subacute sclerosing panencephalitis
Noun: A rare, chronic, and progressive inflammation of the brain caused by the measles virus. It primarily affects children and young adults, typically leading to death within three years of onset. The condition is characterized by having had a primary measles infection before the age of two.
This is a highly specific medical term. It is used in clinical, neurological, and virological contexts to diagnose and discuss this particular fatal complication of measles. * The diagnosis was subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, a devastating late complication of measles. * Research into subacute sclerosing panencephalitis focuses on understanding the mechanism of viral persistence in the brain.
The term is often abbreviated as SSPE in medical literature and clinical notes after being defined. * Following the confirmed measles infection history, the patient's symptoms were consistent with SSPE.
- SSPE: The standard acronym for the condition.
- Panencephalitis: A broader term meaning inflammation of the entire brain, of which SSPE is one type.
- Measles encephalitis: A more general term for brain inflammation caused by the measles virus, which can refer to acute or chronic (like SSPE) forms.
- Dawson's encephalitis (an older, eponymous name for the condition)
- Subacute sclerosing leukoencephalitis (a very close variant name)
This term refers exclusively to one specific disease entity. It is not a general term for brain inflammation or measles complications. Its definition is precise and includes the causative agent (measles virus), the patient demographic (children/young adults with early measles infection), and the disease course (chronic, progressive, and fatal).
- a rare chronic progressive encephalitis caused by the measles virus and occurring primarily in children and young adults; death usually occurs within three years; characterized by primary measles infection before the age of two years