Glossary

Learning disabilities can affect how a person understands new or complicated situations, live an independent lifestyle and/or adapt to new skills. Around 1.5m people across the UK have some form of learning disability and 350,000 cope with a severe form of the condition. A learning disability can range from being mild, moderate or severe.

An intellectual reduced ability which can affect somebody for their whole life as they cope with everyday tasks such as communication skills, managing finances and household chores. People with a learning disability may need support full-time care depending on how severe their condition is. Causes can be related to complications at birth, such as being starved of oxygen and damage to the central nervous system or a childhood illness.

A form of epilepsy which affects 1 and 5 of every 100 children who suffer seizures.

Lennox-Gastaut syndrome is difficult to treat and known as an ‘epileptic and developmental encephalopathy’ because the epileptic seizures and the abnormal EEG (electroencephalogram - a test used to find problems related to electrical activity of the brain.) are thought to be important in these children’s’ developmental delay and learning difficulties.

A mild infectious disease which starts by damaging the skin’s nerves which results in a loss of sensation.

If a burn or ulcer is not treated the condition can cause a permanent disability.

An inherited illness which affects how the body builds and breaks down parts of the human tissue which form the body genetic blueprint – called Purines.

The disease, which usually affects boys, builds up high levels of acid in the body which can form bladder and kidney stones.

People with Lesch Nyhan experience involuntary movements and in most cases self-destructive behaviour.

Most patients have difficulty walking and sitting and rely on using a wheelchair.

A group of rare, progressive diseases which affect the brain, spinal cord and in most cases the peripheral nerves.

Each type of leukodystrophy is caused by a specific gene abnormality that leads to abnormal development of the white matter, known as the myelin sheath - the protective covering of the nerve which can not function properly without it.

Also known as Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) the condition gradually deteriorates over several years and usually affects people aged 65 or over.

Symptoms include problems with understanding, memory, thinking and judgement – hallucinations – unsteadiness, fainting and falling over – disturbed sleep with violent movements and shouting out – confusion and slow movement.

The average survival rate is around 6-12 years, but some people live for much longer.

An abnormal build-up of fat in the legs which can, in some cases, affect the arms too.

Lipoedema usually affects both side of the body in equal measures and can be painful affecting daily life.

A birth defect that affects a child’s backbone caused by a fatty mass under the skin, usually found in the centre of the back which attaches itself to the spinal cord and, in some instances, pulls on the cord.

A rare and sometimes severe condition when a baby’s brain doesn’t fold properly. Some baby’s with lissencephaly may be born with an abnormally small sized head. The condition may cause numerous symptoms including muscle spasms, difficulty swallowing, seizures and intellectual impairment.

Lissencephaly can also cause malformation in the toes, hands or fingers.

Children with severe lissencephaly may have a life expectancy of about ten years.

A condition connected to congenital muscular dystrophy which usually affects muscle movements from a young age and causes wasting of the muscles.

A condition which is usually triggered by a stroke that causes damage to part of the brain which makes the muscles and parts of the body paralysed although the person remains conscious and, in most cases, only able to perform eye movements independently.

Lumbar disc lesion s one of the most common causes of lower back pain, as well as leg pain, or sciatica ( a pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling in the leg )

Lumbar Spondylosis is wear and tear in the discs and facet joints of the back. The discs become thinner and bone spurs, known as osteophytes, can form at the edges of the joints.

An uncommon condition characterized by absence of different segments of lumbar spine along with total or partial absence of the sacrum.