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Horner's syndrome

Horner's syndrome

1 8.0
A condition causing a drooping eyelid, small pupil, and no sweating on one side of the face
  • noun
  • /ˈhɔrnərz ˈsɪndroʊm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : síndrome de Horner
  • Partial facial paralysis and lack of sweating are classic symptoms associated with Horner's syndrome.

Examples

  • The doctor diagnosed her with Horner's syndrome.

  • The patient was diagnosed with Horner's syndrome after showing a drooping eyelid and a constricted pupil.

  • A tumor in the upper chest can sometimes lead to Horner's syndrome.

  • Patients with Horner's syndrome often experience drooping eyelids.

  • The patient was diagnosed with Horner's syndrome after experiencing drooping eyelids and constricted pupils.

  • After the accident, he showed signs of Horner's syndrome, including a noticeable lack of sweating on one side of his face.

  • Doctors explained that Horner's syndrome can result from nerve damage in the cervical area of the spine.

Surface Forms

Morphology

Horner's + syndrome

The headword contains 'syndrome', so a B1 learner who knows both words will infer this is a medical condition made up of symptoms (they can understand the class of meaning). However 'Horner's' is an eponymic proper name with no semantic indication of the specific signs (ptosis, miosis, anhidrosis), so the precise symptom profile cannot be derived from the constituents.

Etymology

Horner's syndrome is named after the doctor Johann Friedrich Horner, who first described the clear picture of a drooping eyelid, a smaller pupil, and no sweating on one side of the face. Because he showed these signs came from nerve damage, doctors kept his name for the condition.