Module 12 Presentation

1. R Y A N A T K I N S
B I O L O G Y 1 2 0
M E D I C A L T E R M I N O L O G Y
Nervous System Suffixes

2. -plegia
 -plegia: paralysis
 Paralysis is defined as the temporary or permanent
loss of function or voluntary movement
 The plegia suffix is helpful for describing this loss of
function when paired with prefixes to describe
location.

3. -plegia (cont.)
 Hemiplegia, or one-sided paralysis, could be the
result of a stroke or something similar, resulting in a
single side of the body being affected.
 Monoplegia, or single-limb paralysis, may occur if
nerve damage to an arm or leg is severe enough to
interfere with its function.

4. -plegia (cont.)
 Paraplegia, or paralysis of the lower half of the
body, most often results from a spinal injury below
the first thoracic spinal nerve.
 Quadriplegia, or paralysis of all four limbs, most
commonly occurs when a spinal nerve injury takes
place between C1 and C8.

5. -plegia (cont.)
 Other causes of the various -plegias could include:
 Tumor
 Autoimmune Disease
 Infenction
 Genetic Disorder
 Congenital Defect

6. -paresis
 -paresis: weakness
 Not to be confused with paralysis, the various types
of -paresis are weakness and not a complete loss of
function.
 Again, this suffix is helpful for describing various
disorders affecting different parts of the body that
originate in the nervous system.

7. -paresis (cont.)
 Hemiparesis, or one-sided weakness, can be a sign
of stroke or other neurological deficits.
 Other types of -paresis can include monoparesis,
paraparesis, or quadriparesis.
 In many cases, these are the result of multiple
sclerosis, a demyelinating disease that damages the
insulating sheaths of nerve cells in the brain and
spinal cord.