Paresis
Encyclopedia
- Not to be confused with ParuresisParuresisParuresis is a type of phobia in which the sufferer is unable to urinate in the presence of others, such as in a public restroom. It most commonly affects males, though there are female sufferers too...
Paresis is a condition typified by partial loss of voluntary movement or by impaired movement. When used without qualifiers, it usually refers to the limbs, but it also can be used to describe the muscles of the eyes (ophthalmoparesis
Ophthalmoparesis
Ophthalmoparesis or ophthalmoplegia refers to paralysis of one or more extraocular muscles which are responsible for eye movements. It is a physical finding in certain neurologic illnesses.-Classification:...
), the stomach
Stomach
The stomach is a muscular, hollow, dilated part of the alimentary canal which functions as an important organ of the digestive tract in some animals, including vertebrates, echinoderms, insects , and molluscs. It is involved in the second phase of digestion, following mastication .The stomach is...
(gastroparesis
Gastroparesis
Gastroparesis, also called delayed gastric emptying, is a medical condition consisting of a paresis of the stomach, resulting in food remaining in the stomach for a longer period of time than normal. Normally, the stomach contracts to move food down into the small intestine for digestion. The...
), and also the vocal cords (Vocal cord paresis
Vocal cord paresis
Vocal cord paresis is weakness of one or both vocal folds. Symptoms of paresis include hoarseness; vocal fatigue; mild to severe reduction in vocal volume; pain in the throat when speaking; shortness of breath; aspiration with frequent resultant coughing, and in extreme cases may cause death...
). Neurologists use the term paresis to describe weakness, and plegia to describe paralysis
Paralysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
in which all voluntary movement is lost. The term paresis comes from the "letting go" or "paralysis" from παρίημι "to let go, to let fall."
Limbs
- Monoparesis — One leg or one arm
- Paraparesis — Both legs
- HemiparesisHemiparesisHemiparesis is weakness on one side of the body. It is less severe than hemiplegia - the total paralysis of the arm, leg, and trunk on one side of the body. Thus, the patient can move the impaired side of his body, but with reduced muscular strength....
— One arm and one leg on either side of the body - Tetraparesis — All four limbs
These terms frequently refer to the impairment of motion in multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
.
Other
- GastroparesisGastroparesisGastroparesis, also called delayed gastric emptying, is a medical condition consisting of a paresis of the stomach, resulting in food remaining in the stomach for a longer period of time than normal. Normally, the stomach contracts to move food down into the small intestine for digestion. The...
-- Impaired stomach emptying - It is also used to describe a form of ophthalmoplegia.
- In the past, the term was most commonly used to refer to "General paresis," which was a symptom of untreated syphilisSyphilisSyphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
. However, due to improvements in treatment of syphilis, it is now rarely used in this context.
See also
- AtaxiaAtaxiaAtaxia is a neurological sign and symptom that consists of gross lack of coordination of muscle movements. Ataxia is a non-specific clinical manifestation implying dysfunction of the parts of the nervous system that coordinate movement, such as the cerebellum...
- MalaiseMalaiseMalaise is a feeling of general discomfort or uneasiness, of being "out of sorts", often the first indication of an infection or other disease. Malaise is often defined in medicinal research as a "general feeling of being unwell"...
- Asthenia
- Debility
- Muscle weaknessMuscle weaknessMuscle weakness or myasthenia is a lack of muscle strength. The causes are many and can be divided into conditions that have true or perceived muscle weakness...
- Fatigue (physical)Fatigue (physical)Fatigue is a state of awareness describing a range of afflictions, usually associated with physical and/or mental weakness, though varying from a general state of lethargy to a specific work-induced burning sensation within one's muscles...
- AtonyAtonyPronounced In medicine, atony refers to a muscle that has lost its strength. It is frequently associated with the conditions Atonic seizure, atonic colon, uterine atony, gastrointestinal atony and choreatic atonia.Atony can also refer to the paralyzed or extremely relaxed state of skeletal...
- HypotoniaHypotoniaHypotonia is a state of low muscle tone , often involving reduced muscle strength. Hypotonia is not a specific medical disorder, but a potential manifestation of many different diseases and disorders that affect motor nerve control by the brain or muscle strength...
- CatatoniaCatatoniaCatatonia is a state of neurogenic motor immobility, and behavioral abnormality manifested by stupor. It was first described in 1874: Die Katatonie oder das Spannungsirresein ....