disease

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disease,

impairment of the normal state or functioning of the body as a whole or of any of its parts. Some diseases are acute, producing severe symptoms that terminate after a short time, e.g., pneumonia; others are chronic disorders, e.g., arthritis, that last a long time; and still others return periodically and are termed recurrent, e.g., malaria. One of the most common bases for classifying disease is according to cause. External factors that produce disease are infectious agents, including both microscopic organisms (bacteriabacteria
[pl. of bacterium], microscopic unicellular prokaryotic organisms characterized by the lack of a membrane-bound nucleus and membrane-bound organelles. Once considered a part of the plant kingdom, bacteria were eventually placed in a separate kingdom, Monera.
..... Click the link for more information. , virusesvirus,
parasite with a noncellular structure composed mainly of nucleic acid within a protein coat. Most viruses are too small (100–2,000 Angstrom units) to be seen with the light microscope and thus must be studied by electron microscopes.
..... Click the link for more information. , and protozoansprotozoan
, informal term for the unicellular heterotrophs of the kingdom Protista. Protozoans comprise a large, diverse assortment of microscopic or near-microscopic organisms that live as single cells or in simple colonies and that show no differentiation into tissues.
..... Click the link for more information. ) and macroscopic ones (fungiFungi
, kingdom of heterotrophic single-celled, multinucleated, or multicellular organisms, including yeasts, molds, and mushrooms. The organisms live as parasites, symbionts, or saprobes (see saprophyte).
..... Click the link for more information. and various parasitic wormsworm,
common name for various unrelated invertebrate animals with soft, often long and slender bodies. Members of the phylum Platyhelminthes, or the flatworms, are the most primitive; they are generally small and flat-bodied and include the free-living planarians (of the class
..... Click the link for more information. ). Only infectious diseases can be transmitted—by humans, certain animals and insects, and infected objects and substances (see communicable diseasescommunicable diseases,
illnesses caused by microorganisms and transmitted from an infected person or animal to another person or animal. Some diseases are passed on by direct or indirect contact with infected persons or with their excretions.
..... Click the link for more information. ). Other external agents that can cause disease are chemical and physical agents (drugs, poisons, radiation), which can be encountered in specific work situations, deficiency of nutrients in the environment, and physical injury. Diseases that arise from internal (endogenous) causes include hereditary abnormalities (disorders inherited from one or both parents), congenital diseases (disturbances in the development of a normal embryo), allergies (hypersensitive reactions to substances in the environment), endocrine disorders (generally either overfunctioning or underfunctioning of an endocrine gland), circulatory disorders (diseases of the heart and blood vessels), and neoplasms, or tumors (masses of abnormally proliferating cells). Degenerative diseases occur as a result of the natural aging of the body tissues. Finally, a wide range of diseases are attributed to, or at least influenced by, emotional disturbances. Psychoses and neuroses result in disturbed behavior; the so-called psychosomatic diseases (certain kinds of colitis, many forms of headaches) are thought to be brought about by emotional stress. Most diseases occur as a result of a combination of both internal and external conditions, i.e., an interaction between the body and the environment. Thus a person may be hereditarily predisposed to tuberculosis, although the tubercule bacillus (the infectious agent) must be present for the disease to occur. In ancient times disease was ascribed to supernatural, spiritual, and humoral factors. The discovery by Louis Pasteur and others of the role played by microorganisms in infection and the study of cellular pathology by Rudolf Virchow in the 19th cent. were of the utmost importance in establishing the true nature of disease.

Disease

a process arising as a result of an (extremely) injurious external or internal stimulus acting on the body, and characterized by lowered resistance to the environment with simultaneous mobilization of the body’s defenses.

Disease is manifested by disruption of the equilibrium between the body and its surrounding environment. This disruption is revealed by the occurrence of side (inadequate) reactions and, in man, by a decrease in work capacity for the duration of the disease.

The general concepts of disease changed in the course of the history of medicine. Hippocrates thought disease was caused by an incorrect mixing of the four main fluids of the body: blood, mucus, yellow bile, and black bile (venous blood). About the same time the idea arose from the atomistic teaching of Democrites that disease results from a change in the shape of atoms and their incorrect arrangement. At the beginning of the Christian Era and especially in the Middle Ages, idealistic views were advanced to account for disease. According to these views, the soul or a special kind of vital force (arche) was responsible for the struggle of the body against the changes caused by disease. Avicenna (ibn Sina) proposed materialistic views of disease in the Middle Ages (for example, the origin of disease under the influence of invisible beings and the role of the constitution of the body).

