure wherein an endotracheal tube or tracheostomy tube is inserted into the airway....
should be performed if the person has 6 spontaneous breathings per minute or less;
checking the pulse
Pulse

In medicine, a person's pulse is the throbbing of their artery. It can be palpated in any place that allows for an artery to be compressed against a bone, such as at the neck , at the wrist , behind the knee , on the inside of the elbow , and near the ankle joint ....
: on a resting adult in good health, a pulse above 120 bpm or below 40 bpm is a severe warning; it is also important to check whether the radial pulse can be detected on both arms;
measurement of the blood pressure
Blood pressure

Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels, and constitutes one of the principal vital signs. The pressure of the circulating blood decreases as it moves away from the heart through artery and capillary, and toward the heart through veins....
;
measurement of the blood oxygenation
Oxygenation

Oxygenation refers to either the amount of oxygen in a medium or to the process of adding oxygen to a medium to increase its oxygen content....
(with a pulse oximeter
Pulse oximeter

A pulse oximeter is a medical device that indirectly measures the oxygen saturation of a patient's blood and changes in blood volume in the skin, producing a photoplethysmograph....
);
measurement of the glycemia
Glycemia

Glycemia or glyc?mia is the concentration of glucose in the blood. It is usually expressed in milligrams per deciliter in the US and other countries....
(portable glucometer);
asking the bystanders or relatives for any details; at home, looking for empty medication packing (beside the patient, in the trash, in the toilets, in the bathroom).

Oxygen first aid is recommended for any sign of severity, or in any doubt. Although oxygen

Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
is considered as a medication in some countries, it is harmless (humans normally breathe 21% oxygen in a mix of gasses known collectively as air, see Earth's atmosphere

Earth's atmosphere

The Earth's atmosphere is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by the Earth's gravity. Dry air contains roughly 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.038% Carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere, and trace amounts of other gases....
). There is controversy about patients suffering chronic respiratory insufficiency, and the so-called "paradoxical effect" of oxygen: the patient's body is used with oxygen lack and a massive saturation can lead alter the spontaneous breathing. However:

This situation is not likely to happen until a few hours of pure oxygen breathing, which is far beyond the intervention time of first responders;
It is the lack of oxygen that kills, especially in case of respiratory insufficiency;
In case of doubt, the first should contact a medical authority to have instructions; in the meanwhile (few minutes), the patient can be put under oxygen inhalation without risk.

Even when it is not necessary, the oxygen breathing can have a placebo effect

Placebo effect

Placebo effect may refer to:* Placebo, the tendency of any medication or treatment, even an inert or ineffective one, to exhibit results simply because the recipient believes that it will work...
; on the contrary, the mask can cause a stress

Stress (medicine)

Stress is a biological term which refers to the consequences of the failure of a human or animal body to respond appropriately to emotional or body threats to the organism, whether actual or imagined....
and be detrimental, it is thus necessary to explain the acts that are performed and to accept if the patient refuses.

Any other action should be performed only after a contact (by radio or by phone) with a medical authority (medical regulation).

Associated conditions

Acute Rhinitis
Akathisia
Akathisia

Akathisia, or acathisia, is a syndrome characterized by unpleasant sensations of "inner" restlessness that manifests itself with an inability to sit still or remain motionless, hence its origin in Ancient Greek a , [without, not] + ????s?? , [sitting]....
Altitude sickness
Altitude sickness

Altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness , altitude illness, or soroche, is a pathological condition that is caused by acute exposure to low air pressure ....
Anemia
Anemia

Anemia or an?mia/anaemia is defined as a qualitative or quantitative deficiency of hemoglobin, a protein found inside red blood cells ....
Bolivian hemorrhagic fever
Bolivian hemorrhagic fever

Bolivian hemorrhagic fever , also known as black typhus or Machupo virus, is a hemorrhagic fever and zoonosis infectious disease occurring in Bolivia....
Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline personality disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder is a psychiatry in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders that describes a prolonged personality disorder characterized by depth and variability of moods....
Cat scratch fever
Cat Scratch Fever

Cat Scratch Fever is an album by Ted Nugent released in 1977, as well as the name of the album's title song.The song "Home Bound" was covered by the Beastie Boys and Biz Markie as "The Biz vs the Nuge" on the album Check Your Head in 1992....
Canker sores
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is the most common name given to a poorly understood, variably debilitating disorder or disorders of uncertain etiology....
Chronic myelogenous leukemia
Chronic myelogenous leukemia

Chronic myelogenous leukemia , also known as chronic granulocytic leukemia , is a form of leukemia characterized by the increased and unregulated growth of predominantly myeloid cells in the bone marrow and the accumulation of these cells in the blood....
Chronic renal failure
Chronic renal failure

Chronic kidney disease , also known as chronic renal disease, is a progressive loss of kidney over a period of months or years. The symptoms of worsening kidney function are unspecific, and might include feeling malaise and experiencing a anorexia....
Coryza
Coryza

Coryza is a word describing the symptoms of a head Common cold. It describes the inflammation of the mucus membranes lining the nasal cavity which usually gives rise to the symptoms of nasal congestion and loss of smell, among other symptoms....
Depression
Clinical depression

Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by a pervasive depression , low self-esteem, and anhedonia in normally enjoyable activities....
Diabetes mellitus
Diabetes mellitus

