Diseases

Weber syndrome

Weber's syndrome (superior alternating hemiplegia) is a form of stroke characterized by the presence of an oculomotor nerve palsy and contralateral hemiparesis or hemiplegia. It is caused by midbrain infarction as a result of occlusion of the paramedian branches of the posterior cerebral artery or of basilar bifurcation perforating arteries. This lesion is usually unilateral and affects several structures in the midbrain including: substantia nigra, corticospinal and corticobulbar tracts, and the oculomotor nerve fibers. The lesioned substantia nigra causes contralateral parkinsonism because its dopaminergic projections to the basal ganglia innervate the contralateral hemisphere motor field. The corticospinal fibers affected produce contralateral hemiparesis and typical upper motor neuron findings. Damage to the corticobulbar tract will produce difficulty with contralateral lower facial muscles and hypoglossal nerve functions. The oculomotor nerve fibers that are affected lead to ipsilateral oculomotor nerve palsy with a drooping eyelid and fixed wide pupil pointed down and out. The oculomotor damage will likely lead to diplopia.

Weber-Christian disease

Weber-Christian disease is a skin condition that features recurring inflammation in the fat layer of the skin. The involved areas of skin manifest as recurrent crops of erythematous, sometimes tender, edematous subcutaneous nodules. The lesions are symmetric in distribution, and the thighs and lower legs are affected most frequently. Malaise, fever, and arthralgias frequently occur. Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, weight loss, and hepatomegaly may also occur. Because its etiology is unknown, Weber-Christian disease is often referred to as idiopathic lobular panniculitis.

Wegener’s Granulomatosis

Wegener's granulomatosis is a form of vasculitis that affects the lungs, kidneys and other organs. Due to its end-organ damage, it can be a serious disease that requires long-term immune suppression. It is named after Dr. Friedrich Wegener, who described the disease in 1936. Wegener's granulomatosis is part of a larger group of vasculitic syndromes, all of which feature the presence of an abnormal type of circulating antibody termed ANCAs (antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies) and affect small and medium-size blood vessels. Apart from Wegener's, this category includes Churg-Strauss syndrome and microscopic polyangiitis. Although Wegener's granulomatosis affects small and medium-sized vessels, it is formally classified as one of the small vessel vasculitides in the Chapel Hill system.

Wegmann Jones Smith syndrome

Wegmann Jones Smith syndrome: A syndrome which is characterised by the occurrence of short limbs, oedema and iris coloboma

Welander distal myopathy- Swedish type

Welander distal myopathy, Swedish type: A very slowly progressing muscle fiber degeneration that starts as mild weakness in the small muscles of hands and feet and may eventually spread to neighbouring muscles

Wells Jankovic syndrome

Wells Jankovic syndrome: A syndrome that is characterised with spastic paraparesis and deafness

Wells syndrome

Wells syndrome: A rare disorder affecting the skin and characterized by a flame-shaped patch of raised red skin which eventually undergoes changes such as blistering and altered color.

Werdnig-Hoffmann disease

Werdnig-Hoffmann disease (medical condition): A type of spinal muscular atrophy which is a progressive genetic motor neuron disease involving the nerves and muscles. The condition is relatively rare and is characterized by muscle weakness which leads to structural deformities

Werner’s syndrome

Werner Syndrome (WRN) is a very rare, autosomal recessive[1] disorder characterized by the appearance of premature aging.[2] Werner's syndrome more closely resembles accelerated aging than any other segmental progeria. For this reason, Werner syndrome is often referred to as a progeroid syndrome, as it partly mimics the symptoms of Progeria.

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome

Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome (also called wet brain, Korsakoff psychosis, alcoholic encephalopathy, Wernicke's disease, and encephalopathy - alcoholic)[1] is a manifestation of thiamine deficiency, or beri-beri. This is usually secondary to alcohol abuse. It mainly causes vision changes, ataxia and impaired memory. [2]