From the 17th through the 19th century, important contributions to the theory of disease were made by G. B. Mor-gagni (the idea that disease is caused by anatomical changes), M. F. X. Bichat (description of the pathologicoanatomical picture of several diseases), R. Virchow (theory of cellular pathology), C. Bernard (disease as a disruption of the body’s physiological equilibrium with the environment), and others. S. P. Botkin, V. V. Pashutin, I. P. Pavlov, and A. A. Ostroumov related disease to impairment of the conditions of man’s existence and elaborated on the theory of nervism.

Despite the abundance of works on disease, the concept has still not been precisely determined. Some investigators deny that disease is qualitatively different from health. A. A. Bogomolets, for example, believed that disease does not create anything essentially new in the body. Others include only biological phenomena in the concept of disease. According to P. D. Gorizontov, disease is a complex general reaction to disruption of the relations between the organism and the environment. Disease results in the development of pathological processes reflecting local manifestations of the organism’s systemic reaction. I. V. Davydovskii maintains that there are no fundamental differences between physiology and pathology. Pathological processes and disease, in his opinion, are merely characteristics of the adaptive processes associated with subjective suffering. According to H. Selye’s concept of the general adaptation syndrome, disease is stress resulting from an extreme stimulus acting on the body.

The causes of disease are varied, but they can all be reduced to groups of mechanical, physical, chemical, biological, and, for man, also psychogenic factors. Inadequacy (extremeness or unusualness) in any of these factors induces disease. Inadequacy may be quantitative (the amount of the stimulus is excessive for the body), qualitative (the body is exposed to a factor for which it has not developed protective or adaptive mechanisms), temporary (a quantitatively and qualitatively adequate stimulus acting for a long time or at intervals or in rhythms unusual for the body), or dependent on the individual properties of the particular organism (that is, determined by the individual reactivity of the particular organism in the form of increased sensitivity). The social inequality and national oppression found under capitalism cause a number of diseases and even lead to the extinction of entire peoples—for example, native Australians, bush-men, and American Indians.

Modern thought characterizes disease by the following main features:

(1) The development of disease is greatly influenced by the external environment and, in the case of man, primarily by the social environment. Changes in the internal properties of an organism, caused by environmental factors and firmly fixed (including those fixed by hereditary mechanisms), may themselves eventually play a leading role in the development of disease.

(2) Besides the etiological factor (that is, the cause) and external conditions, the body’s protective and adaptive mechanisms play an important part in the development of disease, which is largely dependent on the efficiency of these mechanisms and the extent and rate at which they become involved in the pathological process. In man, the development and course of disease is greatly affected by the psychogenic factor.

(3) Disease is an ailment of the whole organism. There are no completely isolated diseases of organs and tissues—that is, local diseases. Any disease more or less affects the entire body, but this does not preclude the principal affection of a particular organ or part of the body.

The following periods of a disease are distinguished: the latency period (the incubation period in the case of an infection), the time—which may last from a few seconds (in poisonings caused by a powerful poison) to dozens of years (in leprosy)—between the initial action of the pathogenic agent and the appearance of the first symptoms; the prodromal period, marking the appearance of the first symptoms, which may be vague and nonspecific (elevated temperature, grogginess, and general malaise) or sometimes typical of a particular disease (Filatov-Koplik spots in measles); the period of full development, ranging from several days to dozens of years (tuberculosis, syphilis, and leprosy); and the period of culmination (recovery, convalescence), which may occur rapidly, as in a crisis, or by lysis.

Diseases may be acute or chronic, depending on the duration of their course and the rapidity of intensification and disappearance of the symptoms. The appearance of additional changes that are unrelated to the direct cause of a disease, alongside its principal manifestations, is called a complication. It may arise at the height of a disease or after the principal manifestations have disappeared. Complications are an aggravating factor, and they sometimes lead to an unfavorable outcome. A disease may end in complete recovery, recovery with residual phenomena, stable changes in organs, the occasional development of new manifestations of the disease in the form of long-range sequelae, and death. Death as the culmination of a disease may occur suddenly, after a brief death struggle, or gradually, after a more or less prolonged agonal state.

Human diseases are classified according to the nature of the course (acute or chronic), the level at which specific pathological changes occur (molecules, chromosomes, cells, tissues, organs, or entire organisms), the etiological factor (mechanical, physical, chemical, biological, or psychogenic), the method of treatment (medication, surgery, and others), age- or sex-related differences (gynecologic, pediatric), and so on. The nosological principle—that is, the classification of diseases based on a grouping by related symptoms—is the most widely used. It is necessary to note that none of the existing classifications is completely satisfactory. According to the nosological principle, pneumonia, for example, may be classified as a respiratory disease, an infection, and an allergy. Therefore, it is a major task of theoretical and practical medicine to establish a modern classification of diseases.

