tonic epilepsy
- noun
- /ˈtɒnɪk ˌɛpɪˈlipsi/
- Specialized
:
epilepsia tónica
- During a tonic epilepsy episode, the patient's muscles became extremely stiff and immobile.
Examples
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The neurologist explained that tonic epilepsy is characterized by sudden, rigid seizures rather than convulsions.
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Treatment for tonic epilepsy often involves medication to help control the frequency of rigid seizures.
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She was diagnosed with tonic epilepsy last year.
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Children with tonic epilepsy may experience muscle stiffness.
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During a tonic epilepsy episode, the patient's body became rigid and his muscles contracted tightly.
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The neurologist noted that a tonic epilepsy seizure results in sustained muscle contraction and a stiff posture.
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Children diagnosed with tonic epilepsy often have episodes where their muscles become very stiff.
How Severe
- Specialized
1
9.3
- Specialized
- Specialized
190
5.5
- Specialized
1
5.6
- Specialized
1
7.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
The compound is directly compositional: 'tonic' describes sustained muscle contraction and 'epilepsy' names a seizure disorder, so together they denote epilepsy involving tonic (rigid) seizures. This is a medical but predictable combination—if a learner knows the constituent meanings, the MWE's sense is readily derivable.
Etymology
Tonic epilepsy: The medical name tonic epilepsy comes from tonic, a word that means muscles become tight and stiff. So tonic epilepsy means epilepsy with 'seizures' that make the body go 'rigid'.