Copy of `MediChecks - Medical glossary`

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MediChecks - Medical glossary Category: Health and Medicine Date & country: 06/01/2008, UK Words: 1901

Gastrointestinal tract
the part of the digestive system that includes the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, and intestines

Gastrointestinal series
a set of X-rays, taken at different intervals after a barium sulphate solution is swallowed, to examine the gastrointestinal tract

Gastro-enteritis
inflammation of the stomach and intestines

Gastritis
inflammation of the mucous membrane lining of the stomach; can have a number of causes, including viruses, bacteria, and use of alcohol and other drugs

Gastrinoma
a tumour that produces gastrin, making the stomach and duodenum more acidic

Gastric ulcer
a peptic ulcer

Gastrin
a hormone that stimulates the release of gastric acid in the stomach

Gastric juice
digestive fluids produced by the lining of the stomach that break down proteins and destroy harmful organisms

Gastric lavage
washing out of the stomach with water, often to treat poisoning; commonly called 'stomach pumping'

Gastric acid
the digestive acid in the stomach

Gangrene
death of a tissue because of a lack of blood supply

Gastrectomy
surgical removal of all or part of the stomach

Ganglion
a fluid-filled cyst attached to a tendon sheath or joint

Gamma globulin
a substance prepared from blood that carries antibodies to most common infections; also used in immunisations

Gamete intrafallopian transfer
a method of treating infertility in which eggs are taken from a woman's ovaries and fertilised with sperm and then the fertilised egg is injected into one of her fallopian tubes

Gallstone ileus
an abnormal condition in which a gallstone passes from the gallbladder into the intestines through an abnormal passage and blocks the intestine

Gallstone
a round, hard mass of cholesterol, bile, or calcium salts that is found in the gallbladder or a bile duct

Gallbladder
a small, pear-shaped sac positioned under the liver, which concentrates and stores bile

Galactosaemia
a genetic disorder in which galactose cannot be converted into glucose

Galactose
a sugar that is formed from the breakdown of lactose

Galactorrhoea
breast milk production by a woman who is not pregnant and has not just given birth

Galactocele
a milk-filled tumour in a blocked breast milk duct

Fungus
an organism that is dependent on another organism for nourishment

FSH
see Follicle stimulating hormone

Fulminant
describes a disorder that begins suddenly and worsens quickly

Free radical
see Oxygen free radical

Frostbite
damage to body tissue as a result of freezing

Fracture
a bone break

Fraternal twins
twins that develop from two different eggs fertilised by two different sperm; are not identical

Foreign body
an object in an organ or body cavity that is not normally present

Foreskin
the loose skin that covers the head of the penis

Forceps delivery
the use of an instrument that cups the baby's head (called an obstetric forceps), to help deliver a baby

Forceps
instruments resembling tweezers that are used to handle objects or tissue during surgery

Food poisoning
stomach pain, diarrhoea, and/or vomiting caused by eating contaminated food

Fontanelles
the two soft spots on a baby's scalp that are the result of gaps in the skull where bones have not yet fused

Folliculitis
the inflammation of hair follicles due to a bacterial infection, causing boils or tiny blisters containing pus

Follicle stimulating hormone
a hormone produced by the pituitary gland in the brain that stimulates the testicles to produce sperm in males and causes eggs to mature in females

Follicle
a tiny pouch-like cavity in a structure of the body, such as a hair follicle

Folic acid
a vitamin essential to the production of red blood cells; plays an important role in the growth a developing foetus

Foetus
the term used to refer to an unborn child from 8 weeks after fertilisation to birth

Foetal tissue transplant
an experimental procedure in which cells are taken from an aborted foetus and placed into the brain of a person with a brain disease such as Parkinson's

Foetal monitoring
the use of an instrument to record or listen to a foetus' heartbeat during pregnancy and labour

Foetal distress
physical distress experienced by a foetus because of lack of oxygen

Foetal alcohol syndrome
a combination of defects in a foetus as a result of the mother drinking alcohol during pregnancy

Fluoroscopy
a method used to view organ structure and function by passing X-rays through the body and monitoring the resulting image on a fluorescent screen

Fluoride
a mineral that helps protect teeth against decay

Flu
see Influenza

Fluke
a parasitic flatworm that can infest humans

Floaters
small spots that float across the field of vision, caused by debris floating in the gel-like substance that fills the eye

Flatulence
excessive air or gas in the intestines, which is expelled through the anus