REFERENCES

Gorizontov, P. D. Voprosy patologicheskoi fiziologii ν trudakh I. P. Pavlova. Moscow, 1952.
Davydovskii, I. V. Problemy prichinnosli ν meditsine. Moscow, 1962.
Petrov, I. R., and V. B, Lemus. “Obshchee uchenie o bolezni.” In Mnogotomnoe rukovodstvo po patologicheskoi fiziologii, vol. 1. Moscow, 1966.

V. A. FROLOV

disease

[di′zēz] (medicine) An alteration of the dynamic interaction between an individual and his or her environment which is sufficient to be deleterious to the well-being of the individual and produces signs and symptoms.

Disease

AIDSmysterious new disease, incurable and usually fatal. [U.S. Hist.: WB, A:153]Black Deathkilled at least one third of Europe’s population (1348–1349). [Eur. Hist.: Bishop, 379–382]bubonic plagueravages Oran, Algeria, where Dr. Rieux perseveres in his humanitarian endeavors. [Fr. Lit.: The Plague]Cancer Ward, Thenovel set in cancer ward of a Russian hospital. [Russ. Lit.: The Cancer Ward in Weiss, 64]Decameron, Thetales told by young people taking refuge from the black death ravaging Florence. [Ital. Lit.: Magill II, 231]Fiacre, St.intercession sought by sick. [Christian Hagiog.: Attwater, 130]influenza epidemiccaused 500,000 deaths in U.S. alone (1918–1919). [Am. Hist.: Van Doren, 403]Joramsuffered for abandoning God’s way. [O.T.: II Chronicles 21:15, 19]Journal of the Plague YearDefoe’s famous account of bubonic plague in England in 1665. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 529]Lazarusleper brought back to life by Christ. [N.T.: John 11:1–44]Legionnaires’ disease28 American Legion conventioneers die of flu-like disease in Philadelphia (1976). [Am. Hist.: Facts (1976), 573, 656]MolokaiHawaiian island; site of government leper colony. [Am. Hist.: NCE, 1807]Naamanleprous Syrian commander healed by Elisha. [O.T.: II Kings 5]red death, thepestilence, embodied in a masque, fatally penetrates Prince Prospero’s abbey. [Am. Lit.: Poe The Masque of the Red Death]Rock, St.legendary healer of plague victims. [Christian Hagiog.: Attwater, 299]Sennacherib, army ofbesieging Jerusalem, Assyrian force must withdraw after an outbreak of plague. [O. T.: II Kings 19:35; Br. Lit.: Byron The Destruction of Sennacherib in Benét, 266]seven plagues, thevisited upon the earth to signify God’s wrath. [N.T.: Revelation]St. Anthony’s Firehorrific 11th-century plague. [Eur. Hist.: Brewer Note-Book, 34]SyphilisFracastoro’s epic concerning Syphilis, mythical first victim. [Ital. Lit.: RHD, 1443; Plumb, 342]ten plagues, theinflicted upon Egypt when Pharaoh refuses to let the Israelites emigrate. [O.T.: Exodus 7-12]Typhoid Mary(Mary Mallon, 1870–1938) unwitting carrier of typhus; suffered 23-year quarantine. [Am. Hist.: Van Doren, 354]

disease

any impairment of normal physiological function affecting all or part of an organism, esp a specific pathological change caused by infection, stress, etc., producing characteristic symptoms; illness or sickness in general

Disease

(dreams)The word disease literally means out of ease. Before you begin to interpret this dream on a psychological or metaphysical level, first check your health. The dream could refer to physical or emotional health.

disease

Note: This page may contain terms or definitions that are offensive or inappropriate for some readers.

disease

[dĭ-zēz´] a definite pathological process having a characteristic set of signs and symptoms. It may affect the whole body or any of its parts, and its etiology, pathology, and prognosis may be known or unknown. For specific diseases, see under the specific name, as addison's disease. See also illness, mal, sickness, and syndrome.

dis·ease

(di-zēz'), 1. An interruption, cessation, or disorder of a body, system, or organ structure or function.
See also: syndrome. Synonym(s): illness, morbus, sickness2. A morbid entity ordinarily characterized by two or more of the following criteria: recognized etiologic agent(s), identifiable group of signs and symptoms, or consistent anatomic alterations.
See also: syndrome. [Eng. dis- priv. + ease]

dis·ease

nosophobia, pathophobia.

disease

(dĭ-zēz′)n. An abnormal condition of a part, organ, or system of an organism resulting from various causes, such as infection, inflammation, environmental factors, or genetic defect, and characterized by an identifiable group of signs, symptoms, or both.

disease

Alternative medicine
A state of disharmonious vibration of the elements and forces affecting humans on one or more planes of existence.
Cause of disease (alternative medicine)
• Accumulation of toxic material (e.g., through poor diet).
• Incorrect or unbalanced diet.
• Improper posture.
• Destructive emotions.
• The use of suppressive drugs and vaccines.
• Use of alcohol, coffee and tobacco.
• Environmental hazards in the form of air and water pollution.
• Occupational hazards (e.g., chemicals, poor air quality, noise pollution, asbestos and others).
• Inherited factors and predispositions.
• Infections.

