Sclerosis (medicine)

In medicine, sclerosis (also spelled sclerosus in the names of a few disorders; from Greek σκληρός "hard") refers to the stiffening of a structure, usually caused by a replacement of the normal organ-specific tissue with connective tissue.

Types include:
 * Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, sometimes known as motor neuron disease or Lou Gehrig's disease, a progressive, incurable, usually fatal disease of motor neurons.
 * Atherosclerosis, a deposit of fatty materials, such as cholesterol, in the arteries which causes hardening.
 * Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis is a disease that attacks the kidney's filtering system (glomeruli) causing serious scarring and thus a cause of nephrotic syndrome in children and adolescents, as well as an important cause of kidney failure in adults.
 * Hippocampal sclerosis, a brain damage often seen in individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy.
 * Lichen sclerosus, a disease that hardens the connective tissues of the vagina and the penis. An autoimmune disorder.
 * Liver sclerosis is a common misspelling of cirrhosis of the liver.
 * Multiple sclerosis, or focal sclerosis, is a central nervous system disease which affects coordination.
 * Osteosclerosis, a condition where the bone density is significantly increased.
 * Otosclerosis, a disease of the ears.
 * Systemic sclerosis (progressive systemic scleroderma), a rare, chronic disease which affects the skin, and in some cases also blood vessels and internal organs.
 * Tuberous sclerosis, a rare genetic disease which affects multiple systems.
 * Primary sclerosing cholangitis, a hardening of the bile duct by scarring and repeated inflammation.
 * Primary lateral sclerosis, progressive muscle weakness in the voluntary muscles.