tetany

tetany
/tet"n ee/, n. Pathol.
a state marked by severe, intermittent tonic contractions and muscular pain, due to abnormal calcium metabolism.
[1880-85; < NL tetania. See TETANUS, -Y3]

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      condition characterized by rhythmic cramping of the muscles of the hands and feet, muscle twitching, and possible spasms of the larynx, with difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, convulsions (convulsion), and pain. Tetany results from a metabolic imbalance; it may be caused by too little calcium, potassium, or magnesium in the circulation or by an over-acid or over-alkaline condition of the body. It may accompany poorly controlled hypoparathyroidism, hypophosphatemia, osteomalacia, renal disorders (renal system disease), or malabsorption syndromes. Treatment is directed at restoring metabolic balance, as by intravenous administration of calcium in cases of hypocalcemia (calcium deficiency).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Tetany — has two meanings, though both are related to the muscular system.* Tetany (action potential summation) * Tetany (medical sign)The terms tetany and tetanus are distinct …   Wikipedia

  • Tetany — Tet a*ny, n. (Med.) A morbid condition resembling tetanus, but distinguished from it by being less severe and having intermittent spasms. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • tetany — 1890, from Fr. tétanie “intermitent tetanus,” from Mod.L. tetania (see TETANUS (Cf. tetanus)) …   Etymology dictionary

  • tetany — [tet′ n ē] n. [ModL tetania: see TETANUS] an abnormal condition characterized by tetanic spasms of voluntary muscles, esp. in the extremities …   English World dictionary

  • Tetany — A combination of signs and symptoms, due usually to low calcium, that can include: {{}}Hyperreflexia (overactive neurological reflexes), Carpopedal spasm (spasms of the hands and feet), Cramps, and Laryngospasm (spasm of the larynx, the voice… …   Medical dictionary

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  • Tetany (action potential summation) — Tetany is a muscular physical state at which action potentials from nerves arrive to the skeletal muscle motor end plate rapidly enough in succession to cause a steady contraction. This differs from individual twitches in that the twitches are… …   Wikipedia

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  • tetany — noun Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary, from Latin tetanus Date: circa 1885 a condition of physiological calcium imbalance marked by tonic spasm of muscles and often associated with deficient parathyroid secretion …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • tetany — n. [Gr. tetanos, stiffness] State of contraction of a muscle caused by continuous stimulation either natural or electrical. tetracerous, tetracerate adj. [Gr. tetra, four; keras, horn] Having four horns. tetraclad n. [Gr. tetra, four; klados,… …   Dictionary of invertebrate zoology

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