Drug slang
A regional term for drug of choice.

Medspeak
(1) A condition in which bodily function is interfered with or damaged, resulting in characteristic signs and symptoms.
(2) The loss of a state of wellness due to either a failure in physiologic adaptation mechanisms or an overwhelming of the natural defences by a noxious agent or pathogen.

disease

Medtalk 1. A condition in which bodily functioning is interfered with or damaged, resulting in characteristic signs and symptoms.2. The loss of a state of wellness due to a either a failure in physiologic adaptation mechanisms or an overwhelming of the natural defenses by a noxious agent or pathogen. See Acute disease, Adjuvant disease, Addison's disease, 'Aguecheek's disease, ' AIDS-defining disease, Air travel disease, Akureyri disease, Alcoholic liver disease, Aleutian mink disease, Alpha heavy chain disease, Alzheimer's disease, Anchor disease, Anterior horn disease, Asbestos airways disease, Atherosclerotic heart disease, Atypical GERD, Autoimmune disease, Bachelor's disease, Batten's disease, Behçet's disease, Best's disease, Bird handler's disease, Black cardiac disease, Black liver disease, Black lung disease, Blount's disease, Blue disease, Borna disease, Bornholm disease, Bowen's disease, Bread & butter disease, Brill-Zinsser disease, Brisket disease, Brown-Symmers disease, Bubble & hole disease, Bubble boy disease, Bulky disease, Bullous disease, Caffey disease, CAG disease, Caisson disease, Calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease, Canavan's disease, Caroli's disease, Castleman's disease, Cat scratch disease, Catabolic disease, Cave disease, Celiac disease, Central core disease, Cerebrovascular disease, Chaga's disease, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, Cheese-washer's disease, Christian-Weber disease, Christmas disease, Chronic disease, Chronic Lyme disease, Circling disease, Clinical disease, Coats' disease, Cold agglutinin disease, Collagen vascular disease, Communicable disease, Complex disease, Complicated disease, Congenital heart disease, Connective tissue disease, Constitutional disease, Controlled disease, Coronary artery disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Crohn's disease, Crouzon's disease, Crumpled bone disease, Cushing's disease, Cytomegalic inclusion disease, Deficiency disease, Degenerative joint disease, Delta heavy chain disease, Dense deposit disease, Dent's disease, Dialysis-associated cystic disease, Disappearing bone disease, Disialotransferrin developmental disease, Dread disease, Dual diagnosis disease, Eales' disease, Ebola disease, End-stage renal disease, Endemic disease, Environmental disease, Environmental lung disease, Ethnic disease, Evaluable disease, Exanthematous viral disease, Extrapyramidal disease, Fabry's disease, Fahr disease, Fibrocystic disease, Fifth disease, Finger & toe disease, Fish-eye disease, Foot & mouth disease, 'Foot-in-mouth disease. ', Forestier's disease, Fourth disease, Fox den disease, Freiberg disease, Fulminant disease, Fyrn's disease, G protein disease, Gamma heavy chain disease, Gastroesophageal reflux disease, Gaucher type 1 disease, Genetic disease, Gestational trophoblastic disease, Glycogen storage disease, Goldstein's disease, Goodpasture's disease, Graft-versus-host disease, Graves' disease, Green urine disease, Gum disease, Haff disease, Hailey-Hailey disease, Hand-Schüller-Christian disease, Hard metal lung disease, Hartnup disease, Heart disease, Heat stress disease, Heavy chain disease, Hemolytic disease of newborn disease, Hemorrhagic disease of the newborn, Hirschsprung's disease, His disease, Hodgkin's disease, Hoffa's disease, Human adjuvant disease, Huntington's disease, Hyaline membrane disease, Hydatid cyst disease, Hydroxyapatite deposition disease, Hyperendemic disease, Hypertensive cardiovascular disease, I cell disease, Iceland disease, Idiopathic midline destructive disease, Immune complex disease, Inflammatory bowel disease, Interesting disease, Interstitial kidney disease, Interstitial lung disease, Ischemic disease, Isobaric counterdiffusion gas lesion disease, Japanese cerebrovascular disease, Jodbasedow disease, Katayama disease, Kawasaki's disease, Keshan disease, Kikuchi's disease, Kimmelstiel-Wilson disease, Kimura's disease, Kinky hair disease, Kissing disease, Kohler's disease, Kuf's disease, Kyasanur