decompensation
[dee-kom-puh n-sey-shuh n]
- Medicine/Medical. the inability of a diseased heart to compensate for its defect.
- Psychology. a loss of ability to maintain normal or appropriate psychological defenses, sometimes resulting in depression, anxiety, or delusions.
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Origin of decompensation
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for decompensation
Contemporary Examples
And a decompensation occurred, which resulted in his putting on the suit of The Conservative.
Historical Examples
Digitalis, when the cardiac tone is low and decompensation is present.
Arteriosclerosis and Hypertension:Louis Marshall Warfield
decompensation
- pathol inability of an organ, esp the heart, to maintain its function due to overload caused by a disease
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for decompensation
n.
1900, from de- + compensation.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
decompensation
(dē′kŏm-pən-sā′shən)- Failure of the heart to maintain adequate blood circulation, marked by labored breathing, engorged blood vessels, and edema.
- The appearance or exacerbation of a mental disorder due to failure of defense mechanisms.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.