multiple sclerosis

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Glossary

Glossary - V

• vaginal hemorrhage - (copious) flow of blood from a ruptured blood vessel or vessels, in the vagina; may be life-threatening
• varicose vein - abnormally dilated or swollen veins, particularly in the legs
• vasospasm - sudden constriction of a blood vessel resulting in decreased blood flow
• venous pressure increased - increase in pressure on the walls of the veins
• ventricular extrasystoles - premature contraction of the ventricle of the heart resulting in arrhythmia
• ventricular fibrillation - An often fatal form of arrhythmia characterized by rapid, irregular twitching of the ventricles of the heart in place of normal contractions, with loss of pulse
• vesiculobullous rash - a blistering rash characterized by serous-fluid-filled vesicles (blisters)
• visual field defect - abnormal enlargement and widening of the blind-spot of the eye; multiple blind spots. Where the optic nerve enters the eye, there is a blind spot. This is normal for everyone and is caused by a small gap in the light receptors at the back of the eye where the nerve enters. Visual field defect is the development of multiple blind spots or the enlargement of the existing one.