epilepsia major

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Definition

Noun: 1. A severe form of epilepsy: A neurological disorder characterized by seizures that involve a loss of consciousness and convulsions affecting the entire body. The seizures typically follow a pattern of initial muscle stiffening (tonic phase) followed by rhythmic jerking (clonic phase).

Usage
  • Epilepsia major is a clinical term, primarily used in medical contexts to describe this specific, generalized seizure type.
  • It is synonymous with the more commonly used modern term "tonic-clonic seizure" (formerly "grand mal seizure").
  • Example: "The patient's history indicated episodes of epilepsia major, requiring immediate intervention and long-term medication management."
Advanced Usage
  • The term epilepsia major is derived from Latin and is considered a more formal or historical medical term. In contemporary medical practice, descriptive terms like "generalized tonic-clonic seizure" are preferred for precision.
Variants and Related Words
  • Generalized tonic-clonic seizure: The modern, descriptive term for the same condition.
  • Grand mal seizure: An older, now less favored term for the same condition. The use of French-derived terms ("grand mal," "petit mal") is being phased out in favor of more descriptive language.
  • Epilepsy: The broader neurological disorder characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures, of which epilepsia major is one type.
Synonyms
  • Tonic-clonic seizure
  • Generalized convulsive seizure
Notes on Meaning
  • The definition specifies two key components: loss of consciousness and convulsions over the entire body. This distinguishes it from focal seizures or absence seizures (formerly ), which do not involve both characteristics.
  • The phrase "tonic spasms... followed by generalized jerking" describes the classic two-phase pattern of the seizure: the tonic phase (body stiffens) and the clonic phase (limbs jerk rhythmically).
Noun
  1. a seizure during which the patient becomes unconscious and has convulsions over the entire body
  2. epilepsy in which the attacks involve loss of consciousness and tonic spasms of the musculature followed by generalized jerking

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