asthenia, a condition in which the body lacks strength or has lost strength, either as a whole or in any of its parts. General asthenia occurs in many chronic wasting diseases, such as anemia and cancer, and is probably most marked in diseases of the adrenal gland.
Asthenia may be limited to certain organs or systems of organs, as in asthenopia, characterized by ready fatigability of vision, or in myasthenia gravis, in which there is progressive increase in the fatigability of the muscular system. Neurocirculatory asthenia is a clinical syndrome characterized by breathing difficulties, heart palpitations, a shortness of breath or dizziness, and insomnia.
The term neurasthenia was once commonly used to describe a neurotic disorder characterized by easy fatigability, lack of motivation, and feelings of inadequacy; use of the term has been largely abandoned.