List of deprecated terms for diseases
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The following is a list of deprecated terms for diseases.
| Obsolete term | Preferred term | Reference | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apoplexy | Stroke | [1] | Also a general term for internal bleeding in a specific organ. |
| Bends | Decompression sickness | [2] | Referred to the associated musculoskeletal issues of decompression illness. |
| Bilious remitting fever | Dengue fever | [3] | Used in reference to a 1780 outbreak in Philadelphia. |
| Break-bone fever | Dengue fever | [3] | Used in reference to a 1780 outbreak in Philadelphia. |
| Break-heart fever | Dengue fever | [4] | |
| Chokes | Decompression sickness | [2] | Referred to the associated breathing issues of decompression illness. |
| Consumption | Tuberculosis | [5] | So-called due to the wasting that occurs in the late stages of infection. |
| Dandy fever | Dengue fever | [4] | A reference to the mincing walk adopted by those affected. |
| Dropsy | Edema | [6] | |
| Dum-dum fever | Leishmaniasis | [7] | The term is derived from the city of Dum Dum, the site of an outbreak. |
| English disease | Rickets | [8] | So named due to its prevalence in English slums. |
| French disease | Syphilis | [9] | Used as an ethnic slur against the French. |
| Front-street fever | Dengue fever | [3] | Used in reference to a 1780 outbreak in Philadelphia. |
| Gargoylism | Hurler Syndrome (MPS Type 1) | [10] | In 1936, Ellis et al. coined the term "gargoylism" to name the syndrome. |
| Gay-related immune deficiency | Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome | [11] | Used in 1982 when it is suggested to be transmitted sexually among gay men. |
| Gleet | Gonorrhea | [12] | Usually refers to gonorrhea that is in semi-remission. |
| Great pox | Syphilis | [9] | Used as a term of comparison to smallpox. |
| Grippe | Influenza | [13] | From the French. |
| King's evil | Tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis | [14] | From the belief that the disease could be cured by a royal touch. |
| Lockjaw | Trismus | [15] | The term is sometimes used as a synonym for tetanus, which usually first manifests as trismus. |
| Monkeypox | Mpox | [16] | |
| Muerto Canyon disease | Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome | [17] | Named for the area where it was initially identified. "Four Corners disease" is likewise deprecated. |
| Norwalk virus | Norovirus | [18] | Named after the town of Norwalk, Ohio, where the disease was first distinctly identified. |
| Phthisis | Tuberculosis | [5] | From the Greek word for consumption. |
| Quinsy | Peritonsillar abscess | [19] | From the French term esquinancie. |
| Saint Vitus Dance | Sydenham's chorea | [20] | Named for Saint Vitus the Martyr |
| Spanish fever | Influenza | [21] | Used in reference to the 1918 flu pandemic. |
| Squinsy | Peritonsillar abscess | [19] | From the French term esquinancie. |
| Staggers | Decompression sickness | [2] | Referred to the associated neurological issues of decompression illness. |
| Undulant fever | Brucellosis | [22] | The name is a reference to the rising and falling of the patient's temperature. |
| White Plague | Tuberculosis | [5] | The name refers to the pallor of patients with "consumption" (severe tuberculosis). |
| Woolsorter's disease | Anthrax | [23] | Refers to people who tended to contract the disease (from the sheep) |
| 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) | Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) | [24] | Provisional name for COVID-19. |