| combined sclerosis | A subacute or chronic disorder of the spinal cord, such as that occurring in certain patients with vitamin B12 deficiency, characterised by a slight to moderate degree of gliosis in association with spongiform degeneration of the posterior and lateral columns. Synonym: combined sclerosis, combined system disease, funicular myelitis, Putnam-Dana syndrome, vitamin B12 neuropathy. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| multiple sclerosis | <neurology> Neurodegenerative disease characterised by the gradual accumulation of focal plaques of demyelination particularly in the periventricular areas of the brain. Peripheral nerves are not affected. Onset usually in 3rd or 4th decade with intermittent progression over an extended period. Cause still uncertain. (18 Nov 1997) |
| posterior sclerosis | See Tabes dorsalis. (12 Dec 1998) |
| posterior spinal sclerosis | See Tabes dorsalis. (12 Dec 1998) |
| primary lateral sclerosis | Considered by many to be a subgroup of motor neuron disease; a slowly progressive degenerative disorder of the motor neurons of the cerebral cortex, resulting in widespread weakness on an upper motor neuron basis; spasticity, hyperreflexia, and Babinski signs are present, but not fasciculation potentials, nor any electrodiagnostic evidence of a lower motor neuron lesion. Synonym: lateral spinal sclerosis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| sclerosis | <pathology> A induration or hardening, especially hardening of a part from inflammation and in diseases of the interstitial substance. The term is used chiefly for such a hardening of the nervous system due to hyperplasia of the connective tissue or to designate hardening of the blood vessels. Origin: Gr. Sklerosis = hardness (18 Nov 1997) |
| sclerosis corii | <dermatology> Hardening of skin. (04 Mar 1998) |
| sclerosis cutanea | Synonym: scleroderma. (05 Mar 2000) |
| sclerosis, multiple | 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 progress, severity and specific symptoms cannot be foreseen. You never know when attacks will occur, how long they will last, or how severe they will be. most people are diagnosed with ms between the ages of 20 and 40. In medical terms, ms involves demyelinization of the white matter sometimes extending into the gray matter. Demyelinization is loss of myelin, the coating of nerve fibres composed of lipids (fats) and protein that serves as insulation and permits efficient nerve fibre conduction. The white matter is the part of the brain which contains myelinated nerve fibres and appears white, whereas the gray matter is the cortex of the brain which contains nerve cell bodies and appears gray. When myelin is damaged in ms, nerve fibre conduction is faulty or absent. Impaired bodily functions or altered sensations associated with those demyelinated nerve fibres give rise to the symptoms of ms. Recent research (1998) has also identified nerve cell death as part of the nervous system injury in ms. (12 Dec 1998) |
| sclerosis of white matter | <radiology> Type of dysmyelinating disease, hereditary, peripheral nervous system unaffected in some disorders Specific diseases: adrenoleukodystrophy, metachromatic leukodystrophy, spongy degeneration (Canavan), globoid cell (Krabbe) leukodystrophy, Alexander disease, Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease, Cockayne syndrome (12 Dec 1998) |
| hippocampal sclerosis | A loss of cortical neurons and a reactive astrocytosis in the hippocampal regions of some persons with epilepsy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| skin lesions of tuberous sclerosis | <radiology> Adenoma sebaceum, Shagreen patches, periungual fibromata, ash-leaf hypopigmentation (12 Dec 1998) |
| nodular sclerosis | <cardiology, pathology> The progressive narrowing and hardening of the arteries over time. This is known to occur to some degree with aging, but other risk factors that accelerate this process have been identified. These factors include: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes and family history for atherosclerotic disease. (27 Sep 1997) |
| nuclear sclerosis | Increased refractivity of the central portion of the lens of the eye. See: nuclear cataract. (05 Mar 2000) |
| systemic sclerosis | <rheumatology> A multisystem disorder of unknown aetiology. It is characterised by fibrosis (scarring) of the skin, blood vessels and internal organs. Involvement of the gastrointestinal tract, heart, kidneys and lungs is common. (09 Jan 1998) |