forest disease, Lafore's disease, Legg-Perthes disease, Legionnaire's disease, Leigh's disease, Letterer-Siwe disease, Lifestyle disease, Light chain disease, Light chain deposition disease, Limb-girdle disease, Lipid storage disease, Little's disease, Liver disease, Localized disease, Low motion disease, Lyme disease, Lysosomal storage disease, Machado-Joseph disease, Maple syrup urine disease, Marble bone disease, Marburg disease, Margarine disease, Maroteaux-Lamy disease, McArdle's disease, McCune-Albright disease, Measurable disease, Medullary cystic disease, Ménière's disease, Meningococcal invasive disease, Metabolic bone disease, Metastatic disease, Microvillus inclusion disease, Minamata disease, Minimum change disease, Mitochondrial disease, Mixed connective tissue disease, Molecular disease, Most litigated disease, Motor neuron disease, Moya-moya disease, Mseleni disease, Mu chain disease, Multiple concurrent disease, Multivessel disease, Nantucket disease, Neutral lipid storage disease, Newcastle disease, Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, Norrie's disease, Notifiable disease, Oasthouse urine disease, Obesity-related disease, Obstructive airways disease, Oguchi's disease, 'Oid-oid disease', Orphan disease, Osgood-Schlatter disease, Paget's disease of bone, Paget's disease of breast, Paget's extramammary disease, Parkinson's disease, Pathologists' disease, Pelvic inflammatory disease, Pendular disease, Periodontal disease, Peripheral vascular disease, Peroxisomal disease, Pet-associated disease, Peyronie's disease, Phagocytic disease, Pick's disease, Pigeon breeders' disease, Pink disease, Plummer's disease, Polycystic kidney disease, Polycystic liver disease, Polycystic ovarian disease, Polygenic disease, Post-transfusion graft-versus-host disease, Preimplantation genetic disease, Proliferative breast disease, Pseudo-Hirschprung's disease, Pseudo-Whipple's disease, Pseudo-von Willebrand disease, Psychosomatic disease, Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease, Quincke's disease, Ragged red fiber disease, Reactive hemophagocytic disease, Receptor disease, Redmouth disease, Red pulp disease, Red urine disease, Re-emerging disease, Refsum's disease, Regional disease, Reportable occupational disease, Residual disease, Restrictive lung disease, Rheumatic heart disease, Rickettsial disease, Rippling muscle disease, Ritter's disease, Round heart disease, Runt disease, Saint disease, Salla disease, SC disease, Schindler's disease, Seever's disease, Self-limited disease, Seventh-day disease, Sex-linked disease, Sickle cell disease, Silicone-reactive disease, Silo-filler's disease, Single-gene disease, Sixth disease, Slavic-type Wilson's disease, Slim disease, Small airways disease, Small duct disease, Small vessel disease, SS disease, Stable disease, Stargardt's disease, Still's disease, Storage disease, Storage pool disease, Tea-drinker's disease, Thatched roof disease, Transfusion-associated graft-versus host disease, Trinucleotide repeat disease, Tsutsugamushi Scrub typhus disease, Undifferentiated connective tissue disease, Uremic heart disease, Vagrant's disease, Valvular heart disease, Vector-borne disease, Veno-occlusive disease, Virgin's disease, Von Hippel-Lindau disease, Von Recklinghausen's disease, Warm agglutinin disease, Water-borne disease, Whipple's disease, White's disease, White muscle disease, White pulp disease, Wilson's disease, Winter vomiting disease, Wolman's disease, Woolly hair disease, Woringer-Kolopp disease, X disease, X-linked lymphoproliferative disease, Yellow disease, Yellow fat disease, Yellow ovary disease, Yu-Cheng oil disease, Zollinger-Ellison disease.

dis·ease

(di-zēz) 1. An interruption, cessation, or disorder of body functions, systems, or organs.
Synonym(s): illness, morbus, sickness. 2. A morbid entity characterized usually by at least two of these criteria: recognized etiologic agent(s), identifiable group of signs and symptoms, or consistent anatomic alterations.
See also: syndrome[Eng. dis- priv. + ease]

disease

1. Any abnormal condition of the body or part of it, arising from any cause. 2. A specific disorder that features a recognizable complex of physical signs, symptoms and effects. All diseases can be attributed to causes, known or unknown, that include heredity, environment, infection, new growth (neoplasia) or diet.

