grand mal
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Noun:
- A type of epileptic seizure: "grand mal" is a medical term for a severe form of epileptic seizure characterized by loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions.
- The condition involving such seizures: It can also refer to the form of epilepsy itself that is marked by these major convulsive seizures.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The patient was hospitalized after experiencing a grand mal.
- Grand mal epilepsy requires careful management with medication.
Advanced Usage
- Medical Terminology: The term "grand mal" (from French, meaning "great illness") is a traditional classification. In modern clinical practice, it is often categorized under terms like "tonic-clonic seizure."
- The doctor explained that the episode was a generalized tonic-clonic seizure, formerly known as a grand mal.
Variants and Related Words
- Petit mal (n): A less severe type of epileptic seizure involving brief lapses in consciousness, contrasted with "grand mal."
- Unlike grand mal seizures, petit mal seizures do not involve convulsions.
- Tonic-clonic seizure (n): The contemporary medical term often used synonymously with "grand mal seizure."
- The new diagnosis uses the term "tonic-clonic" instead of "grand mal."
Synonyms
- Tonic-clonic seizure: The modern equivalent term.
- Major epileptic seizure: A descriptive synonym emphasizing its severity.
Notes on Usage
- The term "grand mal" is still widely recognized but is considered somewhat dated in formal medical contexts. It is often used in general conversation or historical descriptions of the condition.
- It is typically used as a countable noun (e.g., "She had a grand mal").
Noun
- a seizure during which the patient becomes unconscious and has convulsions over the entire body
- epilepsy in which the attacks involve loss of consciousness and tonic spasms of the musculature followed by generalized jerking