leukodystrophy

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A rare disease passed from parents that damages brain parts that send messages and slowly harms movement and speech

noun
/ˌluːkoʊˈdɪstrəfi/

Specialized

: leucodistrofia

Many families struggle with the effects of leukodystrophy.
metachromatic leukodystrophy

Examples

The child was diagnosed with leukodystrophy at a young age.
Researchers are working to find new treatments for leukodystrophy and related disorders.
The doctors explained that leukodystrophy would gradually affect the child's ability to walk and speak.
Families affected by leukodystrophy often seek support from specialized medical centers.
Kaitlin suffers from a degenerative brain disease known as leukodystrophy.
The girls, healthy until two years ago, have been rendered helpless by a rare and fatal genetic disease called leukodystrophy.
Around the time LeSara was diagnosed with leukodystrophy, Shalonda, a bright, attentive 10-year-old, began having trouble writing and adding.

Surface Forms

leukodystrophy singular

leukodystrophies plural

Morphology

leukodystrophy = dystrophy (opaque) = leuko + dystrophy

The structural formation 'leuko-' + 'dystrophy' is regular, but it uses medical Greek combining forms that may be unfamiliar to average learners.

Etymology

Leukodystrophy comes from Greek parts: leuko- 'white', dys- 'bad' or 'difficult' (as in dysfunctional), and -trophy 'nourishment' or 'growth'. So leukodystrophy describes a condition where the brain's white matter loses nourishment and slowly stops working, which is why it causes abilities like walking and speaking to get worse over time.