amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
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a·my·o·tro·phic lateral sclerosis
(ā′mī-ə-trō′fĭk, -trŏf′ĭk, ā-mī′-)n. Abbr. ALS
A chronic, progressive disease marked by gradual degeneration of the nerve cells in the spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement, causing muscle weakness, atrophy, and eventual paralysis. Also called Lou Gehrig's disease.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
(ˌæmɪəʊˈtrəʊfɪk)n
(Pathology) a form of motor neurone disease in which degeneration of motor tracts in the spinal cord causes progressive muscular paralysis starting in the limbs. Also called: Lou Gehrig's disease
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
a•my•o•troph′ic lat′eral sclero′sis
(ˌeɪ maɪ əˈtrɒf ɪk, -ˈtroʊ fɪk, eɪˌmaɪ ə-)n.
a nervous system disease in which degeneration of motor neurons in the brain stem and spinal cord leads to atrophy and paralysis of the voluntary muscles. Abbr.: ALS Also called Lou Gehrig's disease.
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Noun | 1. | amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - thickening of tissue in the motor tracts of the lateral columns and anterior horns of the spinal cord; results in progressive muscle atrophy that starts in the limbs induration, sclerosis - any pathological hardening or thickening of tissue |
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