List of eponymous diseases

An eponymous disease is a disease, disorder, condition, or syndrome named after a person, usually the physician or other health care professional who first identified the disease; less commonly, a patient who had the disease; rarely, a literary or theatrical character who exhibited signs of the disease or the subject of an allusion, as its characteristics were suggestive of symptoms observed in the disorder.

Naming systems

are a longstanding tradition in Western science and medicine. Being awarded an eponym is regarded as an honor: "Eponymity, not anonymity, is the standard." The scientific and medical communities regard it as bad form to attempt to form eponyms after oneself.
Ideally, to discuss something, it should have a name. When medicine lacked diagnostic tools to investigate and definitively pinpoint the underlying causes of most diseases, assigning an eponym afforded physicians a concise label for a symptom cluster versus cataloguing the multiple systemic features that characterized a patient’s illness.
Most commonly, diseases are named for the person, usually a physician, but occasionally another health care professional, who first described the condition—typically by publishing an article in a respected medical journal. Less frequently, an eponymous disease is named after a patient, examples being [Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis|Lou Gehrig disease], Christmas disease, and Hartnup disease. In the instance of Machado–Joseph disease, the eponym is derived from the surnames of two families in which the condition was initially described. Examples of eponyms named for persons who displayed characteristics attributed to a syndrome include: Lazarus syndrome, named for a biblical character; and Miss Havisham syndrome, named for a Dickens character, and Plyushkin syndrome, named for a Gogol character, both fictional persons. Two eponymous disorders that follow none of the foregoing conventions are: Fregoli delusion, which derives its name from an actor whose character shifts mimicked the delusion it describes; and, Munchausen syndrome which derives from a literary allusion to Baron von Munchausen, whose personal habits were suggestive of the symptom cluster associated with it.
Disease naming conventions which reference place names are properly termed toponymic, although an NLM/NIH online publication described them as eponymic. Diseases named for animals with which they are associated, usually as a vector, are properly styled as zoonymic; cat scratch fever and monkeypox are examples. Those named for association with a particular occupation or trade, such as nun's knee, tennis elbow, and mad hatter's disease, are properly described as occupational diseases.
In May 2015, the World Health Organization, in collaboration with the World Organisation for Animal Health and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, released a statement on the Best Practices for the Naming of New Human Infectious Diseases "with the aim to minimize unnecessary negative impact of disease names on trade, travel, tourism or animal welfare, and avoid causing offence to any cultural, social, national, regional, professional or ethnic groups." These guidelines emerged in response to backlash against people and places, based on the vernacular names of infectious diseases such as Middle East respiratory syndrome, and the 2009 swine flu pandemic. These naming conventions are not intended to replace the International Classification of Diseases, but rather, are guidelines for scientists, national authorities, the national and international media and other stakeholders who may be the first to discuss a disease publicly.

Punctuation

In 1975, the Canadian National Institutes of Health held a conference that discussed the naming of diseases and conditions. This was reported in The Lancet where the conclusion was summarized as: "The possessive use of an eponym should be discontinued, since the author neither had nor owned the disorder." Medical journals, dictionaries and style guides remain divided on this issue. European journals tend towards continued possessive use, while US journals are largely discontinuing to do so. Trends in possessive usage vary among countries, journals, diseases.
The problem is that the possessive case received its misleading name for historical reasons and now even educated people, if they are not linguists, often make incorrect assumptions and decisions based on the name. Nevertheless, native speakers would neither accept the awkward construction "men department" as an alternative to "men's department" nor claim that the obligatory apostrophe in any way implies that men possess the department.
This case was termed the genitive until the 18th century and expresses much more than possession. For example, in the expressions "the school's headmaster" and "tomorrow's weather", the school does not own/possess the headmaster and tomorrow does not/will not own the weather. Disagreements about the use of possessive forms of nouns and of the apostrophe are due to the opinion that no apostrophe should be used, unless it is intended to express possession.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage says:
The dictionary also cites a study which found only 40% of possessive forms used to indicate actual possession.

