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Dystonia
Dystonia Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder with involuntary muscle contractions, forcing specific parts of the body into abnormal movements or positions, sometimes causing pain.
RELATED TERMS--------------------------------------
Dystonia
Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder with involuntary muscle contractions, forcing specific parts of the body into abnormal movements or positions, sometimes causing pain.
Neurological
The medical science that deals with the nervous system and disorders affecting it.
Muscle
Tissue made up of bundles of long, slender cells that contract when stimulated.
Abnormal
Not normal. Deviating from the usual structure, position, condition, or behavior. In referring to a growth, abnormal may mean that it is cancerous or premalignant (likely to become cancer).
Pain
An unpleasant sensory or emotional experience primarily associated with tissue damage, or described in terms of tissue damage, or both.
SIMILAR TERMS--------------------------------------
Dysthymia
A type of depression involving long-term, chronic symptoms that are not disabling, but keep a person from functioning at "full steam" or from feeling good. Dysthymia is a less severe type of depression than what is accorded the diagnosis of major depression. However, people with dysthymia may also sometimes experience major depressive episodes, suggesting that there is a continuum between dysthymia and major depression.
Dystocia
When labor does not progress. Uterine dystocia is when contractions donot intensify; shoulder dystocia is when a baby's
Dystocia, fetal
Dystocia caused by the fetus due to its size (too big), shape or position in the uterus.
Dystonia musculorum deformans (DMD)
Also called torsion dystonia, this is a fortunately rare, generalized dystonia (a state of abnormal -- either excessive of inadequate -- muscle tone) that can be inherited, usually begins in childhood, and becomes progressively worse. It can leave individuals seriously disabled and confined to a wheelchair.
Dystonia, dopa-responsive (DRD)
A condition that typically begins in childhood or adolescence with progressive difficulty in walking and, in some cases, spasticity and can be successfully treated with drugs. Segawa dystonia is an important variant of DRD. In Segawa dystonia, the symptoms fluctuate during the day from relative mobility in the morning to increasing disability in the afternoon and evening and after exercise. DRD may not only be rare but also rarely diagnosed since it mimics some forms of cerebral palsy.
Dystonia, idiopathic torsion
A form of dystonia known as early-onset torsion dystonia (also called generalized torsion dystonia) begins in childhood around the age of 12. Symptoms typically start in one part of the body, usually in an arm or leg, and eventually spread to the rest of the body within about 5 years. Early-onset torsion dystonia is not fatal, but it can be severely debilitating.
Dystonia, oromandibular
Oromandibular dystonia affects the muscles of the jaw, lips, and tongue. The jaw may be pulled either open or shut, and speech and swallowing can be difficult.
Dystonia, Segawa
An important variant form of dopa-responsive dystonia (DRD). DRD typically begins in childhood or adolescence with progressive difficulty in walking and, in some cases, with spasticity. DRD, by definition, can be successfully treated with dopa. In Segawa dystonia, the symptoms fluctuate during the day from relative mobility in the morning to increasingly worse disability in the afternoon and evening and after exercise.
Dystonia, torsion
A form of dystonia known as early-onset torsion dystonia (also called idiopathic or generalized torsion dystonia) begins in childhood around the age of 12. Symptoms typically start in one part of the body, usually in an arm or leg, and eventually spread to the rest of the body within about 5 years. Early-onset torsion dystonia is not fatal, but it can be severely debilitating. Most children with the disorder are unable to perform the simplest of motor tasks and are confined to a wheelchair by the time they reach adulthood.
Dystopia
Displacement.
Dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa
A blistering skin condition inherited in both autosomal dominant and recessive manners and in which the filaments that anchor the epidermis to the underlying dermis are either absent or do not function. This is due to defects in the gene for type VII collagen, a fibrous protein that is the main component of the anchoring filaments.
Dystrophin
A protein, a chemical substance made by muscle fibers.
Dystrophy
Partial atrophy of tissue or an organ as a result of imperfect cell nutrition.
Dystrophy, autoimmune polyendocrinopathy
Dystrophy, autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal (APECED) is a genetic autoimmune disease with an extraordinary array of clinical features but characterized most often by at least 2 of the following 3 findings: hypoparathyroidism -- underfunction of the parathyroid glands which control calcium, candidiasis (yeast infection), and adrenal insufficiency (underfunction of the adrenal gland). APECED was the first systemic (bodywide) autoimmune disease found due to a defect in a single gene.
