cataplexy

English

Etymology

From German Kataplexie, from Ancient Greek κατάπληξις (katáplēxis), from κατά (katá, “down”) + πλῆξῐς (plêxis, “blow, act of striking”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkætəplɛksi/

Noun

cataplexy (countable and uncountable, plural cataplexies)

1. (medicine) An abrupt loss of muscle tone, sometimes associated with narcolepsy.
   • 2013 May 1, James M. Parish MD, FCCP, “Genetic and Immunologic Aspects of Sleep and Sleep Disorders”, in Chest‎^[1], volume 143, number 5, →DOI, pages 1489–1499:

     Narcolepsy has been associated with the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system, a 4-megabase region of chromosome 6, which is divided into three subregions: class I, class II, and class III. Class II HLA antigens have been strongly associated with autoimmune diseases. The class II antigen, DQB1*0602, has been associated with narcolepsy. Most (90%-100%) patients with narcolepsy/cataplexy across all ethnic groups have this allele. In addition, 35% to 56% of patients who have narcolepsy without cataplexy also have this allele. However, 20% of the normal population also has the allele, reducing its usefulness in diagnostic testing.

Derived terms

• cataplexic

 

Translations

abrupt loss of muscle tone

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 猝倒 (cùdǎo), 昏倒 (zh) (hūndǎo)

• Czech: kataplexie f
• Finnish: katapleksia (fi)
• German: Kataplexie f
• Japanese: 脱力発作 (だつりょくほっさ, datsuryoku hossa), 情動脱力発作 (じょうどうだつりょくほっさ, jōdō datsuryoku hossa)
• Russian: катаплекси́я (ru) f (katapleksíja)
• Spanish: cataplexia (es) f
• Ukrainian: катаплексія f (katapleksija), рапто́ва сла́бкість f (raptóva slábkistʹ)

Further reading

• “cataplexy”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.