Progressive muscular atrophy Health Dictionary

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Progressive Muscular Atrophy: From 1 Different Sources

A type of motor neuron disease in which the muscles of the hands, arms, and legs become weak and wasted and twitch involuntarily. The condition eventually spreads to other muscles.
Health Source: BMA Medical Dictionary
Author: The British Medical Association

Atrophy

Wasting of a tissue or organ... atrophy

Muscular Dystrophy

See MUSCLES, DISORDERS OF – Myopathy.... muscular dystrophy

Optic Atrophy

A deterioration in the ?bres of the optic nerve (see EYE) resulting in partial or complete loss of vision. It may be caused by damage to the nerve from in?ammation or injury, or the atrophy may be secondary to disease in the eye.... optic atrophy

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

An X-linked recessive disorder (that is, the abnormal gene is carried on the X chromosome). This means that the disease occurs almost exclusively in males, as its presence in a female is counteracted by the normal gene likely to be in her other X chromosome. The disorder is characterised by progressive muscular weakness and wasting. It is the most common form of muscular dystrophy, ocurring in 30 per 100,000 live male births, often – but not always – in families with other members having the disorder.

The disease usually appears within the ?rst three years of life, beginning in the pelvic girdle and lower limbs and later spreading to the shoulder girdle. The calf muscles become bulky (pseudohypertrophy). The weakness gives rise to a characteristic waddling gait and, when rising from the supine position, the child rolls on to his face and then uses his arms to push himself up. Death usually occurs by the middle of the second decade from respiratory infections. Prenatal screening of female carriers using gene probes is increasingly available. (See DYSTROPHY; MUSCLES, DISORDERS OF – Myopathy.)... duchenne muscular dystrophy

Disuse Atrophy

The wasting of muscles after prolonged immobility. This can be seen after lengthy immobilisation in a plaster cast, and is particularly severe following paralysis of a limb through nerve injury. (See ATROPHY.)... disuse atrophy

Pseudohypertrophic Muscular Dystrophy

A condition in which certain muscles enlarge owing to a fatty and ?brous degeneration, giving a false appearance of increased strength.

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa

A pathogenic bacterium of the genus pseudomonas – rod-like, motile gram-negative bacteria (see GRAM’S STAIN) – that occurs in pus from wounds and is associated with urinary tract infections. The bacteria mostly live in soil and decomposing organic matter and help to recycle nitrogen in nature. Most of the bacteria in this genus are harmless to humans.... pseudohypertrophic muscular dystrophy

Sudek’s Atrophy

Osteoporosis (see under BONE, DISORDERS OF) in the hand or foot which develops quickly as a result of injury, infection or malignant growth.... sudek’s atrophy

Liver – Acute Yellow Atrophy

Necrosis. Fatal disease in which the substance of the liver is destroyed. Incidence is rare since the public has been alerted to the dangers of certain chemical toxins, fumes from synthetic glues, solvents, and poisonous fungi.

Symptoms: jaundice, delirium and convulsions.

As it is the work of the liver to neutralise incoming poisons it may suffer unfair wear and tear, alcohol and caffeine being common offenders.

Treatment for relief of symptoms only: same as for abscess of the liver.

Treatment by or in liaison with a general medical practitioner. ... liver – acute yellow atrophy

Muscular System

The muscles of the body that are attached to the skeleton. These muscles are responsible for voluntary movement, and also support and stabilize the skeleton. In most cases, a muscle attaches to a bone (usually by means of a tendon) and crosses over a joint to attach to another bone. Muscles can produce movement by contracting and shortening to pull on the bone to which they are attached. They can only pull, not push, and are therefore arranged so that the pull of one muscle or group of muscles is opposed to another, enabling a movement to be reversed. Although most actions of the skeletal muscles are under conscious control, reflex movements of certain muscles occur in response to stimuli.

There are more than 600 muscles in the body, classified according to the type of movement they produce.

