| Medical Dictionary |
A Medical Dictionary of Medical Terminology
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Paralysis is the loss of muscle function in part of your body. It happens when something goes wrong with the way messages pass between your brain and muscles. Paralysis can be complete or partial. It can occur on one or both sides of your body. It can also occur in just one area, or it can be widespread. Paralysis of the lower half of your body, including both legs, is called paraplegia. Paralysis of the arms and legs is quadriplegia.
Most paralysis is due to strokes or injuries such as spinal cord injury or a broken neck. Other causes of paralysis include:
Polio used to be a cause of paralysis, but polio no longer occurs in the U.S.
Polio, or poliomyelitis, is a disease that spreads from person to person. It is caused by the poliovirus. The virus attacks the nervous system. In serious cases, it can cause paralysis (where you can't move parts of the body). The paralysis may be lifelong and can sometimes be life-threatening.
Because of vaccines, polio is rare in the United States. But polio does occur in some parts of the world, and travelers can spread the virus.
How does polio spread?The poliovirus is very contagious. It spreads through contact with:
This contact can happen if:
People who have the infection can spread it to others just before and up to several weeks after the symptoms appear. People who don't have symptoms can still spread the virus to others and make them sick.
Who is more likely to develop polio?Polio mainly affects children under age 5. But people of any age (including adults) who are unvaccinated are at risk of developing polio. People who live in or travel to areas where there is polio are more likely to get polio.
What are the symptoms of polio?Most people who get infected with poliovirus do not have any symptoms. But one out of four people who get polio will have flu-like symptoms. These symptoms usually last 2 to 5 days, and they include:
In rare cases, polio can be very serious. It can lead to:
Post-polio syndrome (PPS) is a condition that affects polio survivors many years after they recovered from polio. It usually happens 15-40 years later. It is not contagious.
People who get PPS start having new weakening in muscles that were previously affected by the polio infection. Symptoms may range from mild to serious. The symptoms of PPS include:
PPS is rarely life-threatening, but the symptoms can interfere with your daily life.
How is polio diagnosed?If you think you or someone in your family has symptoms of polio, call your healthcare provider right away or go to an emergency room.
To find out if you or your child has polio, the provider:
There is no cure or specific treatment for polio. For a mild case, getting rest and drinking plenty of liquids may help with some of the symptoms.
If the polio is more serious, you or your child may need:
There is no cure for PPS. Treatments may help you manage your symptoms. They include:
There are two types of vaccine that can prevent polio:
Children in the United States get four doses of PV as part of their routine childhood immunizations. Most adults in the United States were vaccinated against polio as children.
There is a one-time IPV booster. It may be given to adults who have completed their polio vaccinations but are at higher risk of contact with poliovirus. You may be at higher risk if you are:
Another way to help prevent the spread of polio is to wash your hands often with soap and water. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers will not kill poliovirus.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a type of movement disorder. It happens when nerve cells in the brain don't produce enough of a brain chemical called dopamine. Sometimes it is genetic, but most cases do not seem to run in families. Exposure to chemicals in the environment might play a role.
Symptoms begin gradually, often on one side of the body. Later they affect both sides. They include:
As symptoms get worse, people with the disease may have trouble walking, talking, or doing simple tasks. They may also have problems such as depression, sleep problems, or trouble chewing, swallowing, or speaking.
There is no specific test for PD, so it can be difficult to diagnose. Doctors use a medical history and a neurological examination to diagnose it.
PD usually begins around age 60, but it can start earlier. It is more common in men than in women. There is no cure for PD. A variety of medicines sometimes help symptoms dramatically. Surgery and deep brain stimulation (DBS) can help severe cases. With DBS, electrodes are surgically implanted in the brain. They send electrical pulses to stimulate the parts of the brain that control movement.
NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Your muscles help you move and help your body work. Different types of muscles have different jobs. There are many problems that can affect muscles. Muscle disorders can cause weakness, pain or even paralysis.