disease

an abnormality of an animal or plant caused by a pathogenic organism or the deficiency of a vital nutrient that affects performance of the vital functions and usually gives diagnostic symptoms.

disease

An abnormal process affecting the structure or function of a part, organ or system of the body. It is typically manifested by signs and symptoms, but the aetiology may or may not be known. Disease is a response to a specific infective agent (a microorganism or a poison), to environmental factors (e.g. malnutrition, injury, industrial hazards), to congenital or hereditary defects, or to a combination of all these factors. Note: illness is sometimes used as a synonym of disease, but it also refers to a person's perception of their health, regardless of whether the person does or does not have a disease.
autoimmune disease A disease produced when the immune response of an individual is directed against its own cells or tissues. It is not yet known exactly what causes the body to react to one's own antigens as if they were foreign. Examples: diabetes mellitus type 1; Graves' disease; multiple sclerosis; myasthenia gravis; rheumatoid arthritis; Reiter's disease; Sjögren's syndrome.
Batten-Mayou disease Juvenile form of amaurotic family idiocy. It is characterized by progressive degeneration of the retina, which eventually leads to blindness. Syn. Spielmeyer-Stock disease.
Behçet's disease See Behçet's syndrome.
Benson's disease See asteroid hyalosis.
Berlin's disease A traumatic phenomenon in which the posterior pole of the retina develops oedema (and haemorrhages). Syn. commotio retinae.
Best's disease An autosomal dominant inherited degeneration in which there is an accumulation of lipofuscin within the retinal pigment epithelium, which interferes with its function. It is caused by a mutation in bestrophin gene (BEST1). The disease is characterized by the appearance on the retina in the first and second decades of life of a bright orange deposit, resembling the yolk of an egg (vitelliform), with practically no effect on vision. It eventually absorbs, leaving scarring, pigmentary changes and impairment of central vision in most cases, although in some cases the retinal lesion may be eccentric, with very little effect on vision. The electrooculogram is abnormal throughout the development of the disease from pre-vitelliform, vitelliform and the end-stage when there is scarring or atrophy. Syn. Best's macular dystrophy; juvenile vitelliform macular dystrophy; vitelliform macular dystrophy. Mutation in the VMD2 gene can cause adult vitelliform macular dystrophy, a condition characterized by smaller macular lesions and very little impairment of vision. See pattern dystrophy.
Bowen's disease A disease characterized by a slow-growing tumour of the epidermis of the skin which may involve the corneal or conjunctival epithelium.
Coats' disease Chronic, progressive retinal vascular anomalies, usually unilateral, occurring predominantly in young males. It is characterized by retinal exudates, irregular dilatation (telangiectasia) and tortuosity of retinal vessels and appears as a whitish fundus reflex (leukocoria). Subretinal haemorrhages are frequent and eventually retinal detachment may occur. The main symptom is a decrease in central or peripheral vision, although it may be asymptomatic in some patients. Management may involve photocoagulation or cryotherapy. A less severe form of the disease is called Leber's miliary aneurysms. Syn. retinal telangiectasia.
Crohn's disease A type of inflammatory, chronic bowel disease characterized by granulomatous inflammation of the bowel wall causing fever, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and weight loss. The ocular manifestations include acute iridocyclitis, scleritis, conjunctivitis and corneal infiltrates.
Devic's disease A demyelinative disease of the optic nerve, the optic chiasma and the spinal cord characterized by a bilateral acute optic neuritis with a transverse inflammation of the spinal cord. Loss of visual acuity occurs very rapidly and is accompanied by ascending paralysis. There is no treatment for this disease. Syn. neuromyelitis optica.
Eales' disease A non-specific peripheral retinal periphlebitis (i.e. an inflammation of the outer coat of a vein) that usually affects mostly young males, often those who have active or healed tuberculosis. It is characterized by recurrent haemorrhages in the retina and vitreous. This disease is a prime example of retinal vasculitis.
Fabry's disease An X-linked recessive disease caused by mutations in the gene encoding alpha-galactosidase A (GLA) and characterized by an abnormal accumulation of glycolipid in the tissues. It appears as small purple skin lesions on the trunk and there may be renal and cardiovascular abnormalities. Ocular signs include whorl-like corneal opacities, star-shaped lens opacities, and tortuous conjunctival and retinal blood vessels.
Graves' disease An autoimmune disorder in which immunoglobulin antibodies bind to thyroid-stimulating hormone receptors in the thyroid gland and stimulate secretion of thyroid hormones leading to hyperthyroidism. The main ocular manifestations (called Graves' ophthalmopathy) are exophthalmos, retraction of the eyelids (Dalrymple's sign), conjunctival hyperaemia, lid lag in which the upper lid follows after a latent period when the eye looks downward (von Graefe's sign), defective eye movements (restrictive myopathy) and optic neuropathy, besides increased pulse rate, tremors, loss of weight and diarrhoea. It typically affects women between the ages of 20 and 50 years. Most common signs associated with the disease are those of von Graefe and Moebius. Syn. thyrotoxicosis. If only the eye signs of the disease are present without clinical evidence of hyperthyroidism, the disease is called euthyroid or ophthalmic Graves' disease. Treatment begins with control of the hyperthyroidism (if present). Some cases may recover spontaneously with time. Mild cases of ocular deviations and restrictions may benefit from a prismatic correction. Corticosteroids and radiotherapy may be needed and surgery is a common form of management, especially when there is diplopia in the primary position of gaze. See accommodative infacility; exophthalmos; thyroid ophthalmopathy.
Harada's disease A disease characterized by bilateral exudative uveitis associated with alopecia, vitiligo and hearing defects. However, as many aspects of this entity overlap clinically and histopathologically with the Vogt-Koyanagi syndrome it is nowadays combined and called the Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome.