Fistula
an abnormal passageway from one organ to another or from an organ to the body surface

Fitness
a measure of a person's physical strength, flexibility, and endurance

Fissure
a groove or slit on the body or in an organ

Fibroma
a noncancerous tumour of connective tissue

Fibrosis
abnormal formation of connective or scar tissue

Fifth disease
a childhood infection caused by a virus, which often starts as a rash on the cheeks and spreads

Fibroid
a noncancerous tumour of the uterus made up of smooth muscle and connective tissue

Fibroadenoma
a noncancerous tumour commonly found in the breast

Fibrocystic breast disease
the most common cause of breast lumps

Fibrillation
rapid, inefficient contraction of muscle fibres of the heart caused by disruption of nerve impulses

Fibre-optics
thin, flexible instruments that transmit light and images, allowing structures inside of the body to be viewed

Fibre
a constituent of plants that cannot be digested, which helps maintain healthy functioning of the bowels

Fertility drug
a drug used to treat infertility that contains hormones or substances associated with hormones

Fertility
the ability to produce a child

Femoral artery
the main artery that supplies blood to the leg

Femur
the bone located between the hip and the knee; the thighbone

Fertilisation
the joining of an egg and a sperm, creating the first cell of a new life

Febrile
a term used to describe something related to a fever, such as febrile seizures (seizures occurring in a child who has a fever)

Fatty acid
any of a number of carbon-, oxygen-, and hydrogen-containing molecules that make up fats

Fasciitis
inflammation of the layer of connective tissue that covers, separates, and supports muscles

Familial
a term describing a disorder or characteristic (such as male pattern baldness) that occurs within a family more often than would be expected

Fallopian tube
either of two long, slender ducts connecting a woman's uterus to her ovaries, where eggs are transported from the ovaries to the uterus and sperm may fertilise an egg

Failure to thrive
describes a baby who grows and gains weight slower than expected

Faecal occult blood test
a test that uses a piece of chemically sensitive paper to detect blood in a stool sample; used to screen for possible signs of cancer in the large intestine or rectum

Facial palsy
inability to move the muscles of the face, usually on only one side, due to inflammation of a nerve

Extradural anaesthesia
injection of an anaesthetic into the space outside the dura mater, the fibrous membrane that envelops the spinal cord

External version
external repositioning of the foetus in the womb to the correct birth position

Exogenous
arising from outside of the body

Expectorant
a medication used to promote the coughing up of phlegm from the respiratory tract

Extensor muscle
a muscle that causes a joint or limb to straighten

Exercise thallium test
an imaging test performed during and after an exercise stress test to evaluate functioning of the heart muscles

Exercise stress test
the monitoring of the heart during strenuous exercise, usually on a treadmill or exercise bicycle, to evaluate how the heart responds to stress

Excision
the surgical removal of diseased tissue

Excretion
the process by which the body rids itself of waste

Euthanasia
painlessly ending the life of a patient with an incurable disease who requests to die

Eustachian tube
the tube that connects the middle ear and the back of the nose, draining the middle ear and regulating air pressure

Erythroplakia
red patches in the mucous membranes of the mouth, throat, or voice box (larynx) that can become cancerous; risk factors include smoking pipes and chewing tobacco

Erythrocyte sedimentation rate
a measure of the time it takes for red blood cells to collect at the bottom of a sample of blood; an elevated rate may mean that there is inflammation somewhere in the body

Erythema
redness of the skin

Erythrocyte
a red blood cell

Erysipelas
an infection caused by streptococci bacteria; characterised by fever and rash

Epithelium
the layer of cells that covers the body and lines many organs

Epstein-Barr virus
a virus that is the cause of mononucleosis and is involved in Burkitt's lymphoma

Episiotomy
a surgical procedure in which an incision is made in the tissue between the vagina and anus to prevent tearing of this tissue during childbirth

Episcleritis
a patch of inflammation on the outer layer of the white of the eye

Epinephrine
a hormone produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress, exercise, or fear; increases heart rate and opens airways to improve breathing; also called adrenaline

Epilepsy
a disorder of the nervous system in which abnormal electrical activity in the brain causes seizures

Epidural anaesthesia
a method of pain relief in which a painkilling drug is injected into the space surrounding the spinal cord to block sensations in the abdomen and lower body

Epidermis
the outer layer of the skin

Epididymis
a long, coiled tube, exiting from the back of the testicle, in which sperm mature