subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

American  

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

noun

Pathology.

1. 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. SSPE

---

Etymology

Origin of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

First recorded in 1965–70; scleros(is) + -ing ²; pan- + encephalitis

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

subacute sclerosing panencephalitis

The child had been infected as an infant when they were too young to be vaccinated, and years later developed subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE, a fatal disease that targets the brain.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026

The child died from subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, a fatal progressive brain disorder that strikes roughly 1 in 10,000 people infected with measles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 16, 2026

There can also be long-term complications from measles, such as SSPE, which stands for subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2024

Other complications include brain inflammation and, in rarer cases, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis — a deadly neurological disorder.

From Salon ● Mar. 15, 2024

And a complication known as subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, or SSPE, may emerge from dormancy years later.

From Washington Post ● Nov. 26, 2019