von Hippel's disease A rare disease, sometimes familial, in which haemangiomata occur in the retina where they appear ophthalmoscopically as one or more round, elevated reddish nodules. The condition is progressive and takes years before there is a complete loss of vision. Syn. angiomatosis retinae.
von Hippel-Lindau disease Retinal haemangioblastoma involving one or both eyes associated with similar tumours in the cerebellum and spinal cord and sometimes cysts of the kidney and pancreas. Ophthalmoscopic examination shows a reddish, slightly elevated tumour.
Leber's disease See Leber's hereditary optic atrophy.
Niemann-Pick disease An autosomal recessive inherited lipid storage disorder characterized by a partial destruction of the retinal ganglion cells and a demyelination of many parts of the nervous system. It is caused by mutation in the NPC1 gene. The condition usually involves children of Jewish parentage. When the retina is involved, there is a reddish central area (cherry-red spot) surrounded by a white oedematous area. The disease usually leads to death by the age of two. This disease is differentiated from Tay-Sachs disease because of its widespread involvement and gross enlargement of the liver and the spleen. Syn. sphingomyelin lipidosis. See Tay-Sachs disease.
Norrie's disease An inherited X-linked recessive disorder characterized by bilateral congenital blindness. It is caused by mutation in the norrin gene (NDP). The initial ocular presentation is leukocoria. It then progresses to cataract, corneal opacification and phthisis bulbi. The condition may be associated with mental retardation and hearing defects. Syn. oculoacoustico-cerebral degeneration; Andersen-Warburg syndrome.
Oguchi's disease An autosomal recessive, inherited night blindness occurring mainly in Japan. All other visual capabilities are usually unimpaired but the patient presents an abnormal golden brown fundus reflex in the light-adapted state, which becomes a normal colour with dark-adaptation (Mizuo phenomenon). It is presumed to be due to an abnormality in the neural network of the retina. The disease can be caused by mutation in the arrestin gene (SAG) or the rhodopsin kinase gene (GRK1).ophthalmic Graves' d. See Graves' disease.
Paget's disease Hereditary systemic disorder of the skeletal system accompanied by visual disturbances, the most common being retinal arteriosclerosis. See angioid streaks; arteriosclerosis.
von Recklinghausen's disease An autosomal dominant inherited disease with a gene locus at 17q11. It is caused by mutation in the neurofibromin gene. It is characterized by tumours in the central nervous system and in cranial nerves, enlarged head, 'café au lait' spots on the skin, choroidal naevi, optic nerve glioma, peripheral neurofibromas (e.g. on the eyelid) and Lisch nodules. Glaucoma may occur. Syn. neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1).
Refsum's disease See Refsum's syndrome.
Reiter's disease A systemic syndrome characterized by a triad of three diseases: urethritis, arthritis and conjunctivitis. Keratitis and iridocyclitis may follow as complications. It occurs mainly in young men typically following urethritis and less commonly after an attack of dysentery or acute arthritis, which usually affects the knees, ankles and Achilles tendon. Syn. Reiter's syndrome.
Sandhoff's disease An autosomal recessive inherited disease similar to Tay-Sachs disease with the same signs, but differing in that both the enzymes hexosaminidase A and B are defective and it develops more rapidly and can be found among the general population. The main ocular manifestation is a whitish area in the central retina with a cherry-red spot which eventually fades and the optic disc develops atrophy. Syn. Gm2 gangliosidosis type2.
sickle-cell disease A hereditary anaemia encountered among black and dark-skinned people due to a defect in the haemoglobin. It is characterized by retinal neovascularization, haemorrhages and exudates, cataract and subconjunctival haemorrhage. Syn. sickle-cell anaemia.
Spielmeyer-Stock disease See Batten-Mayou disease.
Stargardt's disease An autosomal recessive inherited disorder of the retina occurring in the first or second decade of life and affecting the central region of the retina. A few cases are inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. Known causes of the disease include a mutation in one of the following genes: ABCA4, CNGB3 and ELOVL4. There is an accumulation of lipofuscin within the retinal pigment epithelium, which interferes with its function. With time a lesion develops at the macula, which has a 'beaten-bronze' reflex. It is often surrounded by yellow-white flecks. There is a loss of central vision but peripheral vision is usually normal. Myopia is very common. Management usually consists of a high plus correction for near to magnify the retinal image and wearing UV-protecting sunglasses. Syn. Stargardt's macular dystrophy. See macular dysrophy; fundus flavi-maculatus.
Steinert's disease See myotonic dystrophy.
Still's disease See juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
Sturge-Weber disease See Sturge-Weber syndrome.
Tay-Sachs disease An autosomal recessive lipid storage disorder caused by a deficiency of the enzyme hexosaminidase A which leads to an accumulation of Gm2 ganglioside (a fatty acid derivative) in the ganglion cells of both the retina and the brain. It has its onset in the first year of life, vision is affected and the central retina shows a whitish area with a reddish central area (cherry-red spot), which fades and the optic disc develops atrophy. Eventually the eye becomes blind and death occurs, usually at about the age of 30 months. It affects Jewish infants more than others by a factor of about ten to one. Syn. Gm2 gangliosidosis type 1; infantile amaurotic familial idiocy. See Niemann-Pick disease.
Terrien's disease See corneal ectasia.
Wagner's disease See Wagner's syndrome.
Wernicke's disease A disease characterized by disturbances in ocular motility, pupillary reactions, nystagmus and ataxia. It is mainly due to thiamin deficiency and is frequently encountered in chronic alcoholics. Syn. Wernicke's syndrome.
Wilson's disease A systemic disease resulting from a deficiency of the alpha-2-globulin ceruloplasmin beginning in the first or second decade of life. It is characterized by widespread deposition of copper in the tissues, tremor, muscular rigidity, irregular involuntary movements, emotional instability and hepatic disorders. The ocular features are degenerative changes in the lenticular nucleus and most noticeably a Kayser-Fleischer ring. Syn. hepatolenticular degeneration; lenticular progressive degeneration; pseudosclerosis of Westphal.

