Citizendia

Symptom/Sign: Fatigue
Classifications and external resources
ICD-10 R53.
ICD-9 780.7
DiseasesDB 30079
MedlinePlus 003088
MeSH D005221

Fatigue (also called exhaustion, languidness, and lassitude) is a weariness caused by exertion. A symptom' (from Greek σύμπτωμα, "accident misfortune that which befalls" from συμπίπτω, "I befall" from A Sign is an indication of some fact or quality and a medical sign is an objective indication of some medical fact or quality that is detected by a Physician The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify Diseases The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision ( ICD -10) is a coding of diseases and signs symptoms abnormal findings R00-R69 - Symptoms and Signs (R00-R09 Circulatory and Respiratory systems ( Abnormalities of Heart beat The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify Diseases The following is a list of codes for International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. The Diseases Database is a free Website that provides information about the relationships between medical conditions Symptoms, and Medications. MedlinePlus, with the MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, is a website network containing Health information from the world's largest medical Library Medical Subject Headings ( MeSH) is a huge Controlled vocabulary (or metadata system for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books It can describe a range of afflictions, varying from a general state of lethargy to a specific work-induced burning sensation within one's muscles. It can be both physical and mental. Physical fatigue is the inability to continue functioning at the level of one's normal abilities. [1][2][3] It is ubiquitous in everyday life, but usually becomes particularly noticeable during heavy exercise. Mental fatigue, on the other hand, rather manifests in somnolence. Somnolence (or " drowsiness " is a state of near- Sleep, a strong desire for sleep or sleeping for unusually long periods (c

Contents

Types

Physical Fatigue

Main article: Muscle weakness

Physical fatigue (Fat-eh-goo) or muscle weakness (or "lack of strength") is a direct term for the inability to exert force with one's muscles to the degree that would be expected given the individual's general physical fitness. Muscle weakness (or "lack of strength" is a direct term for the inability to exert force with one's Muscles to the degree that would be expected given the individual's Muscle (from Latin musculus, diminutive of mus "mouse" is contractile tissue of the body and is derived from the Physical fitness is used in two close meanings general fitness (a state of Health and well-being and specific fitness (a task-oriented definition based on the ability A test of strength is often used during a diagnosis of a muscular disorder before the etiology can be identified. Diagnosis is the identification by Process of elimination, of the nature of anything Etiology (alternatively aetiology, aitiology) is the study of causation. Such etiology depends on the type of muscle weakness, which can be true or perceived as well as central or peripheral. True weakness is substantial, while perceived rather is a sensation of having to put more effort to do the same task. On the other hand, central muscle weakness is an overall exhaustion of the whole body, while peripheral weakness is an exhaustion of individual muscles.

Mental fatigue

See also: Somnolence

In addition to physical, fatigue also includes mental fatigue, not necessarily including any muscle fatigue. Somnolence (or " drowsiness " is a state of near- Sleep, a strong desire for sleep or sleeping for unusually long periods (c Such a mental fatigue, in turn, can manifest itself both as somnolence (decreased wakefulness) or just as a general decrease of attention, not necessarily including sleepiness. Somnolence (or " drowsiness " is a state of near- Sleep, a strong desire for sleep or sleeping for unusually long periods (c Attention is the Cognitive process of selectively concentrating on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things In any case, this can be dangerous when performing tasks that require constant concentration, such as driving a vehicle. Vehicles, derived from the Latin word vehiculum, are non-living Means of transport. For instance, a person who is sufficiently somnolent may experience microsleeps. A microsleep is an episode of Sleep lasting for a fraction of a second or up to a few seconds However, objective cognitive testing should be done to differentiate the neurocognitive deficits of brain disease from those attributable to tiredness.

