Glossary of Medical Terms

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(Also visit the MEDLINEPlus Medical Dictionary to look up other medical terms. This hyperlink opens a new browser window.)

A

acute

of short and sharp course, not chronic; sharp, pointed at the end

autoimmunity

the condition in which "self" is exempt. In Immunology, however, used in quite the opposite sense, to denote the condition in which one's own tissues are subject to deleterious effects of the immunological system.

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C

chronic

of long duration; denoting a disease of slow progress and long continuance.

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D

digestion

the process whereby ingested food is converted into materials suitable for assimilation for synthesis of tissues or liberation of energy.

digestive

relating to digestion

disease

morbus, illness, sickness; an interruption, cessation, or disorder of body functions, systems, or organs. A disease entity characterized usually by at least two of these criteria: a recognized etiologic agent (or agents) , an identifiable group of signs and symptoms, or consistent anatomical alterations.

disorder

a disturbance of function, structure or both resulting from a genetic or embryologic failure in development, or from exogenous factors such as poison, injury, or disease.

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I

imbalance

lack of equality between opposing forces ( for example - lack of balance between sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems)

immune

free from the possibility of acquiring a given infectious disease; resistant to an infectious disease.

immunity

insusceptibility; the status or quality of being immune.

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M

malignancy, malignant

the property or condition of being malignant (e.g. in reference of neoplasm, having the property of locally invasive and destructive growth and metastasis. )

metabolic, metabolism

tissue change;

the sum of chemical changes occurring in tissue, consisting of anabolism, or those reactions that convert small molecules into large ( e.g. amino acids to proteins), and catabolism, or those reactions that convert large molecules into small ( e.g. glycogen to pyruvic acid).

metastasis

the shifting of a disease, or its local manifestations, from one part of the body to another. In cancer , the appearance of neoplasm in part of the body remote from the seat of primary tumor.

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N

neoplasm

new growth; tumor; an abnormal tissue that grows by cellular proliferation more rapidly than normal and continues to grow after the stimuli that initiated the new growth cease.

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P

pathology

the structural and functional changes that result from the disease processes.

physiologic, physiological

relating to physiology. Normal as opposed to pathologic; denoting the various vital processes. Denoting the action of a drug when given to a healthy person, as distinguished from its therapeutic action.

physiology

the science concerned with living things, with the normal vital processes of animal and vegetable organisms.

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R

respiration

a fundamental process of life characteristic of both plants and animals, in which oxygen is used to oxidize organic fuel molecules, providing a source of energy as well as carbon dioxide and water.

respiratory

relating to respiration.

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S

stage

a period in the course of a disease; the distribution and extent of dissemination of a malignant neoplastic disease. A particular step, phase, or position in a developmental process.

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V

vascular

relating to or containing blood vessels.

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(Also visit the MEDLINEPlus Medical Dictionary to look up other medical terms. This hyperlink opens a new browser window.)