multiple sclerosis

multiple sclerosis
multiple sclerosis n a demyelinating disease marked by patches of hardened tissue in the brain or the spinal cord and associated esp. with partial or complete paralysis and jerking muscle tremor

* * *

a chronic disease of the nervous system affecting young and middle-aged adults. The myelin sheaths surrounding nerves in the brain and spinal cord are damaged, which affects the function of the nerves involved. The course of the illness is usually characterized by recurrent relapses followed by remissions, but a small proportion of patients run a chronic progressive course. The disease affects different parts of the brain and spinal cord, resulting in typically scattered symptoms. These include unsteady gait and shaky movements of the limbs (ataxia), abnormal eye movements (e.g. nystagmus and internuclear ophthalmoplegia), defects in speech pronunciation (dysarthria), spastic weakness, and retrobulbar neuritis. The underlying cause of the nerve damage remains unknown. Steroid treatment may be used in an acute relapse, and beta-interferon therapy reduces the relapse rate in some patients.

* * *

(MS) a disease in which there are foci of demyelination throughout the white matter of the central nervous system, sometimes extending into the gray matter; symptoms usually include weakness, incoordination, paresthesias, speech disturbances, and visual complaints. The course of the disease is usually prolonged, so that the term multiple also refers to remissions and relapses that occur over a period of many years. Four types are recognized, based on the course of the disease: relapsing remitting, secondary progressive, primary progressive, and progressive relapsing. The etiology is unknown.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Multiple sclerosis — Classification and external resources Demyelination by MS. The CD68 colored tissue shows several macrophages in the area of the lesion. Original scale 1:100 ICD …   Wikipedia

  • multiple sclerosis — Sclerosis Scle*ro sis, n. [NL., fr. Gr. (??, fr. sklhro s hard.] 1. (Med.) Induration; hardening; especially, that form of induration produced in an organ by increase of its interstitial connective tissue. [1913 Webster] 2. (Bot.) Hardening of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • multiple sclerosis — Sclerosis Scle*ro sis, n. [NL., fr. Gr. (??, fr. sklhro s hard.] 1. (Med.) Induration; hardening; especially, that form of induration produced in an organ by increase of its interstitial connective tissue. [1913 Webster] 2. (Bot.) Hardening of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • multiple sclerosis — multiple scle rosis noun uncount a serious illness affecting the nerve cells of the brain and SPINE that gradually makes it difficult for someone to move, speak, or see. Multiple sclerosis is often simply called MS …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • multiple sclerosis — first attested 1877; so called because it occurs in patches …   Etymology dictionary

  • multiple sclerosis — n. a chronic disease in which there is scattered demyelination of the central nervous system: it may result in speech defects, loss of muscular coordination, etc …   English World dictionary

  • multiple sclerosis — noun a chronic progressive nervous disorder involving loss of myelin sheath around certain nerve fibers (Freq. 2) • Syn: ↑MS, ↑disseminated sclerosis, ↑disseminated multiple sclerosis • Hypernyms: ↑sclerosis, ↑induration, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • Multiple sclerosis (MS) — The National Multiple Sclerosis Society says of MS that it is "a disease that randomly attacks your central nervous system, wearing away the control you have over your body. Symptoms may range from numbness to paralysis and blindness. The… …   Medical dictionary

  • multiple sclerosis — [[t]mʌ̱ltɪp(ə)l skləro͟ʊsɪs[/t]] N UNCOUNT Multiple sclerosis is a serious disease of the nervous system, which gradually makes a person weaker, and sometimes affects their sight or speech. The abbreviation MS is also used …   English dictionary

  • multiple sclerosis — UK / US noun [uncountable] medical a serious illness affecting the nerve cells of the brain and spine that gradually makes it difficult for someone to move, speak, or see. Multiple sclerosis is often simply called MS …   English dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”