sporadic

sporadic

 [spŏ-rad´ik]

occurring singly; widely scattered; not epidemic or endemic.

spo·rad·ic

(spō-rad'ik),

1. Denoting a temporal pattern of disease occurrence in an animal or human population in which the disease occurs only rarely and without regularity.

2. In the genetic context, sporadic denotes a singleton or sport. Several quite different and disparate phenomena are covered by this term, including a new mutation; occult nonpaternity; the chance outcome for a recessive trait in two carrier parents with a small family; extreme variability in the expression of a gene; an environmental phenocopy; a multilocal genocopy, etc. No useful properties can be predicated of all members of this class; and the term is notionally useless.

3. Occurring irregularly, haphazardly.

[G. sporadikos, scattered]

sporadic

/spo·rad·ic/ (spo-rad´ic) occurring singly; widely scattered; not epidemic or endemic.

sporadic

(spə-răd′ĭk, spô-)

adj.

1. Occurring at irregular intervals or in isolated or scattered places; having no pattern or order: his sporadic attendance in class; rebels who put up sporadic resistance.

2. Medicine Not epidemic, endemic, or inherited. Used of a disease or condition: Most cancers are sporadic, caused by genetic mutations that are not heritable.

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spo·rad′i·cal·ly adv.

spo·rad′i·cal·ness n.

sporadic

[spôrat′ik]

Etymology: Gk, sporaden, scattered

(of a number of events) occurring at scattered, intermittent, and apparently random intervals.

sporadic

Epidemiology adjective Referring to a noninherited condition that arises rarely in a particular population Genetics adjective Referring to an event attributable to changes in somatic DNA, which may be inherited, but unpredictably

spo·rad·ic

(spōr-ad'ik)

1. Denoting a temporal pattern of disease occurrence in an animal or human population in which the disease occurs only rarely and without regularity.
See also: endemic, epidemic, epizootic

2. Occurring irregularly, haphazardly.

[G. sporadikos, scattered]

sporadic

having a distribution confined to limited and dispersed localities; scattered.

Sporadic

Occurring at random or by chance, and not as a result of a genetically determined, or inherited, trait.

Mentioned in: Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy, Gastrinoma, Ichthyosis

sporadic

irregular, i.e. occurring from time to time

spo·rad·ic

(spōr-ad'ik)

1. Denoting temporal pattern of disease occurrence in which the disease occurs only rarely and without regularity.

2. Occurring irregularly, haphazardly.

[G. sporadikos, scattered]

sporadic

occurring irregularly, usually infrequently.