| progressive hypertrophic polyneuropathy | A familial type of demyelinating sensorimotor polyneuropathy that begins in early childhood and is slowly progressive; clinically characterised by foot pain and paresthesias, followed by symmetrical weakness and wasting of the distal limbs; one of the causes of stork legs; patients are wheelchair bound at an early age; peripheral nerves are palpably enlarged and non-tender; pathologically, onion bulb formation is seen in the nerves: whorls of overlapping, intertwined Schwann cell processes that encircle bare axons; usually autosomal recessive inheritance. Synonym: Dejerine's disease, progressive hypertrophic polyneuropathy. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| segmental demyelinating polyneuropathy | A type of polyneuropathy in which almost solely the peripheral nerve myelin is affected; can be both familial (e.g., Charcot-Marie Tooth disease, type 1), or acquired (e.g., Guillain-Barre syndrome); on motor nerve conduction studies, manifested as conduction slowing or block. Synonym: segmental demyelinating polyneuropathy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nitrofurantoin polyneuropathy | <neurology> An axon loss polyneuropathy, often severe, seen in some patients treated with nitrofurantoin, particularly patients with chronic renal failure. (05 Mar 2000) |
| nutritional polyneuropathy | A disorder of multiple peripheral nerves, noted in beriberi, chronic alcoholism, and other clinical states, resulting from thiamin deficiency. (05 Mar 2000) |
| demyelinating polyneuropathy | A type of polyneuropathy in which almost solely the peripheral nerve myelin is affected; can be both familial (e.g., Charcot-Marie Tooth disease, type 1), or acquired (e.g., Guillain-Barre syndrome); on motor nerve conduction studies, manifested as conduction slowing or block. Synonym: segmental demyelinating polyneuropathy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| diabetic polyneuropathy | A distal, symmetrical, generally sensorimotor polyneuropathy that is a frequent complication of diabetes mellitus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| isoniazid polyneuropathy | An axonal loss polyneuropathy seen in some patients treated with isoniazid. (05 Mar 2000) |
| uraemic polyneuropathy | A distal sensory and motor polyneuropathy without conspicuous inflammation and ascribed to the metabolic effects of chronic renal failure. (05 Mar 2000) |
| abdomen, acute | Clinical syndrome characterised by abdominal pain of great severity associated with other symptoms and signs, usually those of acute peritonitis, which might well be the result of a ruptured abdominal viscus or a similar abdominal catastrophe requiring urgent surgical operation. (12 Dec 1998) |
| acute | 1. Sharp, poignant. 2. Having a short and relatively severe course. Origin: L. Acutus = sharp (18 Nov 1997) |
| acute abdomen | Any serious acute intra-abdominal condition (such as appendicitis) attended by pain, tenderness, and muscular rigidity, and for which emergency surgery must be considered. Synonym: surgical abdomen. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acute abscess | A recently formed abscess with little or no fibrosis in the wall of the cavity. Synonym: hot abscess. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acute adrenal crisis | <endocrinology> An abrupt life-threatening state which is caused by insufficient production of cortisol by the adrenal gland. A typical finding in Addison's disease. Individuals who have been taking corticosteroids (glucocorticoids) for a prolonged period of time (weeks to months) are at risk for acute adrenal crisis if the medication is stopped abruptly. For this reason, corticosteroid medication are withdrawn slowly on a diminishing dosing schedule. Symptoms include low blood pressure (shock), weakness, headache, vomiting, fever chills, tachycardia and sweating. Treatment includes blood pressure support and intravenous hydrocortisone. (27 Sep 1997) |
| acute adrenocortical insufficiency | Severe adrenocortical insufficiency when an intercurrent illness or trauma causes an increased demand for adrenocortical hormones in a patient with adrenal insufficiency due to disease or use of relatively large amounts of similar hormones as therapy; characterised by nausea, vomiting, hypotension, and frequently hyperthemia, hyponatraemia, hyperkalaemia, and hypoglycaemia; can be fatal if untreated. Synonym: addisonian crisis, adrenal crisis, Bernard-Sergent syndrome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acute African sleeping sickness | A disease of humans caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense in eastern Africa from Ethiopia and Uganda south to Zimbabwe; it is clinically similar to Gambian trypanosomiasis but of shorter duration and more acute in form; patients suffer repeated episodes of pyrexia, become anaemic, and die commonly from cardiac failure. Synonym: acute African sleeping sickness, acute trypanosomiasis, East African sleeping sickness, East African trypanosomiasis. (05 Mar 2000) |