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The Glossary is very useful
for the explanation of medical terminology.
Click on a letter
to view the corresponding section of the glossary:
A B
C D
E F
G H
I J
K L
M N
O P
Q R
S T
U V
W X
Y Z
-
B . . .
- B lymphocyte
(B cell)
- B lymphocytes are white blood
cells of the immune system that are derived from the bone
marrow and spleen. B cells develop into plasma cells, which
produce antibodies.
- Background retinopathy
- Early stage of diabetic retinopathy;
usually does not impair vision. Synonyms - nonproliferative
retinopathy.
- Bacterial Toxin
- A poison produced by a bacteria
that kills specific cells in the body.
- Barium
- A chalky liquid used to coat
the inside of bowels that can be detected on an x-ray.
Barrett's Esophagus
- Peptic ulcer of the lower
esophagus.
- Basilar artery
migraine
- A form of migraine headache
that causes vertigo, double vision, and poor muscular coordination.
It involves a disturbance of a major brain artery. It
occurs primarily in young women with menstruation.
- Benign
- It does not spread or invade
to other parts of the body. Noncancerous
- Benign exertional
headache
- Headache brought on by exertion
such as running, lifting, coughing, sneezing, or bending.
- Beta cell
- Beta cells are in pancreas
that produce insulin, a hormone that controls the level
of glucose (sugar) in the blood.
-
- Bezoar
- A ball of food, mucus, vegetable
fiber, hair, or other material that cannot be digested in
the stomach. Bezoars can cause blockage, ulcers, and bleeding.
- Bile
- Fluid produced in the liver
and stored in the gallbladder. Bile helps break down fats
and gets rid of wastes in the body.
- Bile Acids
- Acids produce in the liver
and work with bile to break down fats.
- Bile Ducts
- Tubes that carry bile from
the liver to the gallbladder for storage and to the small
intestine for use in digestion.
.
- Biliary Atresia
- A condition in which the bile
ducts inside or outside the liver do not have normal openings.
Bile gets trapped in the liver, causing jaundice and cirrhosis.
- Biliary Stricture
- A narrowing of the biliary
tract from scar tissue resulting from injury, disease,
pancreatitis, infection, or gallstones.
- Biliary Tract
- The gallbladder and the bile
ducts. Synonyms biliary system or biliary tree.
- Bilirubin
- The substance formed when
hemoglobin breaks down. Increased bilirubin causes
jaundice. Bilirubin is normally passed in stool.
- Biofeedback
- a technique in which patients
are trained to gain some voluntary control over certain
physiological conditions, such as blood pressure and headache,
to help relaxation.
-
- Biopsy
- The removal of tissue, which
is then examined under a microscope to look for cancer cells.
- Bismuth Subsalicylate
- Pepto-Bismol is used to treat
diarrhea, heartburn, indigestion, and nausea. It causes
black stools.
- Bloating
- Swelling in the abdomen
that often occurs after meals.
- Blood Glucose
- The sugar is the major source
of energy for the body and is produced from food (fats and
proteins).Insulin is needed for sugar to get into the cells.
- Blood Glucose
Meter
- A machine that reads how much
glucose (sugar) is in the blood. A specially coated strip
containing a fresh sample of blood is inserted in a machine,
then calculates the correct level of glucose in the blood
sample and shows the result in a digital display.
- Blood Glucose
Monitoring
- Testing how much glucose (sugar)
is in the blood. A drop of blood from the fingertip is placed
on the end of a coated strip, called a testing strip. The
strip has a chemical on it that makes it change colors depending
on how much glucose is in the blood. The level of glucose
is determined in two ways. One way is by comparing the color
on the end of the strip to a color chart that is printed
on the side of the test strip container. The other way is
by inserting the strip into a small machine, called a meter,
which "reads" the strip and shows the level of
blood glucose in a digital window display. Blood testing
is more accurate than urine testing in monitoring blood
glucose levels because it shows what the present level of
glucose is, rather than what the level was an hour or so
earlier.
- Blood Pressure
- The force of the blood on
the walls of arteries. Two levels of blood pressure are
measured-the higher( systolic pressure) which occurs each
time the heart pumps blood into the vessels, and the lower
(diastolic pressure) which occurs when the heart rests.
A reading of 120/80 is said to be the normal range. If blood
pressure is too high that can cause health problems such
as heart attacks and strokes.
- Blood Sugar
- See: Blood glucose
- Blood Urea Nitrogen
(BUN)
- A waste product of the kidneys.
Increased levels of BUN in the blood may indicate early
kidney damage.
- Blood Vessel
- Tubes that act like a system
of canals to carry blood to and from all parts of
the body. The three main types of blood vessels are arteries,
veins, and capillaries. When heart pumps these vessels carry
the blood with oxygen and nutrients that the
cells need or take away waste that the cells do not need.
- Bone marrow
- The soft sponge-like material
inside the bones. Blood cells are formed in the bone marrow.
- Borborygmi
- Rumbling sounds caused by
gas moving through the intestines.
- Borderline diabetes
- A term no longer used. See:
Impaired glucose tolerance.
- Bowel
- Also called the small and
large intestines.
- Brittle diabetes
- A term used when a person's
blood glucose (sugar) level often swings quickly from high
to low and from low to high. Synonyms are labile and unstable
diabetes.
- Bronchoscopy
- A procedure in which a flexible
lighted tube is inserted through the throat to see
the lungs. It may be used to detect lung cancer or to do
some treatment procedures.
-
- Bronchus
- A large passageway for air
in the lungs.
- Bronze Diabetes
- A genetic disease of the liver
in which the body takes in too much iron from food. Synonyms=
hemocromatosis.
- Budd-Chiary
Syndrome
- A rare liver disease in which
the veins that drain blood from the liver are blocked or
narrowed.
- Bulking Agents
- Laxatives that make bowel
movements soft and easy to pass..
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