West nile encephalitis

West Nile encephalitis (WNE) is distinguished from other arthropod-borne causes of viral encephalitis (eg, western equine encephalitis, eastern equine encephalitis [EEE], Japanese encephalitis, Venezuelan encephalitis) based on its geographic distribution, clinical features, and laboratory findings. WNE is endemic in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. In North America, WNE first occurred in the northeast United States along the eastern seaboard and now extends nationwide. WNE may have existed in antiquity in the Middle East. Some have suggested that Alexander the Great may have died from WNE.1, 2 Seventeen species of wild birds transmit WNE to humans via the Culex, Aedes, and Anopheles mosquitoes. WNE first causes symptomatic or asymptomatic illness in wild migratory birds that act as viral replication factories. Wild birds infected with WNE contain high titers of the virus and remain viremic for 1-2 weeks, making them ideal hosts to perpetuate the disease. Mosquitoes transmit WNE from birds to humans. Horses, dogs, and other small animals may harbor WNE after being bitten; however, they are inefficient transmitters because viral titers are relatively low, and WNE viremia is short-lived in these animals.

West Nile virus

West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne zoonotic arbovirus belonging to the genus Flavivirus in the family Flaviviridae. It is found in temperate and tropical regions of the world. It was first identified in the West Nile subregion in the East African nation of Uganda in 1937. Prior to the mid-1990s, WNV disease occurred only sporadically and was considered a minor risk for humans, until an outbreak in Algeria in 1994, with cases of WNV-caused encephalitis, and the first large outbreak in Romania in 1996, with a high number of cases with neuroinvasive disease. WNV has now spread globally, with the first case in the Western Hemisphere being identified in New York City in 1999; over the next five years, the virus spread across the continental United States, north into Canada, and southward into the Caribbean islands and Latin America. WNV also spread to Europe, beyond the Mediterranean Basin, and a new strain of the virus was identified in Italy in 2012. WNV is now considered to be an endemic pathogen in Africa, Asia, Australia, the Middle East, Europe and in the United States, which in 2012 has experienced one of its worst epidemics. In 2012, WNV killed 286 people in the United States, with the state of Texas being hard hit by this virus, making the year the deadliest on record for the United States.

West syndrome

West syndrome is characterized by a specific type of seizure (infantile spasms) seen in infancy and childhood. This syndrome leads to developmental regression and causes a specific pattern, known as hypsarrhythmia (chaotic brain waves), on electroencephalography (EEG) testing. The infantile spasms usually begin in the first year of life, typically between 4-8 months. The seizures primarily consist of a sudden bending forward of the body with stiffening of the arms and legs; some children arch their backs as they extend their arms and legs. Spasms tend to occur upon awakening or after feeding, and often occur in clusters of up to 100 spasms at a time. Infants may have dozens of clusters and several hundred spasms per day. Infantile spasms usually stop by age five, but may be replaced by other types of seizures. Many underlying disorders, such as birth injury, metabolic disorders, and genetic disorders can lead to these spasms, making it important to identify the underlying cause. In some children, no cause can be found.

Western equine encephalitis

Western equine encephalitis: An infectious disease caused by an arbovirus (Alphavirus - Togaviraidae) and transmitted by infected mosquitoes. The infection primarily attacks that central nervous system and severity can range from asymptomatic to severe complications and even death in rare cases.

Westphal disease

Westphal disease: A condition that is closely associated with Huntington's disease and is a clinical variant of it.

Weyers acrofacial dysostosis

Weyers acrofacial dysostosis (medical condition): A rare disorder characterized by facial abnormalities and extra digits, nail abnormalities and short limbs.

WHIM syndrome

WHIM Syndrome (or Warts, Hypogammaglobulinemia, Immunodeficiency, and Myelokathexis syndrome) is a rare congenital immunodeficiency disorder characterized by chronic noncyclic neutropenia.

Whipple disease

Whipple's disease is a rare infectious disease that typically infects the bowel. It causes malabsorption primarily but may affect any part of the body including the heart, lungs, brain, joints, and eyes. It interferes with the body's ability to absorb certain nutrients. Whipple's disease causes weight loss, incomplete breakdown of carbohydrates or fats, and malfunctions of the immune system. When recognized and treated, Whipple's disease can usually be cured. Untreated, the disease may be fatal.

Whispering dysphonia- hereditary

A rare inherited disorder where an individual is able to talk normally when they’re asleep, drunk or emotional but for the most part are only able to whisper. The condition may be progressive and leaves the person unable to make a single sound. Sufferers also exhibited involuntary movements (torsion dystonia).

Whitaker syndrome

A condition that usually occurs in childhood caused by an autoimmune polyendocrinopathy.