adrenoleukodystrophy

noun

ad·​re·​no·​leu·​ko·​dys·​tro·​phy ə-ˈdrē-nō-ˌlü-kō-ˈdi-strə-fē How to pronounce adrenoleukodystrophy (audio)
: a rare demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that is inherited as a sex-linked recessive trait chiefly affecting males in childhood and that is characterized by progressive blindness, deafness, tonic spasms, and mental deterioration
abbreviation ALD

Examples of adrenoleukodystrophy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Jonathan died at age 9 after developing a rare, terminal brain disease called adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD). David Caraccio, Sacramento Bee, 10 Feb. 2024 The drug Skysona is a new injectable gene therapy medication that treats boys ages 4 to 17 with cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, a genetic disease in which a buildup of very-long-chain fatty acids in the brain can lead to death. Jean Bennett, The Conversation, 12 May 2023 Yet, as of late March, only two cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy patients have had their cells harvested, while one patient was treated with the gene therapy at Boston Children’s Hospital. Joshua Cohen, Forbes, 3 May 2023 Working under the deadline of a fatal illness, the Odones created a novel treatment for adrenoleukodystrophy, which disrupts fat metabolism, primarily in boys. Delthia Ricks, Discover Magazine, 5 Oct. 2011 The challenge is that the two diseases Bluebird’s therapies treat—beta thalassemia and cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, or CALD—afflict tiny portions of the population, therefore limiting their economic potential. David Wainer, WSJ, 3 Oct. 2022 Skysona is designed to restore a crucial gene that is broken in children with a condition called cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy. Ryan Cross, BostonGlobe.com, 17 Sep. 2022 Bluebird’s first treatment, eli-cel, helped children with a lethal neurodegenerative disease called cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy live longer by supplying them with a gene that’s crucial for the proper functioning of brain cells. Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 19 June 2022 The medicine, eli-cel, is a one-time treatment for cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, a genetic neurological disorder that affects young boys. Ed Silverman, STAT, 13 June 2022

Word History

Etymology

adreno- + leukodystrophy

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of adrenoleukodystrophy was in 1973

Dictionary Entries Near adrenoleukodystrophy

Cite this Entry

“Adrenoleukodystrophy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adrenoleukodystrophy. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

adrenoleukodystrophy

noun
adre·​no·​leu·​ko·​dys·​tro·​phy
variants or chiefly British adrenoleucodystrophy
plural adrenoleukodystrophies
: a rare demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that is inherited as an X-linked recessive trait chiefly affecting males in childhood and that is characterized by progressive blindness, deafness, tonic spasms, and mental deterioration
abbreviation ALD

called also encephalitis periaxialis diffusa, Schilder's disease, Schilder's encephalitis

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