MedicineNet.com
About Us | Privacy Policy | Site Map
February 9, 2010
MedicineNet home Picture Slideshows Diseases and conditions Symptoms and signs Procedures and tests Medications Picture Image Collection MedTerms medical dictionary Pet Health
Font Size
A
A
A

Definition of Sporadic

Sporadic: Occurring upon occasion or in a scattered, isolated or seemingly random way.

A disorder that is sporadic is by definition neither an endemic, an epidemic, nor a pandemic:

  • An endemic is present in a community at all times but in low frequency. An endemic is continuous, as in the case of malaria in some areas of the world or as with illicit drugs in certain neighborhoods.
  • An epidemic involves more than the expected number of cases of disease occurring in a community or region during a given period of time. An epidemic is typically a sudden severe outbreak within a region or a group as, for example, AIDS in intravenous drug users.
  • A pandemic is an epidemic that becomes very widespread and affects a whole region, a continent, or the world. For example, AIDS is now pandemic in Africa.

"Sporadic" is from the Greek ""sporadikos" meaning "scattered."


Last Editorial Review: 6/27/1999 7:36:00 PM

Search All of MedicineNet For:
  


Printer-Friendly Format  |  Email to a Friend

Back to MedTerms online medical dictionary A-Z List


WebMD Daily

Get breaking medical news.


Are you Depressed? Take the Quiz

Your Guide to Symptoms & Signs: Pinpoint Your Pain






Definition of Sporadic Related Articles

Webster's New World
Medical Dictionary
Learn more »

Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

MedTerms Medical Word
of the Day XML







Health categories:

Slideshows | Diseases & Conditions | Symptoms & Signs | Procedures & Tests | Medications | Image Collection | Medical Dictionary | Pet Health

Popular health centers:

Allergies | Arthritis | Blood Pressure | Cancer | Chronic Pain | Cold & Flu | Diabetes | Digestion | Eyesight | Health & Living | Healthy Kids

Hearing & Ear | Heart | Infectious Disease | Men's Health | Mental Health | News & Views | Pregnancy | Sexual Health | Skin | Women's Health | More...

MedicineNet.com:

About Us | Newsletters | RSS Feeds | Privacy Policy | Site Map | WebMD® | Medscape® | eMedicine® | eMedicineHealth® | RxList®

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. Click to verify. This site complies to the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.

©1996-2010 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved. Notices and Legal Disclaimer.
MedicineNet does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.