Dictionary

multiparous 1 Having two or more offspring at one birth. 2 Related to a multipara. See also uniparous.

multiple chemical sensitivity A syndrome in which multiple symptoms reportedly occur with low-level exposure to many common chemicals. Abbreviated MCS. MCS is a controversial issue and has been rejected by numerous medical societies as an established organic disease. Proposed theories to explain MCS include allergic reactions, dysfunction of the immune system, neurobiological sensiti zation, and…

multiple enchondromatosis A condition characterized by benign masses of cartilage, called enchondromas, growing within bones. The enchondromas tend to be in the bones of the hands and feet and the long bones of the arms and legs. They can cause pain, deform and shorten a limb, and predispose a person to fractures. Surgery can help…

multiple gestation A pregnancy in which two or more fetuses are present in the womb.

multiple myeloma A bone marrow cancer that involves a type of white blood cell called a plasma (or myeloma) cell. The tumor cells in myeloma can form a single collection (plasmacytoma) or many tumors (multiple myeloma). Plasma cells are normally part of the immune system; they make antibodies. Because myeloma patients have an excess of…

multiple personality disorder See dissociative disorder.

multiple sclerosis A disease that is characterized by loss of myelin (demyelinization). Abbreviated MS. Myelin, the coating of nerve fibers, is composed of lipids (fats) and protein. It serves as insulation and permits efficient nerve fiber conduction. In MS, demyelinization usually affects white matter in the brain, but sometimes it extends into the gray matter….

mumps An acute viral illness that is caused by a paramyxovirus and that usually presents with inflammation of the salivary glands, particularly the parotid glands. A child with mumps often looks like a chipmunk with a full mouth due to the swelling of the salivary glands near the ears. Mumps can also cause inflammation of…

mumps immunization A vaccination for mumps. Mumps immunization may be given individually, or together with the measles and rubella vaccines, in the MMR immunization, or with the MMR vaccine modified to include a vaccine against varicella (MMRV). See also MMR; MMRV.

mumps in pregnancy Mumps contracted in pregnancy, which can cause early miscarriage or birth defects. The most common birth defect associated with mumps is congenital deafness. Mumps vaccination is not recommended during or shortly before pregnancy because it is a live attenuated vaccine, so carries a risk of causing mumps infection.

Munchhausen by proxy A form of Munchhausen syndrome in which a parent feigns illness in a child. In some cases the parent is simply overanxious or poorly informed. In others, a misdirected desire for attention or psychiatric illness is the cause. In a very few cases, the parent actually causes the child’s illness, as by…

Munchhausen syndrome Recurrent feigning of catastrophic illnesses. Some patients with Munchhausen syndrome actually cause their own illness, as by secretly drinking or injecting substances. Munchhausen syndrome may be caused by a misdirected desire for attention, although in some cases it arises in actual psychiatric illness. It is named for the fictitious Baron Munchhausen, who told…