cryptogenic

Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • adjective Of obscure or unknown origin. Used of diseases.

Examples

  • In 2007, Rajaratnam suffered a severe cryptogenic stroke, or a stroke of undetermined cause, Wise said.

    BusinessWeek.com -- Top News

  • My medical knowledge was certainly notched up, and for a few brief weeks I managed to slip cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis into casual conversation.

    NYT > Home Page

  • A central Ohio man has become the first patient in the country to receive an advanced, implantable monitoring system as part of a long-term international study to assess the frequency of atrial fibrillation (AF) as a cause of cryptogenic, or unexplained, stroke.

    The Lantern

  • In about one third of all patients with cerebral ischemia, no definite cause can be identified (cryptogenic stroke).

    BioMed Central - Latest articles

Note

The word 'cryptogenic' comes from Greek roots meaning 'hidden' and 'kind'.