Parkinsonism

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Palsy \Pal"sy\, n.; pl. {Palsies}. [OE. palesie, parlesy, OF.
     paralesie, F. paralysie, L. paralysis. See {Paralysis}.]
     (Med.)
     Paralysis, complete or partial. See {Paralysis}. "One sick of
     the palsy." --Mark ii. 3.
     [1913 Webster]


  
     {Bell's palsy}, paralysis of the facial nerve, producing
        distortion of one side of the face; -- so called from Sir
        Charles Bell, an English surgeon who described it.
  
     {Scrivener's palsy}. See {Writer's cramp}, under {Writer}.
  
     {Shaking palsy}, (Med.) paralysis agitans, a disease usually
        occurring in old people, characterized by muscular tremors
        and a peculiar shaking and tottering gait; now called
        {parkinsonism}, or {Parkinson's disease}.
        [1913 Webster +PJC]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  parkinsonism \parkinsonism\ n.
     A degenerative nervous disorder occurring mostly in persons
     older than 60 years, characterized in advanced stages by
     rhythmic muscular tremors, especially in the hands, and by
     rigidity of movement, a drooping posture, slow speech, and a
     masklike facial expression; the term designates a set of
     symptoms, and the underlying disease causing these symptoms
     is most commonly {Parkinson's disease}. Parkinsonism results
     from a deficiency in the neurotransmitter dopamine caused by
     degeneration of the cells producing that agent. It can be
     mitigated by chemotherapy with agents such as levodopa
     (3-hydroxy-L-tyrosine).
  
     Syn: paralysis agitans, Parkinson's disease, Parkinson's
          syndrome, Parkinson's, shaking palsy.
          [WordNet 1.5]
  
                A Mayo Clinic study finds parkinsonism, a group of
                ailments that includes Parkinson's disease, is
                three times more common than previously thought
                and men are more likely to develop it than women.
                The study, published Tuesday in the journal
                Neurology, found the lifetime risk of developing
                parkinsonism is 7.5 percent, three times higher
                than previously thought.            --UPI (Jan. 2,
                                                    1999)
          [PJC] Parkinson's

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Parkinsonism
       n : a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system
           characterized by tremor and impaired muscular
           coordination [syn: {paralysis agitans}, {Parkinson's
           disease}, {Parkinson's syndrome}, {Parkinson's}, {shaking
           palsy}]