Copy of `MediChecks - Medical glossary`

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

Atherosclerosis
narrowing of the lining of the arteries due to the accumulation of fat and other materials; leads to coronary heart disease, stroke, and other disorders

Atheroma
fatty deposits on the inner walls of blood vessels, which can cause narrowing and decrease blood flow

Atherectomy
a procedure performed to remove plaque that is blocking an artery

Astigmatism
a disorder in which the front surface of the eye (the cornea) is not correctly spherical, resulting in blurry vision

Asthma
a disorder characterised by inflamed airways and difficulty breathing

Aspermia
the failure either to produce or to ejaculate sperm

Asphyxia
the medical term for suffocation; can be caused by choking on an object, by lack of oxygen in the air, or by chemicals such as carbon monoxide, which reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood

Ascorbic acid
the chemical term for vitamin C

Ascites
excess fluid in the abdominal cavity, which leads to swelling

Artificial insemination
injection of semen into the cervix

Artificial respiration-ventilation
the forcing of air (either by mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-nose means) into the lungs of a person who has stopped breathing

Arthroscopy
a procedure used to examine the inside of a joint using a viewing tube (an endoscope)

Artery
a large blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to tissues and organs in the body

Arthritis
a disease of the joints characterised by inflammation, pain, stiffness, and redness

Arteritis
inflammation of the walls of an artery that causes the passageway to become narrower; can lead to tissue damage because oxygen is not properly supplied

ARC
see AIDS-related complex

Arteriosclerosis
a disorder causing thickening and hardening of artery walls

Appendix
a short, tube-like structure that branches off the large intestine; does not have any known function

Appendectomy
surgical removal of the appendix to treat appendicitis

Appendicitis
inflammation of the appendix

Apnoea
a possibly life-threatening condition in which breathing stops, for either a short or long period of time

Aplasia
the complete or partial failure of any organ or tissue to grow

Aplastic anaemia
a severely reduced number of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets

Aortic stenosis
narrowing of the opening of the aortic valve in the heart, which increases resistance to blood flow from the left ventricle to the aorta; commonly a birth defect or caused by scarring and calcium accumulation in the valve from rheumatic fever

Apgar score
a system for evaluating the health of a new-born baby; rated on a scale of 0-10

Aorta
the main artery in the body, carrying oxygenated blood from the heart to other arteries in the body

Antiseptics
chemicals applied to the skin that prevent infection by killing bacteria and other harmful organisms

Anus
the opening through which faeces are passed from the body

Antipsychotics
drugs used to treat severe mental disorders

Antioxidants
substances that protect against cell damage by guarding the cell from oxygen free radicals

Antihypertensives
drugs used to relieve the symptoms and prevent the damage that can occur from high blood pressure

Antihistamine
a drug that relieves an allergic reaction by stopping the effects of histamine, the substance responsible for the negative symptoms associated with the reaction

Antiemetics
drugs used to treat nausea and vomiting

Anticoagulants
drugs used to stop abnormal blood clotting, such as to prevent stroke

Antibiotics
bacteria-killing substances that are used to fight infection

Antibody
a protein made by white blood cells that reacts with a specific foreign protein as part of the immune response

Antibiotic resistance
the development by bacteria of the ability to live in the presence of a certain antibiotic, making treatment difficult

Antacid
a drug that neutralises stomach acids; used to treat indigestion, heartburn, and acid reflux

Anorexia nervosa
a dangerous eating disorder mainly affecting young girls in which the sufferer has an intense fear of looking fat, avoids food, and loses weight excessively

Angioma
a tumour made of blood vessels or lymph vessels that is not cancerous

Angioplasty
the use of surgery to make a damaged blood vessel function properly again; may involve widening or reconstructing the blood vessel

Angina pectoris
pain experienced in the chest, arms, or jaw because of a lack of oxygen to the heart muscle

Aneurysm
an abnormal swelling of the wall of an artery, caused by a weakening in the vessel wall

Anencephaly
a fatal birth defect in which the brain and spinal cord have failed to develop, resulting in the absence of a portion of the skull and brain

Androgen
a hormone (such as testosterone) that causes development of male characteristics and sex organs

Anatomy
the structure of bodies; commonly refers to the study of body structure

Analgesic
a drug that relieves pain, such as aspirin or acetaminophen

Anaphylactic shock
a life-threatening allergic reaction resulting in difficulty breathing and low blood pressure

Anal sphincter
a ring of muscle fibres at the opening of the rectum, controlling the opening and closing of the anus

Anal fistula
an abnormal tube-like passage connecting the anus to the surface of the surrounding skin

Anal fissure
a long, open sore on the skin of the anus

Anaesthesia
a loss of sensation in a certain part of the body or throughout the body

