In medicine , malaise is a feeling of general discomfort , uneasiness or lack of wellbeing and often the first sign of an infection or other disease. The word has existed in French since at least the 12th century.
2-428: The term is often used figuratively in other contexts, in addition to its meaning as a general state of angst or melancholia . Malaise is a non-specific symptom and can be present in the slightest ailment, such as an emotion (causing fainting, a vasovagal response ) or hunger (light hypoglycemia ), to the most serious conditions ( cancer , stroke , heart attack , internal bleeding , etc.). Malaise expresses
4-481: A patient's uneasiness that "something is not right" that may need a medical examination to determine the significance. Malaise is thought to be caused by the activation of an immune response, and the associated pro-inflammatory cytokines . " Economic malaise " refers to an economy that is stagnant or in recession (compare depression ). The term is particularly associated with the 1973–75 United States recession . An era of American automotive history, centered around
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