Dystrophy, cone
A disease of the cones, the specialized light-sensitive cells that act as photoreceptors in the retina of the eye, providing sharp central vision and color vision. The cone dystrophies are a form of genetic macular degeneration characterized by progressive deterioration of the cones that leads to the distinctive triad of loss of color vision, photophobia, and reduced central vision. Cone dystrophy genes have been mapped to chromosome regions 6p21.1, 6q25-q26, 17p12-13, and Xp21.1-p11.3. In region 6p21.1, mutations have been found in the gene that encodes GCAP1, a key component in the recovery of photoreceptor cells to the dark-adapted state after exposure to a light stimulus.
Dystrophy, muscular
One of a group of genetic diseases characterized by progressive weakness and degeneration of the skeletal or voluntary muscles which control movement. The muscles of the heart and some other involuntary muscles are also affected in some forms of muscular dystrophy, and a few forms involve other organs as well. The major forms of muscular dystrophy include: Duchenne muscular dystrophy; Becker muscular dystrophy; limb-girdle muscular dystrophy; facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy; congenital muscular dystrophy; oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy; distal muscular dystrophy; Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy and myotonic dystrophy. Muscular dystrophy can affect people of all ages. Although some forms first become apparent in infancy or childhood, others may not appear until middle age or later. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common kind of muscular dystrophy affecting children. Myotonic dystrophy is the most common of these diseases in adults.
Dystrophy, myotonic
An inherited disease in which the muscles contract but have decreasing power to relax -- this phenomenon is termed myotonia (irritability and prolonged contraction of muscles). The disease also produces leads to a mask-like expressionless face, premature balding, cataracts, and heart arrhythmias (abnormalities in heart rhythm). The onset of such problems is usually in young adulthood. However, onset can be at any age and the disease is extremely variable in the degree of severity.
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Diabetic Retinopathy
Severe changes in the back of the eye, or the retina, caused by diabetes. These may include ongoing microaneurysms, retinal hemorrhages or swelling in the central part of the eye (macula). The proliferative type involves the growth of abnormal blood vessels in the retina or at the optic disc with blood leaking into the jelly part of the eye (vitreous), or a detachment of the retina.
Diplopia
Diplopia is a visual disorder that results in double vision, such that when the viewer looks at an object it seems as if there are two objects. It can arise when the eye muscles are not functioning as intended, and the eyes are not correctly aligned while focusing on an object. This binocular diplopia disappears when one eye is closed.
Dyscalculia
Is a term used to refer to learning disabilities that involve arithmetic comprehension or computation. This difficulty in mastering concepts or computations is usually associated with neurological dysfunction or brain damage and is classified as developmental (occurring before birth from genetic or congenital problems) or acquired (occurring after birth usually from a traumatic brain injury).
Dysgraphia
Dysgraphia is the inability to write, regardless of ability to read. People with dysgraphia often can write, but lack co-ordination, and find other fine motor tasks like tying shoes difficult. They also lack basic spelling skills, and often will say the wrong word when trying to formulate thoughts.
Dyslexia
A brain-based type of learning disability that specifically impairs a person's ability to read. These individuals typically read at levels significantly lower than expected despite having normal intelligence. Although the disorder varies from person to person, common characteristics among people with dyslexia have difficulty with phonological processing (the manipulation of sounds) and/or rapid visual-verbal responding.
Dystonia
Dental phobia
Dental phobia is a fear, or phobia, traditionally defined as an irrational and exaggerated fear of dentists and dental procedures.
Di George Syndrom
A genetic disease caused by a missing piece of chromosome material on chromosome 22 that results in many different health problems, and affects the normal fetal development of the heart, thymus, and parathyroid glands.
Doxycycline
A tetracycline derivative; an antibiotic that inhibits many of the microorganisms infecting the reproductive tract. Often used for treating ureaplasma infections. Many physicians find routine treatment with this antibiotic more cost-effective than performing multiple cultures on both the husband and wife looking for infection.
Dementia
The loss, usually progressive, of cognitive and intellectual functions, without impairment of perception or consciousness; caused by a variety of disorders, most commonly structural brain disease. Characterized by disorientation, impaired memory, impaired judgment and lowered intellect.
Degenerative Disc Disease
The disc material that sits between the bones of the spinal column act like shock absorbers. Over time this fibrous gelatinous matter loses the ability to absorb water and is called degenerative. Having a degenerative disc can cause pain usually in the neck or lower back depending on where in the spine the disc is located. If surgical treatment is considered, surgery includes removal of the degenerated disc and placement of metal instrumentation to fuse the bones together to avoid instability. Surgical options also include less invasive percutaneous (through the skin) needle procedures.
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