subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

[ skli-roh-sing pan-en-sef-uh-lahy-tis, pan- ]
/ sklɪˈroʊ sɪŋ ˈpæn ɛnˌsɛf əˈlaɪ tɪs, ˌpæn- /

noun Pathology.

a rare infection of the central nervous system caused by the measles virus, occurring in children and adolescents several years after a measles attack and characterized by progressive personality changes, seizures, and muscular incoordination. Abbreviation: SSPE

Origin of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

First recorded in 1965–70; scleros(is) + -ing2; pan- + encephalitis

Medical definitions for subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

n.

An often fatal degenerative disease of the central nervous system occurring chiefly in young people, caused by slow infection with a measles virus and characterized by progressive loss of mental and motor functions ending in dementia and paralysis.