Causes

Fatigue is typically the result of working, mental stress, over stimulation and under stimulation, jet lag or active recreation, depression, and also boredom, disease and lack of sleep. Jet lag, also jetlag or jet-lag, is a physiological condition which is a consequence of alterations to Circadian rhythms it is classified Recreation or fun is the expenditure of time in a manner designed for therapeutic refreshment of one's Body or Mind. Major depressive disorder, also known as major depression, unipolar depression, unipolar disorder, clinical depression, or simply depression Boredom is an Emotional state experienced during periods of lack of activities or when individuals are uninterested in the activities surrounding them A disease is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions and can be deadly Sleep deprivation is a general lack of the necessary amount of Sleep. It may also have chemical causes, such as poisoning or mineral or vitamin deficiencies. In the context of Biology, poisons are substances that can cause damage, Illness, or Death to Organisms usually by A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition a highly ordered atomic structure and specific A vitamin is an Organic compound required as a Nutrient in tiny amounts by an Organism. Massive blood loss, resulting in anemia, frequently results in fatigue. Anemia ( AmE) or anæmia/anaemia ( BrE) (from the Ancient Greek grc-Latn anaîmia, meaning “without blood” is defined as a qualitative

The sense of fatigue is believed to originate in the reticular activating system of the lower brain. The reticular activating system (or ARAS for Ascending Reticular Activating System is the name given to the part of the Brain (the Reticular formation and its connections Musculoskeletal structures may have co-evolved with appropriate brain structures so that the complete unit functions together in a constructive and adaptive fashion. The musculoskeletal system (also known as the locomotor system is an organ system that gives Animals the ability to physically move using the Muscles and [4] The entire systems of muscles, joints, and proprioceptive and kinesthetic functions plus parts of the brain evolve and function together in a unitary way. Proprioception (ˌproʊpriːəˈsɛpʃən PRO -pree-o-SEP-shun from Latin proprius, meaning "one's own" and perception is the Sense [5]

Diseases

Temporary fatigue is likely to be a minor illness like the common cold. Acute viral nasopharyngitis or acute coryza, usually known as the common cold, is a highly contagious viral Infectious disease of the Chronic fatigue, on the other hand, meaning of six months or more duration, is a symptom of a large number of different diseases or conditions.

Medications

Fatigue in aviation

In 1999, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, testified before the U.S. House of Representatives that pilot fatigue impacts aviation safety with "unknown magnitude". The National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA, ˈnæsə is an agency of the United States government, responsible for the nation's public space program The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. The report cited evidence of fatigue issues in areas including aviation operations, laboratory studies, high-fidelity simulations, and surveys. The report indicates that studies consistently show that fatigue is an on-going problem in aviation safety. [7]

A November 2007 report by the National Transportation Safety Board indicates that air crew fatigue is a much larger, and more widespread, problem than previously reported. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB is an independent U [8] The report indicates that since 1993 there have been 10 major airline crashes caused by aircrew fatigue, resulting in 260 fatalities. Additionally, a voluntary anonymous reporting system known as ASAP, Aviation Safety Action Program,[9] reveals widespread concern among aviation professionals about the safety implications of fatigue. The NTSB published that FAA's response to fatigue is unacceptable and listed the issue among its "Most Wanted" safety issues. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB is an independent U The Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA) is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation with authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of [10]

Fatigue in Military Flight Operations

In the late 1990s the US Air Force began testing and developing the Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool (FAST), to address the problem of aircrew fatigue in aircrew flight scheduling. An air force, also known in some countries as an air army or historically an army air corps, is in the broadest sense the national military or armed service [11] According to the Air Force Research Lab, Human Effectiveness Directorate, FAST is a fatigue forecasting system developed by NTI (and SAIC) under a small business innovative research (SBIR) grant from the US Air Force. Fatigue predictions are derived from the Sleep, Activity, Fatigue, and Task Effectiveness (SAFTE(tm)) model invented by Dr. Steven Hursh, currently the President of the Institutes for Behavior Resources and Adjunct Professor of Behavioral Biology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The SAFTE(tm) model has received a broad scientific review and the DoD considers it a complete, accurate, and operationally practical model to aid operator scheduling. [12]

