Cachexia, or wasting syndrome, is loss of weight, muscle atrophy, fatigue, weakness and significant loss of appetite in someone who is not actively trying to lose weight.
Cachexia is seen in people with cancer, AIDS, coeliac disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, congestive heart failure, tuberculosis, familial amyloid polyneuropathy, mercury poisoning (acrodynia), Crohn's disease, untreated/severe type 1 diabetes mellitus, anorexia nervosa and hormonal deficiency.