Diabetes mellitus , often referred to simply as diabetes , is a syndrome of disordered metabolism, usually due to a combination of genetic disorder and environmental causes, resulting in abnormally high blood sugar levels ....
Diabetic nephropathy
Diabetic nephropathy

Diabetic nephropathy , also known as Kimmelstiel-Wilson syndrome and intercapillary glomerulonephritis, is a progressive kidney disease caused by angiopathy of capillary in the kidney glomerulus....
Ebola Virus
Epilepsy
Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizure s. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain....
Leukemia
Leukemia

Leukemia is a cancer of the blood or bone marrow and is characterized by an abnormal proliferation of blood Cell , usually white blood cells ....
Lupus erythematosus
Lupus erythematosus

Lupus erythematosus is a connective tissue disease....
Lyme Disease
Lyme disease

Lyme disease, or borreliosis, is an emerging infectious disease caused by at least three species of bacteria belonging to the genus Borrelia....
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia , meaning muscle and connective tissue pain , is a disorder classified by the presence of chronic widespread pain and a heightened and painful response to gentle Somatosensory system ....
Gilbert's Syndrome
Gilbert's syndrome

Gilbert's syndrome, pronounced 'zheel-BAYR', often shortened to GS, also called Gilbert-Meulengrachts syndrome, is the most common hereditary cause of increased bilirubin, and is found in up to 5% of the population ....
Haemochromatosis
Haemochromatosis

Haemochromatosis, also spelled hemochromatosis , also called hereditary haemochromatosis, siderophilia and bronze diabetes, is a hereditary disease characterized by excessive absorption of Human iron metabolism resulting in a pathological increase in total body iron stores....

Hemolytic anemia

Hemolytic anemia is anemia due to hemolysis, the abnormal breakdown of red blood cells either in the blood vessels or elsewhere in the body . It has numerous possible causes, ranging from relatively harmless to life-threatening....

Herpes zoster

Herpes zoster , commonly known as shingles, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a limited area on one side of the body, often in a stripe....

HIV AIDS

HELLP syndrome

HELLP syndrome is a life-threatening obstetric complication usually considered to be a variant of pre-eclampsia. Both conditions occur during the later stages of pregnancy, or sometimes after childbirth....

Hepatitis

Hepatitis implies injury to the liver characterized by the presence of inflammatory cell s in the Tissue of the organ. The name is from ancient Greek hepar , the root being hepat- , meaning liver, and suffix -itis, meaning "inflammation" ....

Hyponatremia

Hyponatremia is an electrolyte disturbance in which the sodium concentration in the blood plasma is too low .Severe or rapidly progressing hyponatremia can result in swelling of the brain , and the symptoms of hyponatremia are mainly neurology....

Infectious Mononucleosis

Infectious mononucleosis

EBV infectious mononucleosis is an infectious, viral disease which most commonly occurs in adolescents and young adults. It is characterized by fever, sore throat and fatigue , along with several other possible signs and symptoms....

Influenza

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease that affects birds and mammals caused by RNA viruses of the biological family Orthomyxoviridae ....

Migraine

Migraine is a neurology syndrome characterized by altered bodily perceptions, headaches, and nausea. Physiologically, the migraine headache is a neurological condition more common to women than to men....

Montezuma's Revenge (medicine)

Multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells. These immune system cells are formed in bone marrow, are numerous in lymphatics and produce antibody....

Pink Eye

Rectal examination

A rectal examination or rectal exam is an internal examination of the rectum such as by a physician or other healthcare professional.The digital rectal examination is a relatively simple procedure....

Opioid withdrawal

Withdrawal

Withdrawal, also known as withdrawal/abstinence syndrome, refers to the characteristic signs and symptoms that appear when a drug that causes physical dependence is regularly used for a long time and then suddenly discontinued or decreased in dosage....

Opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome

Opsoclonus myoclonus syndrome is a rare neurological disease of unknown causes which appears to be the result of an autoimmune process involving the nervous system....

Q fever

Q fever is a disease caused by infection with Coxiella burnetii, a bacterium that affects both humans and animals. This organism is uncommon but may be found in cow, sheep, goats and other domestic mammals, including cats and dogs....

Rabies

Rabies is a virus zoonotic neurotropic virus disease that causes acute encephalitis in mammals. It is most commonly caused by a bite from an infected animal, but occasionally by other forms of contact....

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic disease inflammation that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks the joints producing a inflammatory synovitis that often progresses to destruction of the articular cartilage and ankylosis of the joints....

Scrofula

Scrofula is any of a variety of skin diseases; in particular, a form of tuberculosis, affecting the lymph nodes of the neck. It is often informally or historically known as 'King's Evil', referring to the method of treatment many sufferers used, in some cases in England up to the reign of King Charles II....

Sickness behavior

Sickness behavior is a coordinated set of adaptation behavioral changes that develop in illness individuals during the course of an infection.Hart, B....

Streptococcal pharyngitis (Strep Throat)

Syphilis

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The route of transmission of syphilis is almost always through sexual contact, although there are examples of congenital syphilis via transmission from mother to child in utero....

Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an Inflammation illness of the lung. Frequently, it is described as lung parenchyma/alveolus inflammation and abnormal alveolar filling with fluid ....

Smallpox

Smallpox is an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning spotted, or varus, meaning "pimple"....

Plague

Malaise

Cause

First aid response

First responder response

Associated conditions

See also

External links