Anaesthetic
a substance that temporarily causes a person to be unable to feel pain, either in a certain area or over the entire body

Anaemia
a condition in which the blood does not contain enough haemoglobin, the compound that carries oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body

Anabolic steroid
a drug similar to the male hormone testosterone that builds muscles and strengthens bones, but has adverse side effects

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
the most common of a group of disorders known as motor neurone diseases, in which the nerves in the brain that control the movement of muscles degenerate and muscle function is gradually lost; commonly called Lou Gehrig's disease

Amniotic fluid
clear fluid that surrounds a foetus during pregnancy and cushions and protects it

Amniocentesis
a procedure in which a small amount of amniotic fluid is removed from the mother's womb in order to detect abnormalities of the foetus

Amenorrhoea
absence of menstrual periods, occurring either after or before menstruation has begun

Alzheimer disease
a condition that occurs late in life and worsens with time in which brain cells degenerate; it is accompanied by memory loss, physical decline, and confusion

Altitude sickness
headaches, dizziness, and nausea usually experienced at heights above 8,000 ft because of reduced oxygen in the air

ALS
see Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Alopecia
baldness or loss of hair, mainly on the head, either in defined patches or completely; the cause is unknown

Allergy
a negative reaction to a substance that in most people causes no reaction

Allergic rhinitis
irritation of the nasal passages and the whites of the eyes, causing sneezing, runny nose, and sore eyes

Allergen
a substance that causes an allergic reaction

Alkylating agents
substances used in cancer treatment that interfere with the division of cells

Alimentary canal
another term for the digestive tract

Alkalosis
dangerously decreased acidity of the blood, which can be caused by high altitudes, hyperventilation, and excessive vomiting

Alcoholic cardiomyopathy
heart damage and failure caused by intake of too much alcohol

Airways
the passageways that air moves through while travelling in and out of the lungs during breathing

Albinism
a condition in which people are born with insufficient amounts of the pigment melanin, which is responsible for hair, skin, and eye colour

Airway obstruction
blockage of the passage of air through the windpipe to the lungs

Air embolism
the blockage of an artery by air bubbles, which may have entered during surgery or after an injury

AIDS
see Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

AIDS-related complex
symptoms including weight loss, fever, and enlarged lymph nodes experienced by people who are infected with HIV but do not yet have AIDS

Afterbirth
the placenta and membranes that are eliminated from the woman's uterus following the birth of a child

Afterpains
normal contractions of the uterus after childbirth that usually occur for the first few days after delivery

Affective disorder
a mental disorder involving abnormal moods and emotions; affective disorders include manic-depressive disorder

Aerobic exercise
physical activity during which the heart and lungs must work harder to meet the body's increased oxygen demand

Adverse reaction
an unintended and unwanted side effect of some sort of treatment, usually drug therapy

Adrenal glands
two small glands located on top of the kidneys that secrete several important hormones into the blood

Adrenal failure
a condition in which the adrenal glands do not produce enough of the hormones that control important functions such as blood pressure

Adjuvant therapy
the use of drugs or radiation therapy in the treatment of cancer along with surgery

Adipose tissue
another term for fatty tissue; it stores energy, insulates, and cushions the body

Adenitis
infection and inflammation of a gland, especially a lymph node

Addiction
dependence on a substance (such as alcohol or other drugs) or an activity, to the point that stopping is very difficult and causes severe physical and mental reactions

Acute respiratory disease
an urgent condition in which oxygen levels in the blood are lower than normal and breathing is difficult

Acquired
a word describing any condition that is not present at birth, but develops some time during life

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes a weakening of the immune system

Acute
describes a condition or illness that begins suddenly and is usually short-lasting

Acne
a skin condition characterised by inflamed, pus-filled areas that occur on the skin's surface, most commonly occurring during adolescence

Acidosis
a condition marked by abnormally high acid levels in the blood, associated with some forms of diabetes, lung disease, and severe kidney disease

Acid-base balance
the mechanisms that the body uses to keep its fluids close to neutral (neither basic nor acidic) so that the body can function properly

Acid reflux
a disorder in which acid in the stomach comes up into the oesophagus, because the valve separating the stomach and oesophagus does not function properly

Achilles tendon
the tendon at the back of the lower leg that connects the calf muscle to the heel bone

ACE inhibitor
a drug typically used to treat high blood pressure (Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme inhibitor)

Abscess
an accumulation of pus in a body tissue, usually caused by a bacterial infection

Abortion
termination of a pregnancy; can occur because of natural causes (called a miscarriage) or be a medical intervention

ABO blood groups
The system by which human blood is classified, based on proteins occurring on red blood cells; the four classification groups are A, AB, B, and O