paralysis agitans
A patient with paralysis agitans sits in a doctor's office, their hand showing a slight tremor.
Noun: A chronic, progressive neurological disorder primarily affecting movement control. It is characterized by its two most prominent symptoms: tremor (involuntary shaking) and impaired muscular coordination (bradykinesia, rigidity, and postural instability). It results from the degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons in a specific area of the brain.
The term is a formal, medical name for the condition more commonly known as Parkinson's disease. It is used in clinical, historical, and academic contexts. - It is typically used as a singular, uncountable noun. - It often appears in diagnostic descriptions, medical literature, and historical texts.
- The patient was diagnosed with paralysis agitans after exhibiting a resting tremor and shuffling gait.
- James Parkinson's 1817 essay, "An Essay on the Shaking Palsy," provided an early clinical description of paralysis agitans.
- Treatment for paralysis agitans has evolved significantly since the disease was first identified.
- The term paralysis agitans literally translates from Latin as "shaking palsy," which descriptively captures the tremor (agitans) and the progressive loss of motor function (paralysis).
- In modern medical practice, "Parkinson's disease" is the preferred term, but paralysis agitans may be used for historical accuracy or in specific taxonomic contexts.
- Parkinson's disease (n): The common contemporary name for the same disorder.
- Parkinsonism (n): A broader clinical syndrome characterized by tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity, and postural instability, which can be caused by Parkinson's disease or other conditions.
- Shaking palsy (n): An older, descriptive synonym for paralysis agitans.
- Parkinson's disease
- Shaking palsy (archaic)
This term refers specifically to the idiopathic (of unknown cause) neurodegenerative disorder. It does not refer to temporary paralysis or agitation from other causes. The core meaning is inextricably linked to the specific constellation of motor symptoms caused by the degeneration of the substantia nigra in the brain.
A patient with paralysis agitans sits in a doctor's office, their hand showing a slight tremor.
- a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system characterized by tremor and impaired muscular coordination