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Down syndrome
Down syndrome congenital disorder characterized by mild to severe mental retardation , slow physical development, and characteristic physical features. Down syndrome affects about 1 in every 730 live births and occurs in all populations equally. It was first described in 1866 by an English physici...
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Gulf War syndrome
Gulf War syndrome popular name for a variety of ailments experienced by veterans after the Persian Gulf War . Symptoms reported include nausea, cramps, rashes, short-term memory loss, fatigue, difficulty in breathing, headaches, joint and muscle pain, and birth defects. Ailments have been reported...
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irritable bowel syndrome
irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), condition characterized by frequently alternating constipation and diarrhea in the absence of any disease process. It is usually accompanied by abdominal pain, especially in the lower left quadrant, bloating, and flatulence. Other symptoms, such as heartburn, lower b...
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catalepsy
catalepsy , pathological condition characterized by a loss of consciousness accompanied by rigidity of muscles that keeps limbs in any position in which they are placed. Attacks vary from several minutes to days and occur in a variety of clinical syndromes, most frequently in schizophrenia, epilepsy...
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fetal alcohol syndrome
fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), pattern of physical, developmental, and psychological abnormalities seen in babies born to mothers who consumed alcohol during pregnancy . The abnormalities include low birthweight, facial deformities, and mental retardation, and there appears to be an association wit...
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acquired immune deficiency syndrome
acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) Fatal disease caused by a retrovirus, called Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), that mainly attacks T-4 cells (which help the production of antibodies) and renders the body's immune system incapable of resisting infection. The first diagnosis was made in ...
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chronic fatigue syndrome
chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), collection of persistent, debilitating symptoms, the most notable of which is severe, lasting fatigue. In other countries it is known variously as myalgic encephalomyelitis, chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome, and postviral fatigue syndrome. It was first...
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Epstein-Barr virus
Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), herpesvirus that is the major cause of infectious mononucleosis and is associated with a number of cancers, particularly lymphomas in immunosuppressed persons, including persons with AIDS. Epstein-Barr is a ubiquitous virus, so common that it has been difficult to dete...
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Reye's syndrome
Reye's syndrome , rare but life-threatening disease characterized by acute encephalopathy and fatty infiltration of internal organs, especially the liver. It occurs almost entirely in children under age 15. The cause is unknown, but the disease usually follows an acute viral infection (particularly ...
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toxic shock syndrome
toxic shock syndrome (TSS). acute, sometimes fatal, disease characterized by high fever, nausea, diarrhea, lethargy, blotchy rash, and sudden drop in blood pressure. It is caused by Staphylococcus aureus, an exotoxin-producing bacteria (see toxin ). Toxic shock was initially identified among men...
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