How Do You Spell POLIOMYELOPATHY?

1. Poliomyelopathy is a medical term that refers to a disorder affecting the spinal cord and motor neurons, resulting in muscle weakness, paralysis, and potentially permanent disability. The condition is primarily caused by viral infection, especially the poliovirus, which invades and damages the nervous system.

   The term "polio-" in poliomyelopathy originates from the Greek word "poliós," meaning "gray," referring to the gray matter of the spinal cord. "Myelo-" is derived from the Greek word "muelon," meaning "marrow" or "spinal cord," while "-pathy" is a suffix indicating a disorder or disease.

   Poliomyelopathy typically presents with a wide range of symptoms, including muscle pain, fatigue, fever, headache, and gastrointestinal disturbances. As the viral infection progresses, it can lead to muscle weakness, loss of muscle function, and atrophy, with the lower limbs often more severely affected than the upper limbs. In some cases, the muscles responsible for breathing and swallowing may also be impaired.

   Poliomyelopathy can manifest in different forms, such as spinal poliomyelitis, which mainly affects the legs, bulbar poliomyelitis, affecting the muscles controlling speech, swallowing, and breathing, and bulbospinal poliomyelitis, which involves both the spinal cord and bulbar regions.

   Prevention of poliomyelopathy is primarily achieved through vaccination, especially with the oral polio vaccine or inactivated polio vaccine. These vaccines have significantly reduced the incidence of poliomyelopathy worldwide, although it remains a concern in some regions where vaccination coverage is inadequate. Rehabilitation, including physical therapy, is crucial for managing the symptoms and improving quality of life for individuals affected by poliomy

2. Any disease of the gray matter of the spinal cord.

   A practical medical dictionary. By Stedman, Thomas Lathrop. Published 1920.

Common Misspellings for POLIOMYELOPATHY

The word "poliomyelopathy" comes from three combined roots:

1. "Poliomyelo" is derived from the Greek words "polio" (meaning "gray") and "myelon" (meaning "marrow" or "spinal cord"). It specifically refers to the gray matter of the spinal cord.

2. "Path" comes from the Greek word "pathos" (meaning "suffering" or "disease"), which indicates a disease or abnormal condition.

3. "Y" is a combining form used to connect the terms "poliomyelo" and "path".

Therefore, "poliomyelopathy" essentially means a disease or abnormal condition affecting the gray matter of the spinal cord. It is commonly used to refer to the paralysis caused by poliovirus infection.