Autoeponym

Associating an individual's name with a disease merely based on describing it confers only an eponymic; the individual must have been either affected by the disease or have died from it for the name to be termed auto-eponymic. Thus, an 'auto-eponym' is a medical condition named in honor of: a physician or other health care professional who was affected by or died as a result of the disease which he had described or identified; or, a patient, who was not a health care professional, but suffered from or died as a result of the disease. Auto-eponyms may use either the possessive or non-possessive form, with the preference to use the non-possessive form for a disease named for a physician or health care professional who first described it and the possessive form in cases of a disease named for a patient in whom the particular disease was identified. Autoeponyms listed in this entry conform to those conventions with regard to possessive and non-possessive forms.
Examples of autoeponyms include:

Rickettsiosis: in 1906, Howard Taylor Ricketts discovered that the bacteria that causes Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is carried by a tick. He injected himself with the pathogen.
Thomsen's disease: an autosomal dominant myotonia of voluntary muscles described by Asmus Julius Thomas Thomsen about himself and his family members.
Carrion disease: Peruvian medical student Daniel Alcides Carrión inoculated himself with Bartonella bacilliformis in 1885 to prove the link to this disease, characterized by "Oroya fever".
Lou Gehrig's disease: although Gehrig, a New York Yankees player of the early twentieth century, was not the first patient described as having amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the association of such a prominent individual with the then little-known disease resulted in his name becoming eponymous with it.

Continued Use of Eponyms

A current trend seeks to step away from use of eponymous disease names in favor of medical naming that focuses on causation or primary signs.
Arguments for this movement include that:

a national or ethnic bias may attach to the eponym chosen;
credit should have gone to a different person;
the same eponym may be applied to different diseases, causing confusion;
several eponyms refer to the same disease ;
an eponym may prove to be invalid.
an eponym would honor an individual who has been otherwise discredited. An example is Wegener's Granulomatosis; it was renamed granulomatosis with polyangiitis due to Dr. Wegener's Nazi ties.
its referent varies by country.

Arguments for maintaining eponyms include that:

an eponym may be shorter and more memorable than the medical name;
a medical name may prove to be incorrect;
a syndrome may have more than one cause, yet it remains useful to consider the totality of its features;
it continues to respect a person who may otherwise be forgotten.

Alphabetical list

Explanation of listing sequence

As described above, multiple eponyms can exist for the same disease. In these instances, each is listed individually, followed by an in-line parenthetical entry beginning 'aka' that lists all alternative eponyms. This facilitates the use of the list for a reader who knows a particular disease only by one of its eponyms, without the necessity of cross-linking entries.
It sometimes happens that an alternative eponym, if listed separately, would immediately alphabetically precede or succeed another eponymous entry for the same disease. One of three conventions have been applied to such cases:
Some eponyms have an alternative entry that includes the name of additional individuals. An example is Adams-Stokes syndrome; one of its alternative eponyms is Gerbec–Morgagni–Adams–Stokes syndrome. The entry for Adams-Stokes syndrome only names the two individuals whose names are associated with the entry as listed; a later, separate, entry for the alternative Gerbec–Morgagni–Adams–Stokes syndrome names all four of the individuals who are associated with the longer-named entry.

