Dictionary

palinphrasia See palilalia.

palindromic rheumatism A form of arthritis characterized by attacks of fleeting inflamation in and around the joints lasting hours to a few days. The fingers and knees are the most common targets. While the attacks may be painful, they typically leave no permanent joint damage. Approximately one third of affected patients develop classical rheumatoid arthritis.

palilalia A speech disorder that is characterized by the repetition of words or phrases. Palinphrasia is encountered in autistic spectrum disorders and Tourette’s syndrome. Also known as palinphrasia.

paleostriatum See globus pallidus.

palate The roof of the mouth. The bony front portion is the hard palate, and the muscular back portion is the soft palate. See also cleft palate.

pain management The process of providing medical care that alleviates or reduces pain. Mild to moderate pain can usually be treated with analgesic medications, such as aspirin. For chronic or severe pain, opiates and other narcotics may be used, sometimes in concert with analgesics; with steroids or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs when the pain is related…

pain, phantom limb Pain perceived to be located in the distribution of a previously removed extremity. See also phantom limb syndrome.

pain, knee Pain in the knee. Causes of knee pain include injury, degeneration, arthritis, infection (infrequently), and, rarely, bone tumors.

pain, back Pain in any part of the back. Pain in the back can relate to the bony spine, discs between the vertebrae, ligaments around the spine and discs, spinal cord and nerves, muscles of the back, internal organs, or skin covering the back. Causes of back pain can include injury, overstress, or disease.

pain A sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pain has both physical and emotional components. The physical part of pain results from nerve stimulation. Pain may be contained to a discrete area, as in an injury, or it may be more diffuse, as in disorders such as fibromyalgia. Pain is mediated…

Pagon syndrome Congenital anemia with spinocerebellar ataxia (wobbliness) that becomes apparent by age 1. The anemia is characterized by sideroblasts (iron-rich precursors of red blood cells) seen on a blood smear. The syndrome is inherited in an X-linked recessive manner and is due to mutation in the ABC gene that encodes a protein that localizes…

Paget’s disease of the breast See breast, Paget’s disease of.