tet'any

A disorder marked by intermittent tonic muscular contractions, accompanied b^ fibrillary tumors, paresthesias, and muscular pains; the hands are usually first affected, the spasms occurring later in the face trunk, and sometimes the laryngeal muscles; there is increased irritability of the motor and sensory nerves to electrical and mechanical stimuli; the disorder occurs with gastric and intestinal troubles, after exhausting diseases, and as a consequence of removal of the parathyroids, dura'tion t., a tonic spasm occurring in degenerated muscles upon application of a strong galvanic current, epidem'ic tetania rheumatic a. gastric t., tetania gastric a. parathyreop'rival t., tetania parathyreopriva. rheumafic t., tetania rheumatic a.