Apoplexy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Apoplexy (ἀποπληξία) derives from the Greek word for 'seizure', in the sense of being struck down. It is an old-fashioned medical term, which can be used to mean 'neurological impairment' or 'hemorrhage'. It can be used non-medically to mean a state of extreme rage.
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[edit] Neurological impairment
Apoplexy is used for a stroke because many stroke patients lose consciousness during the acute stage of the vascular compromise (either through bleeding or ischemia).
[edit] Hemorrhage
The term 'apoplexy' is used to describe bleeding within internal organs. In such usage it is coupled with an adjective describing the site of the bleeding. For example, bleeding within the pituitary gland is called pituitary apoplexy, and bleeding within the adrenal glands can be called adrenal apoplexy.
In both pituitary and adrenal apoplexy, the word apoplexy refers to both hemorrhage with the gland and to accompanying neurological problems such as confusion, headache, and impairment of consciousness.
[edit] Non-medical useage
Colloquially, particularly in the adjective form apoplectic, apoplexy means furious, enraged, or upset to the point of being unable to deal with a situation rationally or diplomatically.
- Apoplexed is a term used in Hamlet once.