A

Aarskog–Scott syndrome – Dagfinn Aarskog, Charles I. Scott Jr.
Aase–Smith syndrome – Jon Morton Aase, David Weyhe Smith
Abdallat–Davis–Farrage syndrome – Adnan Al Abdallat, S.M. Davis, James Robert Farrage
Abderhalden–Kaufmann–Lignac syndrome – Emil Abderhalden, Eduard Kauffman, George Lignac
Abercrombie disease – John Abercrombie
Achard–Thiers syndrome – Emile Achard, Joseph Thiers
Ackerman tumor – Lauren Ackerman
Adams–Oliver syndrome – Robert Adams, William Oliver
Adams–Stokes syndrome – Robert Adams, William Stokes
Addison disease – Thomas Addison
Adson–Caffey syndrome – Alfred Washington Adson, I. R. Caffey
Aguecheek's disease – Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Shakespearean literary character
Ahumada–Del Castillo syndrome – Juan Carlos Ahumada Sotomayor, Enrique Benjamin Del Castillo
Aicardi syndrome – Jean Aicardi
Aicardi–Goutières syndrome – Jean Aicardi, Francoise Goutieres
Alagille syndrome – Daniel Alagille
Albers-Schönberg disease – Heinrich Albers-Schönberg
Albright disease – Fuller Albright
Albright–Butler–Bloomberg disease – Fuller Albright, Allan Macy Butler, Esther Bloomberg
Albright–Hadorn syndrome – Fuller Albright, Walter Hadorn
Albright IV syndrome – Fuller Albright
Alexander disease – William Stuart Alexander
Alibert–Bazin syndrome – Jean-Louis-Marc Alibert, Pierre-Antoine-Ernest Bazin
Alice in Wonderland syndrome – Alice, literary character in works of Lewis Carroll
Alpers–Huttenlocher syndrome – Bernard Jacob Alpers, Peter Huttenlocher
Alport syndrome – Arthur Cecil Alport
Alström syndrome – Carl Henry Alström
Alvarez syndrome – Walter C. Alvarez
Alzheimer disease – Alois Alzheimer
Anders disease – James Meschter Anders
Andersen disease – Dorothy Hansine Andersen
Andersen–Tawil syndrome – Ellen Andersen, Al-Rabi Tawil
Anderson–Fabry disease – William Anderson, Johannes Fabry
Angelman syndrome – Harry Angelman
Angelucci syndrome – Arnaldo Angelucci
Anton–Babinski syndrome – Gabriel Anton, Joseph Babinski
Apert syndrome – Eugène Apert
Aran–Duchenne disease – François-Amilcar Aran, Guillaume Duchenne
Arboleda-Tham Syndrome – Valerie A. Arboleda, Emma Tham
Arnold–Chiari malformation – Julius Arnold, Hans Chiari
Asherman syndrome – Joseph G. Asherman
Asperger syndrome – Hans Asperger
Avellis syndrome – Georg Avellis
Ayerza–Arrillaga syndrome – Abel Ayerza, Francisco Arrillaga

B

C

D

E

F

Fabry disease – Johannes Fabry
Fanconi anemia – Guido Fanconi
Fanconi syndrome – Guido Fanconi
Farber disease – Sidney Farber
Felty's syndrome – Augustus Roi Felty
Fitz-Hugh–Curtis syndrome – Thomas Fitz-Hugh Jr., Arthur Hale Curtis
Foix–Alajouanine syndrome – Charles Foix, Théophile Alajouanine
Foix–Chavany–Marie syndrome – Charles Foix, Jean Alfred Émile Chavany, Julien Marie
Fournier gangrene – Jean Alfred Fournier
Forbes–Albright syndrome – Anne Pappenheimer Forbes, Fuller Albright
Forbes disease – Gilbert Burnett Forbes
Fregoli delusion – Leopoldo Fregoli, an Italian actor
Frey syndrome – Lucja Frey-Gottesman
Friedreich's ataxia – Nikolaus Friedreich
Fritsch–Asherman syndrome – Heinrich Fritsch, Joseph Asherman
Fryns syndrome – Jean-Pierre Fryns
Fuchs dystrophy – Ernst Fuchs

