There are many diseases that can cause muscle wasting, or atrophy. While a person can often adapt to muscle atrophy, even mild localized forms can cause decreased movement or strength. Medical evaluation is warranted for unexplained or long-term muscle loss as there are many diseases that cause muscle wasting.
AIDS
Muscle wasting commonly affects AIDS patients, especially during the later stages of the disease. According to AIDS.org, the muscle wasting that occurs is called AIDS wasting syndrome, and it involves the involuntary loss of more than 10 percent of a person's body weight and is characterized by 30 consecutive days of diarrhea, weakness or fever. AIDS.org notes that body weight losses of even 5 percent can have negative consequences for a person with AIDS. Muscle wasting is problematic even for those people whose HIV infections are controlled by medications.
Peripheral Neuropathy
Peripheral neuropathy can cause muscle wasting. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke states that peripheral neuropathy involves damage to the peripheral nervous system or nerves—the system that carries information to and from the central nervous system. NINDS notes that because peripheral nerves carry out specialized functions in a specific body part, many symptoms can manifest when nerves are damaged. Common symptoms associated with peripheral neuropathy include numbness, tingling, muscle weakness, burning pain, night pain, muscle wasting, paralysis or organ or gland dysfunction. According to NINDS, muscle weakness is the most common symptom associated with motor nerve damage, although muscle spasms and muscle loss may also occur.
Muscular Dystrophy
Muscular dystrophies can cause muscle wasting. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, muscular dystrophy is a collection of nine disorders that are characterized by progressive muscle weakness and muscle tissue loss.
One of the most common muscular dystrophies is Duchenne muscular dystrophy or DMD. The Muscular Dystrophy Association or MDA states that DMD is caused by the absence of dystrophin—a protein the binds muscle cells and keeps them intact. The MDA also notes that DMD manifests during early childhood, typically between the ages of 2 and 6, and that it's characterized by generalized weakness and muscle wasting that first targets the muscles of the hips, pelvis, thighs and shoulders. Because DMD is progressive, it eventually affects all of a person's voluntary or skeletal muscles, including the heart and respiratory muscles.