dis·ease

(di-zēz) 1. An interruption, cessation, or disorder of a body, system, or organ structure or function. 2. A morbid entity ordinarily characterized by two or more of the following criteria: recognized etiologic agent(s), identifiable group of signs and symptoms, or consistent anatomic alterations.[Eng. dis- priv. + ease]

Patient discussion about disease

Q. My sister has this disease and she works at a daycare.Can this disease be airbourne? Children come to the daycare sick. Some of her co-workers were out from work because they got sick from some of the children.A. I don't know which disease you are talking about specifically, but certainly viruses and bacterias from sick children can infect people around them, especially close contacts like workers in a day-care center. The best way to avoid infections are usually washing hands multiple time a day and after holding the kids, this also helps to not infect the other kids around.

Q. Mood- disorder? What will happen to the people who refuse treatment? I know someone whose mother got diagnosed with "mood- disorder" and now this person says that she don't have it. But all her brothers and sisters have this, and are on medication. Is there a way to save our family heritage?A. well done, i will start to collect with the agreement of Iri possible causes for disorders (bipolar, mood, whatever you want to call it) to help people to recognize themselves. they all can start in the moment we are in the embryo. parental conflicts, aggressions, sexual behaviours, drugs, alcohol, smoking in abondance can affect us from this moment on.

Q. Whats schizoaffective disease its a mental diseaseA. Schitzoaffective is a mental disease that causes symptoms of schitzophrenia and symptoms of bi-polar. patients see things, hear voices, are moody,etc.Patients go into a high mania and a low mania.

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illness

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Christmas disease

desperate diseases must have desperate remedies

down with (an illness)

the disease to please

shake off

the British disease

foot-in-mouth disease

Desperate diseases must have desperate remedies.

(the) disease to please

*down with a disease

foot-in-mouth disease

shake a disease or illness off

shake someone or something off

shake something off

foot in one's mouth, put one's

shake off

the British disease

shake off

foot-in-mouth disease

white man’s disease

foot-in-mouth disease

disease

disease,

Disease

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Patient discussion about disease

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Synonyms for disease

noun illness

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noun evil

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noun a pathological condition of mind or body

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noun an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning

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