Macrophagia

Macrophagia is a pathological addiction to eating large portions of food.

The term "macrophagy" comes from the Greek words "makros" - large and "phagein" - to eat, devour. Literally it means "eating big."

People suffering from macrophagia experience insatiable hunger and can eat huge portions of food in one sitting. This condition is often associated with psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem.

Macrophagia can lead to obesity, digestive problems, diabetes, and other dangerous health effects. Treatment includes psychotherapy, dietary modification and, if necessary, drug therapy. It is important to identify and eliminate the psychological causes of such eating behavior.

Macrophages are cells of the animal immune system that are part of the macrophage system. Macrophages contain key links to ensure a balance between maintaining health and fighting bacterial and viral infections.

However, macrophage overgrowth and macrophage response activity can cause many different pathological conditions, including autoimmune diseases and cancer. In this article we will review the role of macrophages in physiology and pathophysiology, as well as some aspects of their clinical significance.

Macrophages were the first cells known to be capable of phagocytosis, the process of engulfing and digesting foreign particles such as bacterial and fungal infections. However, this ability is not limited to facultative consumers but also includes cellular systems such as macrophages. When microbes or other particles reach macrophages, they can affect their metabolic regulatory mechanisms, leading to changes in their ability to engulf phagocytes. These changes may include an increase in macrophage size in response to microbial invasion.

So, what happens when macrophages find it difficult to dispose of excess particles? The answer is simple - macrophages can become overactive, turning into inflammatory cells that begin to release numerous cytokines. Some of these cytokines are: TNF-α, IL-1, IL-6, IGF-1 and IL-4. The cells of these systems stimulate inflammatory processes to destroy foreign substances. To cope with the inflammatory process and stop excesses, our body uses several control mechanisms, such as nuclear factor B inhibitors (nuclear factor inhibitor of inflammatory processes, NF-B), nuclear factor T inhibitors (nuclear regeneration factor, NF-T) and LDL receptors. If these mechanisms are suppressed, this can lead to an increase in macrophages and a deterioration in immune status, namely increasing the risk of autoimmune diseases.

In pathology, macrophage hyperplasia causes a number of neuropathological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Pick's disease, tuberculosis, cancers such as multiple myeloma and leukemia, multiple sarcomas Odontogenesis, spondyloarthrosis, thyroid cancer and others. Macrophages may also be involved in the development of atherosclerosis, inflammation in kidney and lung diseases, the development of endocarditis and other diseases.