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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
-
N . . .
- Nausea
- The feeling of wanting to
throw up (vomit).
- Necrosis
- Dead tissue that surrounds
healthy tissue in the body.
- Necrotizing
Enterocolitis
- A condition in which part
of the tissue in the intestines is destroyed.
- Neonatal Hepatitis
- Irritation of the liver
with no known cause.
- Neoplasm
- Abnormal growth of tissue
that may or may not cause cancer. Also called tumor.
- Neuron
- nerve cell
- Neuropathy
- Disease of the nervous system.
-
- Neutropenia
- a decrease in the number
of white blood cells
- Noninsulin-dependent
Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM)
- The most common form of
diabetes mellitus; occurs in people who are over age 40.
Most of the people who have this type of diabetes are
overweight.either their bodies do not produce enough insulin
or their body cells are resistant to the action of insulin.
Synonyms: adult-onset diabetes, maturity-onset diabetes,
ketosis-resistant diabetes, stable diabetes and type II
diabetes mellitus.
- Nonsteroidal
anti- inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
- A group of medications used
to reduce inflammation that causes joint pain, stiffness,
and swelling.
- Nonulcer Dyspepsia
- Constant pain or discomfort
in the upper GI tract. Possibly caused by muscle spasms.
-
- Nutcracker
Syndrome
- Abnormal muscle tightening
in the esophagus.
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O . . .
- Obesity
- Abnormal body weight,
usually defined as more than 20 percent above average
for age, height and bone structure.
- Obstruction
- A blockage in the GI tract
that prevents the flow of liquids or solids.
- Occult Bleeding
- Blood in stool that is not
visible to the naked eye.
- Opportunistic infection
- An infection caused by an
infectious agent that
-
that would not cause a healthy person sick.
- Orthostatic Hypotension
- Drop in blood pressure upon
standing; may lead to light-headedness or fainting.
- Oral Hypoglycemic
Agents
- Drug that lowers the level
of glucose (sugar) in the blood. The pills work for some
people whose pancreas still produces some insulin.
-
-
Osteoporosis
-
Loss of calcium and other substances from bones,
causing bones to become weak and prone to fractures.
-
-
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P . . .
- Pancreas
- Gland that produces
enzymes essential to the digestion of food. The islets
of Langerhans within the pancreas secrete insulin into
the blood.
- Pancreatitis
- Inflammation of the pancreas
caused by alcohol, disease in the gallbladder, or virus.
- Parenteral
- Administered intravenously
or by injection.
- Parietal Cells
- Cells in the stomach wall
that make hydrochloric acid.
- Pathogenesis
- the origin and development
of a disease.
- Pepsin
- An enzyme in the stomach
that breaks down proteins.
- Peptic
- Related to the stomach
and the duodenum, where pepsin is present.
- Peptic Ulcer
- A sore in the lining of
the esophagus, stomach, or duodenum. An ulcer in the
stomach is a gastric ulcer; an ulcer in the duodenum
is a duodenal ulcer.
- Percutaneous
- Passing through the skin.
- Perforated Ulcer
- A hole in the wall of
an organ.
- Perianal
- The area around the anus.
- Peripheral
neuropathy
- Nerve damage, usually
affecting the feet and legs; causing pain, numbness,
or a tingling feeling.
- Peripheral
vascular disease (PVD)
- Disease in the large blood
vessels of the arms, legs, and feet. The signs
of PVD are aching pains in the arms, legs, and feet
and foot sores that heal slowly.
- Peristalsis
- A wavelike movement of
muscles in the GI tract that moves food and liquid through
the GI tract.
- Peritoneum
- The lining of the abdominal
cavity.
- Peritonitis
- Infection of the peritoneum.
- Pernicious Anemia
- Anemia caused by a lack
of vitamin B12. The body needs B12
to make red blood cells.
- Peutz-Jeghers
Syndrome
- An inherited condition.
Many polyps grow in the intestine.
- Pharynx
- The space behind the mouth.
Serves as a passage for food from the mouth to the esophagus
and for air from the nose and mouth to the larynx.
- Pituitary gland
- a pea-sized structure,
which secretes many important hormones, located behind
the hypothalamus. The pituitary serves the body in many
ways-in growth, in food use, and in reproduction.
- Plaque
- Is a swelling on the inner
surface of an artery produced by lipid deposit.
- Pneumonitis
- inflammation of the lungs
- Polyarthritis
- inflammation of several
joints at the same time
- Polydipsia
- Raging thirst that lasts
for long periods of time.
- Polymyositis
- A rheumatic disease that
causes weakness and inflammation of muscles.
- Polyp
- Bulging tissue from the
surface of an organ. People who have polyps in the colon
may have an increased risk of colorectal cancer.
- Polyphagia
- Great hunger.
- Polyunsaturated
fats
- A type of fat that comes
from vegetables.
- Polyuria
- Having to urinate often.
- Portal Hypertension
- High blood pressure in
the portal vein. This vein carries blood into the liver.
Portal hypertension is caused by a blood clot.
- Portal Vein
- The large vein that carries
blood from the intestines and spleen to the liver.
- Portosystemic
Shunt
- An operation to create
an opening between the portal vein and other veins around
the liver.
- Preeclampsia
- development of hypertension
in pregnansy, accompanied by swelling of feet and proteinuria
-
- Primary Biliary
Cirrhosis
- A chronic liver disease.
Destruction of the bile ducts in the liver prevents
release of bile.
- Proctalgia Fugax
- Intense pain in the rectum
that occasionally happens at night. Caused by muscle
spasms around the anus.
- Proctectomy
- An operation to remove
the rectum.
- Proctitis
- Irritation of the rectum.
- Proctocolectomy
- An operation to remove
the colon and rectum. Also called coloproctectomy.
- Proctocolitis
- Irritation of the colon
and rectum.
-
- Proctoscopy
- Looking into the rectum
and anus with a proctoscope.
- Proctosigmoidoscopy
- An endoscopic examination
of the rectum and sigmoid colon.
-
- Prolapse
- A condition that occurs
when a body part slips from its normal position.
- Proliferative
Retinopathy
- A disease of the small
blood vessels of the retina of the eye.
- Prophylaxis
- prevention of disease.
- Protein
- Proteins are made
of amino acids, which are called the building blocks
of the cells.
- Proteinuria
- Too much protein in the
urine.
- Proton Pump Inhibitors
- Medicines that stop the
stomach's acid pump.
- Prune Belly Syndrome
- A condition of newborn
babies. The baby has no abdominal muscles, so the stomach
looks like a shriveled prune. Also called Eagle-Barrett
syndrome.
- Pruritus
- Itching skin.
- Pruritus Ani
- Itching around the anus.
- Psoriatic
arthritis
- Joint inflammation that
occurs in about 5 to 10 percent of people with psoriasis
(a common skin disorder).
- Pulmonary
Embolism (PE)
- The occlusion of the pulmonary
artery or one of its branches by an embolus
- Pyloric Stenosis
- A narrowing of the opening
between the stomach and the small intestine.
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