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Muscle Wastage
Muscle atrophy is defined as a decrease in the mass of the muscle; it can be a partial or complete wasting away of muscle. When a muscle atrophies, this leads to muscle weakness, since the ability to exert force is related to mass.
There are many diseases and conditions which cause a decrease in muscle mass, known as atrophy, including inactivity, as seen when a cast is put on a limb, or upon extended bedrest (which can occur during a prolonged illness) , age-related decrease in muscle function (sarcopenia), and other diseases which may be caused by structural defects in the muscle (muscular dystrophy), or by inflammatory reactions in the body directed against muscle (the myopathies).
A visual depiction of muscle wastage