An extensor opens out a joint, a flexor closes it; an adductor draws a part of the body inwards, an abductor moves it outwards; a levator raises it, a depressor lowers it; and constrictor or sphincter muscles surround and close orifices.... muscular system

Peroneal Muscular Atrophy

A rare, inherited disorder characterized by muscle wasting in the feet and calves and then in the hands and forearms.

The condition, also known as Charcot–Marie– Tooth disease, is caused by degeneration of some peripheral nerves.

It is more common in boys, and usually appears in late childhood or adolescence.

Muscle wasting stops halfway up the arms and legs, making them look like inverted bottles; sensation may be lost.

There is no treatment, but the sufferer rarely becomes totally incapacitated because the disease usually progresses very slowly.

Life expectancy is normal.... peroneal muscular atrophy

Progressive

A term used to describe a condition that becomes more severe and/or extensive over time.... progressive

Sudeck’s Atrophy

Swelling and loss of use of a hand or foot after a fracture or other injury.

Treatment includes elevation of the affected hand or foot, gentle exercise, and heat treatment.

Full recovery is usual within about 4 months.... sudeck’s atrophy

Becker Muscular Dystrophy

a *sex-linked (X-linked) disorder in which affected males develop an increase in muscle size followed by weakness and wasting. It usually starts between the ages of 5 and 15, and 25 years after onset most patients are wheelchair-bound. Although most men become severely disabled, life expectancy is close to normal. The disorder is similar to Duchenne *muscular dystrophy but less severe. [P. E. Becker (20th century), German geneticist]... becker muscular dystrophy

Gyrate Atrophy

a rare hereditary condition causing night blindness and constricted visual fields, usually developing in the first decade of life. Clinically it is characterized by a progressive atrophy of the choroid and retina.... gyrate atrophy

Leber’s Optic Atrophy

a rare hereditary disorder, usually affecting young males, that is characterized by loss of central vision due to neuroretinal degeneration. Visual loss in one eye is rapid and usually followed by loss in the second eye. [T. Leber]... leber’s optic atrophy

Multiple System Atrophy

(MSA) a condition that results from degeneration of cells in the *basal ganglia (resulting in *parkinsonism), the *cerebellum (resulting in *ataxia), the *pyramidal system, and the *autonomic nervous system (resulting in symptoms of autonomic failure, such as postural hypotension).... multiple system atrophy

Muscular Rheumatism

any aching pain in the muscles and joints. Commonly the symptoms are due to *fibrositis; wear and tear of the joints (*osteoarthritis); or to inflammation of the muscles associated with abnormal immune reactions (*polymyalgia rheumatica). Generalized muscle pain with specific tender points and fatigue is called *fibromyalgia.... muscular rheumatism

Progressive Lenses

see varifocal lenses.... progressive lenses

Progressive Supranuclear Palsy

(Steele–Richardson–Olszewski syndrome) a progressive neurological disorder resulting from degeneration of the motor neurons, basal ganglia, and brainstem. Starting in late middle age, it is characterized by a staring facial expression due to impaired ability to move the eyes up and down, progressing to difficulties in swallowing, speech, balance, and movement and general spasticity. The condition enters the differential diagnosis of *parkinsonism, with which it is often confused in its early stages.... progressive supranuclear palsy

Spinal Muscular Atrophy

(SMA) a hereditary condition in which cells of the spinal cord die and the muscles in the arms and legs become progressively weaker. Eventually the respiratory muscles are affected and death usually results from respiratory infection. Most affected individuals are wheelchair-bound by the age of 20 and few survive beyond the age of 30. The gene responsible has been located: in affected children it is inherited as a double *recessive. There are three forms of the disease, based on severity of the symptoms and the age at which they appear. Type 1 (infantile spinal muscular atrophy) is the most acute and aggressive form of the condition (see Werdnig–Hoffmann disease). Type 2 develops between the ages of 6 months and 2 years and type 3 (Kugelberg–Welander disease), the least severe form, appears between 2 and 17 years of age.... spinal muscular atrophy

Sudek’s Atrophy

see complex regional pain syndrome. [P. H. M. Sudek (1866–1938), German surgeon]... sudek’s atrophy

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