Causes of muscle disorders include:
Sometimes the cause of muscle disorders is unknown.
Bell's palsy is the most common cause of facial paralysis. It usually affects just one side of the face. Symptoms appear suddenly and are at their worst about 48 hours after they start. They can range from mild to severe and include:
Scientists think that a viral infection makes the facial nerve swell or become inflamed. You are most likely to get Bell's palsy if you are pregnant, diabetic or sick with a cold or flu.
Three out of four patients improve without treatment. With or without treatment, most people begin to get better within 2 weeks and recover completely within 3 to 6 months.
NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Voice is the sound made by air passing from your lungs through your larynx, or voice box. In your larynx are your vocal cords, two bands of muscle that vibrate to make sound. For most of us, our voices play a big part in who we are, what we do, and how we communicate. Like fingerprints, each person's voice is unique.
Many things we do can injure our vocal cords. Talking too much, screaming, constantly clearing your throat, or smoking can make you hoarse. They can also lead to problems such as nodules, polyps, and sores on the vocal cords. Other causes of voice disorders include infections, upward movement of stomach acids into the throat, growths due to a virus, cancer, and diseases that paralyze the vocal cords.
Signs that your voice isn't healthy include:
Treatment for voice disorders varies depending on the cause. Most voice problems can be successfully treated when diagnosed early.
NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
An acoustic neuroma is a benign tumor that develops on the nerve that connects the ear to the brain. The tumor usually grows slowly. As it grows, it presses against the hearing and balance nerves. At first, you may have no symptoms or mild symptoms. They can include:
The tumor can also eventually cause numbness or paralysis of the face. If it grows large enough, it can press against the brain, becoming life-threatening.
Acoustic neuroma can be difficult to diagnose, because the symptoms are similar to those of middle ear problems. Ear exams, hearing tests, and scans can show if you have it.
If the tumor stays small, you may only need to have it checked regularly. If you do need treatment, surgery and radiation are options.
If the tumors affect both hearing nerves, it is often because of a genetic disorder called neurofibromatosis.
NIH: National Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders
Your brain is the control center of your body. It controls your thoughts, memory, speech, and movement. It regulates the function of many organs. It's part of your nervous system, which also includes your spinal cord and peripheral nerves. The nervous system sends signals between your brain and the rest of the body. Your nerves take in information from your senses and send it to the brain to be processed. Your brain and nerves also communicate to help you move and to control your body's functions.
When the brain is healthy, it works quickly and automatically. But when you have a brain disease, it may affect how well you can function and do your daily activities. Some common brain diseases include:
The symptoms of brain diseases vary widely, depending on the specific problem. In some cases, damage is permanent. In other cases, treatments such as surgery, medicines, or therapies such as physical, occupational, and speech therapies, may cure the disease or improve the symptoms.
Degenerative nerve diseases affect many of your body's activities, such as balance, movement, talking, breathing, and heart function. Many of these diseases are genetic. Sometimes the cause is a medical condition such as alcoholism, a tumor, or a stroke. Other causes may include toxins, chemicals, and viruses. Sometimes the cause is unknown.
Degenerative nerve diseases include:
Degenerative nerve diseases can be serious or life-threatening. It depends on the type. Most of them have no cure. Treatments may help improve symptoms, relieve pain, and increase mobility.
Face injuries and disorders can cause pain and affect how you look. In severe cases, they can affect sight, speech, breathing and your ability to swallow. Fractures (broken bones), especially in the bones of your nose, cheekbone and jaw, are common facial injuries.
Certain diseases also lead to facial disorders. For example, nerve diseases like trigeminal neuralgia or Bell's palsy sometimes cause facial pain, spasms and trouble with eye or facial movement. Birth defects can also affect the face. They can cause underdeveloped or unusually prominent facial features or a lack of facial expression. Cleft lip and palate are a common facial birth defect.