After several years of attempting to integrate proactive fatigue risk mitigation into Air Force scheduling, the FAST model fell into mainly a mishap analysis role. Since its 2003 release, FAST was primarily used by the Air Force to investigate fatigue factors in aircraft mishaps, after the fact. [13] Following an aircraft mishap, Air Force crash investigators would consult fatigue and human performance experts at the Air Force Research Laboratory's Fatigue Countermeasures Branch at Brooks City-Base in San Antonio, TX. The scientists at the Lab would run the FAST model to determine the possible impact, if any, of aircrew fatigue on the mishap. The tool required expert level knowledge of the data input methods and was ideally suited for analyzing historical flying schedules, but did not achieve widespread use in prevention or future scheduling except in B-2 bomber operations.

In early 2007, the 201 Airlift Squadron of the District of Columbia Air National Guard, successfully integrated FAST into its daily scheduling operations. The District of Columbia Air National Guard is the component of the United States Air National Guard operating within the District of Columbia. This integration required the full-time attention of two pilot schedulers, but yielded valuable risk mitigation data that could be used by planners and leaders to predict and adjust critical times of fatigue in the flight schedule. In August 2007, the Air National Guard Aviation Safety Division funded a project to improve the User Interface of FAST, permitting daily use by pilot schedulers and integration with automated flight scheduling software. The Air National Guard ( ANG), often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the several states and [14]

See also

References

  1. ^ Gandevia SC (1992). Malaise is a feeling of general discomfort or uneasiness an "out of sorts" feeling often the first indication of an infection or other disease Asthenia ( Greek: ασθένεια, lit lack of strength but also disease) is a medical term denoting symptoms of physical weakness Paresis is a condition typified by partial loss of movement or impaired movement In general debility refers to a loss of strength In Medicine, debility refers to being weak or feeble Muscle weakness (or "lack of strength" is a direct term for the inability to exert force with one's Muscles to the degree that would be expected given the individual's "Some central and peripheral factors affecting human motoneuronal output in neuromuscular fatigue". Sports medicine (Auckland, N. Z. ) 13 (2): 93-8. PMID 1561512.  
  2. ^ Hagberg M (1981). "Muscular endurance and surface electromyogram in isometric and dynamic exercise". Journal of applied physiology: respiratory, environmental and exercise physiology 51 (1): 1-7. PMID 7263402.  
  3. ^ Hawley JA, Reilly T (1997). "Fatigue revisited". Journal of sports sciences 15 (3): 245-6. PMID 9232549.  
  4. ^ Edelman, Gerald Maurice (1989). The remembered present: a biological theory of consciousness. New York: Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-06910-X.  
  5. ^ Kelso, J. A. Scott (1995). Dynamic patterns: the self-organization of brain and behavior. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-61131-7.  
  6. ^ Fatigue caused by medications.
  7. ^ NASA report to Congress on fatigue, http://comair-5191.com/NASA%20Statement%20on%20Pilot%20Fatigue.pdf
  8. ^ USA Today coverage of NTSB report, http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-04-10-fatigue-air-safety_N.htm
  9. ^ FAA's ASAP Program, http://www.faa.gov/safety/programs_initiatives/aircraft_aviation/asap/
  10. ^ NTSB Most Wanted List, fatigue, http://www.ntsb.gov/Recs/mostwanted/aviation_reduce_acc_inc_humanfatig.htm
  11. ^ Air Force Research Lab summary of project, http://www.dtic.mil/dticasd/ddsm/srch/ddsm0219.html
  12. ^ DoD's SAFTE Model, Hursch, et al, http://www.nps.navy.mil/orfacpag/resumePages/projects/Fatigue/HurshSAFTEFAST.pdf
  13. ^ DoD's SAFTE Model as investigation tool, Hursch, et al, http://www.nps.navy.mil/orfacpag/resumePages/projects/Fatigue/HurshSAFTEFAST.pdf
  14. ^ ANG Aviation Safety Division's Fatigue Project, Fly Awake, http://www.FlyAwake.org

External links


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