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Diseases » Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome » Glossary

Glossary for Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome

Apomorphine - Teratogenic Agent: Experimental studies on chickens indicate that the use of Apomorphine during pregnancy may cause various harmful effects on the fetus. The likelihood and severity of symptoms may be affected by the level of exposure and the stage of pregnancy that the exposure occurred at. The effect on human fetuses has not been conclusively determined.
Autonomic dysfunction: disease or malfunction of the autonomic nervous system.
Blood pressure symptoms: High (hypertension) or low blood pressure (hypotension).
Brain conditions: Medical conditions that affect the brain
Coma: Prolonged unconsciousness
Delirium: Severe state of mental confusion
Diaphoresis: Excessive sweating.
Fever: Elevation of the body temperature above the normal 37 degrees celsius
High fever: Where a patient has an elevated temperature
Hyperthermia: Hyperthermia is an increase in body temperature in the context of an unchanged thermoregulatory point in the brain.
Leukocytosis: Increased concentration of white blood cells in the blood.
Metabolic Acidosis: Metabolic acidosis is a process which if unchecked leads to acidemia (i.e. blood pH is low (less than 7.35) due to increased production of H+ by the body or the inability of the body to form bicarbonate (HCO3-) in the kidney.
Muscle rigidity: The occurrence of resistance to passively moving a muscle
Muscle spasms: Involuntary movement or contraction of muscles without full control
Psychiatric disorders: Any condition that affects ones mind
Pulmonary embolism: Blocked lung blood vessel often from a blood clot.
Respiratory arrest: A term used to indicate cessation of breathing.
Rhabdomyolysis: Skeletal muscle injury or death, which releases muscle fibres into the blood.
Rigidity: When there is inflexibility or stiffness
Stupor: Mental sub-responsiveness not as severe as coma
Sweating: Sweating more than normal
Tetanus: A disease caused by chemicals which are produced by a bacterium (clostridium tetani) and are toxic to the nerves. The infection usually occurs when the bacteria enter the body through a deep wound - these bacteria are anaerobic and hence don't need oxygen to survive.