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abetalipoproteinemia

abetalipoproteinemia

9.9
A rare inherited condition that stops the body taking in fats, causing very low cholesterol and abnormal red blood cells
  • noun
  • /ˌeɪbɪˌtælɪpoʊprəˌtiːnˈiːmiə/
  • Specialized
: abetalipoproteinemia
  • The patient was diagnosed with abetalipoproteinemia after showing symptoms of fat malabsorption and anemia.

Examples

  • Patients with abetalipoproteinemia often experience severe fat malabsorption.

  • Genetic counseling was recommended for families affected by abetalipoproteinemia.

  • Doctors must monitor cholesterol levels closely when treating abetalipoproteinemia.

  • The doctor diagnosed her with abetalipoproteinemia after extensive testing.

  • The patient was diagnosed with abetalipoproteinemia after showing symptoms of fat malabsorption and anemia.

  • Genetic counseling was recommended for families affected by abetalipoproteinemia.

  • Doctors must monitor cholesterol levels closely when treating abetalipoproteinemia.

Surface Forms

Morphology

abetalipoproteinemia = betalipoproteinemia (opaque) = a + beta + lipoprotein + emia

Although analyzable as a- (without) + beta + lipoprotein + -emia, the term is highly technical and its meaning is not derivable by an average B1 learner from the component parts.

Etymology

Abetalipoproteinemia comes from smaller parts: a- 'without', beta 'the Greek letter', lipo- 'fat', protein 'protein', and -emia 'blood condition'. So the name literally means a 'blood problem without beta fat-proteins', which fits the disorder where people cannot make certain fat-carrying proteins and have very low cholesterol.