noun
demon of ill health; disease
Personifies illness as a malevolent force or demon. Often used in figurative or dramatic contexts, such as 病魔に襲われる (to be attacked by disease).
彼は長い間、病魔と闘ってきた。
He has been fighting the demon of illness for a long time.
病魔が彼の体をむしばんでいった。
The disease gradually ate away at his body.