A general feeling of illness is certainly known to everyone. Severe fatigue, complete exhaustion and resulting concentration difficulties are among the most common phenomena. However, the general feeling of illness is not a disease in its own right, but only a symptom of an illness. A common cause is an infection with viruses or bacteria that have triggered a flu or cold, more serious diseases are less often responsible.
What is a general feeling of illness?
The general feeling of illness is characterized mainly by a tremendous fatigue. Sufferers feel tired and drained, and limbs feel heavy and powerless. A general feeling of illness often occurs very unexpectedly. If the affected person has just felt completely healthy, the condition changes very quickly into the opposite. The general feeling of illness is characterized above all by an enormous lassitude. Affected persons feel tired and drained, the limbs feel heavy and powerless. Difficulty concentrating is also common, and dizziness may also occur. The general feeling of sickness is not a disease in its own right. In most cases, it is a sign of an incipient or existing illness. These are often harmless infections, but in rarer cases a more serious illness may be the cause of the general feeling of illness.
Causes
A general feeling of illness can have many different causes. In the best case, it is simply due to enormous stress on the body. Unusual stressful situations in everyday life can demand so much of us that our body wants to impose a forced break on us because of it. This should be seen as a warning signal and more balance should be provided. In most cases, however, the general feeling of illness has its cause in an infection. The harmless infectious diseases include flu or colds, triggered by viruses, which can be followed by bacterial infections. The general feeling of illness is usually the first sign of such an infection. In other cases, however, a more serious disease may be responsible for the general malaise. A demarcation takes place here by further symptoms.
Diseases with this symptom
- Mumps
- Gastrointestinal flu
- Common cold
- Measles
- Pharyngitis
- Sinusitis frontalis
- Rhinosinusitis
- Tonsillitis
- Rubella
- Polio
- Ear infection
- Inner ear infection
- Typhoid fever
- Malaria
- Chickenpox
Diagnosis and course
There is no specific diagnostic procedure for the general feeling of illness, since it is only a symptom. Therefore, the patient must accurately describe his condition to the doctor, so that he can get a picture of the whole situation. However, there may be a few visible signs. Some sufferers clearly show fatigue and exhaustion. A pale complexion is also very common in patients. As a rule, the general feeling of illness begins very insidiously and worsens very quickly. Especially in the case of a flu-like infection, the patient may notice a worsening every hour, and in addition, other symptoms such as a cold, cough or even fever set in. In other diseases, the course can be very different. If flu or cold can be ruled out, it is essential to find the causative disease.
Complications
A general feeling of illness is a nonspecific symptom. It therefore carries the risk of being misunderstood and misinterpreted, since it alone does not provide any information about what is wrong with the affected person. A general feeling of illness only gains significance when accompanied by other symptoms – in this way, the physician can begin to get to the bottom of the cause. On its own, for example, it can stand for a harmless approaching cold, but it can also be a symptom of a serious illness. The affected person should therefore try to observe carefully what other signs of illness he can observe and detect in himself.Also important is the duration of the general feeling of illness and whether it persists all the time or comes and goes again and again, perhaps even in connection with a particular event. Complications related to the general feeling of illness also occur when the affected person does not take this symptom seriously. The challenges of everyday life are perceived as more important, or sufferers think that the feeling of being ill is not a sufficient reason for taking it easy – as a result, their condition may worsen or they may fail to go to the doctor with a condition that requires treatment. In fact, the general feeling of being sick can also be the body’s way of saying that rest is now called for – and that further stress will only delay recovery.
When should you go to the doctor?
A general feeling of illness can manifest itself physically as well as psychologically and in various ways. In any case, it is usually a good reason to go to the doctor. Only here can it be determined which clinical pictures come into question. Those affected cannot name exactly what they have. There are few clear indications. Preferably, the patient feels “somehow” ill. A slight pressure in the head, a strange feeling in the stomach, a strange listlessness: many slight complaints are enough for some people to feel ill. When in doubt, it is always better to consult your family doctor, even with unclear symptoms. He can do a blood count, listen to the heart and lungs, perform an ECG, and more. He makes the decision whether and which specialists should be consulted. Internists who can carry out a more comprehensive stress test or psychologists who can, for example, prevent the affected person from an imminent burn-out are all possible options. Various illnesses in the early stages can also trigger a general feeling of illness. Specialists help to name the evil and treat the cause of the problem. It is therefore important not to carry the latent feeling around for a long time and instead go to the doctor in time; especially if it is quite obviously not getting better.
Treatment and therapy
Unfortunately, a specific treatment against the general feeling of sickness does not exist. No matter what the cause of the exhaustion, however, the patient should take it easy in any case and put as little strain on his body as possible. Because that is what the body wants to achieve through the signs – that the body is allowed to rest so that it can put all the available energy into fighting the illness. Therefore, with almost any disease, the general feeling of sickness can occur. Therefore, it is not possible to treat it directly, because it is a concomitant of disease and not a disease in its own right. Therefore, it is important to find the actual disease. Once the cause of the general feeling of illness has been determined by a doctor, a specific treatment of this illness is carried out. As a result, the patient’s general condition improves and the general feeling of illness also subsides. The treatment is of course absolutely dependent on the illness. While a flu or cold usually subsides on its own within about a week and there are also almost exclusively symptomatic treatment methods for it, other diseases require a very specific drug therapy. Therefore, it is important to find the cause of the general feeling of illness. This is the only way to ensure successful treatment so that the patient feels better quickly. Since a serious illness can also be responsible for the general feeling of illness, it should not be taken lightly.
Outlook and prognosis
In the case of a general feeling of illness, no particular prognosis of the disease is usually possible. Here, the further course of the disease depends greatly on the history of the affected person and the current circumstances. Most often, the general feeling of illness turns into a cold or flu. This feeling then develops over time into one of the two viral infections and gives the body a sign that it needs rest and relaxation to fight the symptom itself. In most cases, a visit to the doctor is not necessary here. The affected person can do something himself against the general feeling of illness. This definitely includes getting plenty of sleep, plenty of rest, and increasing plenty of fluids to help the body regenerate.To prevent the outbreak of flu or a cold, anti-influenza agents and medications can also be taken. These prevent the infection from progressing. Without treatment, the general feeling of illness can quickly turn into a cold. If the feeling of sickness plagues the affected person for a longer period of time, a doctor should be consulted. In this case, the feeling of sickness may be associated with another illness. However, in most cases, this illness is positive.
Prevention
There are also no direct measures to prevent the general feeling of sickness. Since it is a concomitant of diseases, the main thing is to prevent diseases in general. For this, a strong immune system is indispensable. Through a healthy and balanced diet, sufficient exercise in the fresh air and enough recovery periods, the immune system is strengthened and can better fight off infections.
What you can do yourself
A general feeling of illness can occur with many different illnesses and have very different causes. If the general feeling of illness is caused by an infection such as a cold or flu, physical rest is very important. If possible, sufferers should rest in bed or on the sofa, drink plenty of fluids and sleep. This enables the immune system to fight the infection better and the self-healing powers are activated. If there is a general feeling of illness due to chronic diseases, moderate exercise can still be helpful in addition to avoiding physical exertion. A short walk around the block or through the garden gets the circulation going, and fresh air also promotes regeneration. A healthy diet and adequate hydration are other helpful self-help measures for general ill health. N
fter serious illnesses, such as cancer or serious surgery, a general feeling of illness can persist for a long time. In such a case, it is important not to overexert oneself and to be patient with one’s own body. Moderate exercise, a healthy diet and relaxation exercises are the means of choice here to slowly feel better. These are also effective for a general feeling of illness caused by stress or psychological strain.