G

H

Hailey–Hailey disease – Hugh Edward Hailey, William Howard Hailey
Hallervorden–Spatz disease – Julius Hallervorden, Hugo Spatz - in disuse, due to Nazi association
Hand–Schüller–Christian disease – Alfred Hand, Artur Schüller, Henry Asbury Christian
Hansen disease – Gerhard Armauer Hansen
Hardikar Syndrome – Winita Hardikar
Hartnup disease – the Hartnup family, in which causative gene was identified
Hashimoto thyroiditis – Hakaru Hashimoto
Havisham syndrome – Miss Havisham, a literary character in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations
Hecht–Scott syndrome – Jacqueline T. Hecht, Charles I. Scott, Jr
Henoch–Schönlein purpura – Eduard Heinrich Henoch, Johann Lukas Schönlein
Heyde's syndrome – Edward C. Heyde
Hirschsprung disease – Harald Hirschsprung
Hodgkin disease – Thomas Hodgkin
Holt–Oram syndrome – Mary Clayton Holt, Samuel Oram
Horner syndrome – Johann Friedrich Horner
Horton headache – Bayard Taylor Horton
Huntington disease – George Huntington
Hurler syndrome – Gertrud Hurler
Hurler–Scheie syndrome – Gertrud Hurler, Harold Glendon Scheie
Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome – Jonathan Hutchinson, Hastings Gilford

I

J

NB: To differentiate 2 identically named syndromes, parenthetical clinical descriptors were added:

Marshall syndrome – – D. Marshall
Marshall syndrome – – J. Marshall
Martin–Albright syndrome – August E. Martin, Fuller Albright
Martin–Bell syndrome – J. Purdon Martin, Julia Bell
May–Hegglin anomaly – Richard May, Robert Hegglin
May–Thurner syndrome – Richard May, J Thurner
Maydl hernia—Karel Maydl
Mayer–Rokitansky–Küster–Hauser syndrome – – August Franz Josef Karl Mayer, Carl von Rokitansky, Hermann Küster, Georges Andre Hauser
Mazzotti reaction – Luigi Mazzotti
McArdle disease – Brian McArdle
McCune–Albright syndrome – – Donovan James McCune, Fuller Albright
Meckel–Gruber syndrome – Johann Meckel, Georg Gruber
Meigs syndrome – Joe Vincent Meigs
Ménétrier disease – Pierre Eugène Ménétrier
Ménière disease – Prosper Ménière
Menkes disease – John Hans Menkes
Middleton syndrome – Stephen John Middleton
Mirizzi syndrome – Pablo Luis Mirizzi
Mikulicz disease – Jan Mikulicz-Radecki
Miss Havisham syndrome – Miss Havisham, a literary character in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations
Mondor disease – Henri Mondor
Monge disease – Carlos Monge
Mortimer's disease – Mrs. Mortimer, a patient who experienced it
Morton neuroma
Moschcowitz syndrome – Eli Moschcowitz
Mowat–Wilson syndrome – David Mowat, Meredith Wilson
Mucha–Habermann disease – Viktor Mucha, Rudolf Habermann
Mulvihill–Smith syndrome – John J. Mulvihill, David Weyhe Smith
Munchausen syndrome – Baron Munchausen
Munchausen syndrome by proxy – Baron Munchausen
Myhre–Riley–Smith syndrome – S. Myhre, Harris D. Riley Jr.

N

Nasu–Hakola disease – T. Nasu, P. Hakola
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma – Thomas Hodgkin
Noonan syndrome – Jacqueline Noonan

