Medical Terminology Simplified

Total pituitary impairment that brings about a progressive and general loss of

hormone activity

Rare adrenal gland tumor that causes excessive release of epinephrine (adrenaline)

and norepinephrine (hormones that regulate heart rate and blood pressure) and

induces severe blood pressure elevation

Nervous System

Chronic, organic mental disorder that is a progressive form of presenile dementia

caused by atrophy of the frontal and occipital lobes of the brain

The onset of Alzheimer disease usually occurs between ages 40 and 60. It involves pro-

gressive irreversible loss of memory, deterioration of intellectual functions, apathy, speech

and gait disturbances, and disorientation. The course may take from a few months to

4 or 5 years to progress to complete loss of intellectual function.

Degenerative disorder in which the progressive loss of motor neurons in the spinal

cord and brainstem leads to muscle weakness and paralysis; also called Lou Gehrig

disease (named after the baseball player who became afflicted with ALS)

ALS manifests in adulthood with symptoms of weakness and atrophy of muscles in the

hands, forearms, and legs; difficulty in swallowing and talking; and dyspnea as the throat

and respiratory muscles become affected. The cause of and cure for ALS are unknown.

Neurological disorder in which the nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, caus-

ing a seizure, including loss of consciousness

Epilepsy has many possible causes, including illness, brain injury, and abnormal brain

development. Seizure symptoms vary. Some people with epilepsy simply stare blankly for

a few seconds during a seizure, while others repeatedly twitch their arms or legs.

Hereditary nervous disorder caused by the progressive loss of brain cells, leading to

bizarre, involuntary, dancelike movements

Additional Medical Terms • CHAPTER 9 431

panhypopituitarism

păn-hī-pō-pĭ-TŪ-ĭ-tăr-ĭzm

pan-: all

hyp/o: under, below,

deficient

pituitar: pituitary

gland

-ism: condition

pheochromocytoma

fē-ō-krō-mō-sī-TŌ-mă

Alzheimer disease

ĂLTS-hī-mĕr

amyotrophic lateral sclero-

sis (ALS)

ă-mī-ō-TRŌ-fĭk, sklĕ-

RŌ-sĭs

epilepsy

ĔP-ĭ-lĕp-sē

Huntington chorea

HŬN-tĭng-tŭn kō-RĒ-ă