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Glite Dictionary
tabes dorsalis

tabes dorsalis

9.9
A late stage of syphilis that damages the spinal cord causing severe leg pain, trouble walking, and bladder control loss
  • noun
  • /ˈteɪbɪz dɔrˈsælɪs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tabes dorsalis
  • He suffered severe leg pain and incontinence due to tabes dorsalis.

Examples

  • The doctor explained that tabes dorsalis is a rare complication of untreated syphilis that can lead to serious neurological issues.

  • Early treatment of syphilis can prevent complications like tabes dorsalis.

  • The neurologist diagnosed the patient with tabes dorsalis after a series of symptoms appeared.

  • The patient was diagnosed with tabes dorsalis after experiencing severe symptoms.

  • Doctors often associate tabes dorsalis with untreated syphilis.

  • He was struggling with unsteady gait and stabbing pain, which led to a diagnosis of tabes dorsalis.

  • Patients with tabes dorsalis may experience incontinence and significant sensory nerve degeneration.

Synonyms

neurosyphilis
vstabes dorsalis
  • Specialized
1 9.9

Infection of the brain and spinal cord by the syphilis germ that causes problems with thinking and moving

is a specific late-stage spinal cord degeneration with sensory loss and other signs
locomotor ataxia
vstabes dorsalis
  • Archaic
9.9

A problem with the nerves in the spine that makes walking unsteady and causes sharp pains

is broader, adding urinary and sexual dysfunction as later symptoms

Surface Forms

tabes dorsalis singular
tabes dorsales plural

Morphology

tabes + dorsalis

The Latin components roughly mean 'wasting' (tabes) + 'dorsal/back' (dorsalis), so a learner who recognises these roots could infer a wasting condition of the back or spinal area. However the precise clinical sense—late-stage syphilis affecting the dorsal spinal columns—and the specialized medical usage are not predictable from everyday knowledge of the parts, and many B1 learners will not know the Latin form 'dorsalis', so full meaning requires specialist knowledge.

Etymology

Tabes dorsalis comes from two Latin words: tabes meaning 'wasting' and dorsalis meaning 'of the back'. It names a disease where the nerves in the back 'waste away', causing pain and trouble walking, so the name directly describes the condition.