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Decompensation

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decompensation [dē‚käm·pən′sā·shən]
(psychology)
The deterioration of existing defense mechanisms, leading to an exacerbation of pathologic behavior.

Decompensation 

disturbance of the activity of an organ, a system of organs, or the entire organism, as a result of exhaustion or disruption of its adaptive mechanisms.

Harmful influences that cause significant changes in the organism disturb the constant equilibrium between the organism and the external environment. After some time, the organism adapts itself to the new conditions of existence (for example, the heart muscle hypertrophies when there are heart defects) and equilibrium is restored—that is, compensation occurs. When there is compensation, the organ (or system) works under an increased load, as a result of which it succumbs more readily to harmful influences.



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Many have had documented evidence of decompensation during their pregnancies that was minimized.
However, the third phase of the GAS is exhaustion, and results in pathophysiologic decompensation (Mitchell, Gallucci, & Fought, 1991).
Despite these associations and evidence of decompensation in patients with cirrhosis from preexisting liver disease in developing countries (14,15), whether HEV causes fulminant hepatitis among those with chronic liver disease who live in the United States is unknown.
 
 
 
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