O

P

Paget's disease of bone – James Paget
Paget's disease of the breast – James Paget
Paget's disease of the penis – James Paget
Paget's disease of the vulva – James Paget
Paget–Schroetter disease – James Paget, Leopold von Schrötter
Parkinson's disease – James Parkinson
Patau syndrome – Klaus Patau
Pearson syndrome – Howard Pearson
Pelizaeus–Merzbacher disease – Friedrich Christoph Pelizaeus, Ludwig Merzbacher
Pendred syndrome – Vaughan Pendred, a British doctor
Perlman syndrome – Max Perlman
Perthes syndrome – Arthur Legg, Jacques Calvé, Georg Perthes
Peutz–Jeghers syndrome – Jan Peutz, Harold Jeghers
Peyronie's disease – François Gigot de la Peyronie
Pfaundler–Hurler syndrome – Meinhard von Pfaundler, Gertrud Hurler
Pick's disease – Arnold Pick
Pickardt syndrome – Renate Pickardt
Plummer's disease – Henry Stanley Plummer
Plummer–Vinson syndrome – Henry Stanley Plummer and Porter Paisley Vinson
Plyushkin syndrome – Stepan Plyushkin, a fictional character in Nikolai Gogol's Dead Souls
Poland's syndrome – Alfred Poland
Pompe's disease – Johann Cassianius Pompe
Pott's disease – Percivall Pott
Pott's puffy tumor – Percivall Pott
Potocki–Lupski syndrome – Lorraine Potocki, James R. Lupski
Potocki–Shaffer syndrome – Lorraine Potocki, Lisa G. Shaffer
Potter sequence – Edith Potter
Prader–Willi syndrome – Andrea Prader, Heinrich Willi
Prasad's Syndrome – Ashok Prasad
Primrose syndrome – D. A. Primrose
Prinzmetal angina – Myron Prinzmetal
Purtilo syndrome – David Theodore Purtilio

Q

R

S

Saint's triad – C. F. M. Saint
Sandhoff disease – Konrad Sandhoff
Sandifer syndrome – Paul Sandifer
Sanjad-Sakati syndrome – Sami A. Sanjad, Nadia Awni Sakati, Ricky J Richardson, Jeremy MW Kirk
Schamberg disease – Jay Frank Schamberg
Scheie syndrome – Harold Glendon Scheie
Scheuermann's disease – Holger Scheuermann
Schilder's disease – Paul Ferdinand Schilder
Schinzel–Giedion syndrome – Albert Schinzel, Andreas Giedion
Schnitzler syndrome – Liliane Schnitzler
Seaver Cassidy syndrome – Laurie Seaver, Suzanne Cassidy
Seligmann's disease – Maxime Seligmann
Sertoli–Leydig cell tumour - Enrico Sertoli, Franz Leydig a sex-cord stromal tumor,
Sever's disease – J. W. Sever
Shabbir syndrome – G. Shabbir
Sheehan's syndrome – Harold Leeming Sheehan
Shprintzen's syndrome – Robert Shprintzen
Shwachman–Bodian–Diamond syndrome – Harry Shwachman, Martin Bodian, Louis Klein Diamond
Silver–Russell syndrome – Henry Silver, Alexander Russell
Simmonds' syndrome – Moritz Simmonds
Sipple's syndrome – John H. Sipple
Sjögren syndrome – Henrik Sjögren
Sjögren–Larsson syndrome – Torsten Sjögren, Tage Konrad Leopold Larsson
Skumin syndrome – Victor Skumin
Smith–Lemli–Opitz syndrome – David Weyhe Smith
Stargardt disease – Karl Stargardt
Steele–Richardson–Olszewski syndrome –
Stein-Leventhal Syndrome - Irving F. Stein, Sr. and Michael L. Leventhal
Stevens–Johnson syndrome – Albert Mason Stevens, Frank Chambliss Johnson
Sturge–Weber syndrome – William Allen Sturge, Frederick Parkes Weber
Still's disease – Sir George Frederic Still
Susac's syndrome – John Susac
Sutton's disease – Richard Lightburn Sutton

T

TAN syndrome – Tan Aik Kah
Takayasu's arteritis – Mikito Takayasu
Tatton-Brown–Rahman syndrome – Katrina Tatton-Brown, Nazneen Rahman
Tay–Sachs disease – Warren Tay, Bernard Sachs
Theileriosis – Sir Arnold Theiler
Thomsen's disease – Julius Thomsen
Tietz syndrome – Walter Tietz
Tietze syndrome – Alexander Tietze
Temple–Baraitser syndrome – Karin Temple and Michael Baraitser
Timothy syndrome - Katherine W. Timothy
Todd syndrome – John Todd
Tourette syndrome – Georges Albert Édouard Brutus Gilles de la Tourette
Treacher Collins syndrome – Edward Treacher Collins
Turcot syndrome – Jacques Turcot
Turner syndrome – Henry Turner