leukoencephalitis

9.9

Swelling of the brain's white part that carries signals

noun
/ˌluːkoʊˌɛnˈsɛf.əˌlaɪ.tɪs/

Specialized

: leucoencefalitis

The patient was diagnosed with leukoencephalitis after presenting neurological symptoms.

Examples

Treatment for leukoencephalitis often includes corticosteroids to reduce inflammation.
Recent studies have linked certain viral infections to cases of leukoencephalitis in adults.
The doctor diagnosed him with leukoencephalitis after the MRI.
Many patients suffering from leukoencephalitis experience severe headaches.
The patient was diagnosed with leukoencephalitis after presenting neurological symptoms.
Recent studies have linked certain viral infections to cases of leukoencephalitis in adults.
Many patients suffering from leukoencephalitis experience severe headaches.

Compounds

sclerosing leukoencephalitis

Specialized

9.9

A rare brain illness that slowly gets worse after measles and often causes death in young people

subacute sclerosing leukoencephalitis

Specialized

9.9

A rare slow brain disease after measles in childhood that gets worse and often kills

Surface Forms

leukoencephalitis singular

leukoencephalitides plural

Morphology

leukoencephalitis = encephalitis (semi-transparent) = leuko + encephal + itis

The prefix 'leuko-' refers to 'white', indicating the white matter of the brain, but the medical context may not be immediately clear to all learners.

Etymology

Leukoencephalitis breaks into parts: leuko- meaning 'white', encephal- meaning 'brain', and -itis meaning 'inflammation', so it literally names inflammation of the white part of the brain. A helpful way to remember leuko- is to think of leukocyte (a 'white' blood cell), which makes the 'white' part easy to recall.