subacute sclerosing panencephalitis
[skli-roh-sing pan-en-sef-uh-lahy-tis, pan-]
- 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
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Origin of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
subacute sclerosing panencephalitis
- 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.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
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