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
A
Acetaminophen
A crystalline compound
C8H9NO2that is a hydroxy derivative of acetanilide and is used in
chemical synthesis and in medicine instead of aspirin to relieve
pain and fever
Achlorhydria
Absence of hydrochloric
acid from the gastric juice
Anabolic steroid
A synthetic derivative
of testosterone that promotes tissue building and nitrogen-retaining
processes
Anemia
A condition in which the blood
is deficient in red blood cells, in hemoglobin, or in total
volume
Antihistamine
An agent that tends to block
or counteract the physiological action of histamine, a compound
in your body that produces an allergic effect to an allergen
Arteriosclerotic
vascular disease
A chronic disease characterized
by abnormal thickening and hardening of the arterial walls
with resulting loss of elasticity
B
Bone mineral density
A measure of the mineral
density (calcium content and other bone materials) of bones;
the higher your mineral content the denser your bones are;
in osteoporosis, the bone mineral content is low and bones
are more likely to break
Bone marrow
A highly cellular hematopoietic
connective tissue filling the medullary cavities and spongy
epiphyses of bones that becomes predominantly fatty with age–especially
in the long bones. The bone marrow is responsible for making
red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. It has
been shown that androgens stimulate protein synthesis in the
bone marrow
C
Calcium
A silver-white
bivalent metallic element that is an alkaline earth metal,
occurs only in combination, and is an essential constituent
of most plants and animals
Carcinoma
A malignant tumor of epithelial
origin; cancer is the term given to malignant tumors
Chronic
illness
A long-term
medical condition. The U.S. National Center for Health Statistics
defines a chronic condition as one with a duration of three
months or longer
Colitis
Also called
ulcerative colitis. A chronic inflammatory disease of the
colon that is of unknown cause and is characterized by diarrhea
with discharge of mucus and blood, cramping abdominal pain,
and inflammation and edema of the mucous membrane with patches
of ulceration
Constipation
Abnormally delayed or infrequent
passage of dry hardened feces
Corticosteroids
Any of various adrenal-cortex steroids
(as corticosterone, cortisone, and aldosterone) that are divided
on the basis of their major biological activity into glucocorticoids
and mineralocorticoids
Crohn’s
disease
Chronic ileitis (inflammation
of the ileum, the last part of the large intestine) that typically
involves the distal portion of the ileum, often spreads to
the colon, and is characterized by diarrhea, cramping, and
loss of appetite and weight with local abscesses and scarring
D
Decongestant
An agent that
relieves congestion (as of mucous membranes)
Dementia
A usually progressive condition
(as Alzheimer's disease) marked by the development of multiple
cognitive deficits (as memory impairment, aphasia, and inability
to plan and initiate complex behavior)
Dexchlorpheniramine
An antihistamine used to treat symptoms
of allergic conditions, e.g., sneezing, itching, runny nose,
or watery eyes associated with hay fever
E
Endometriosis
The presence and growth of functioning
endometrial tissue in places other than the uterus that often
results in severe pain and infertility
Erythropoietin
A chemical in your body that can increase
the production of new red blood cells
F
Ferritin
A crystalline iron-containing
protein that functions in the storage of iron and is found
especially in the liver and spleen
Flu
Any of several diseases caused
by bacteria or viruses and marked especially by respiratory
or intestinal symptoms
Folic acid
A crystalline vitamin C19H19N2O6of the B complex that is required for normal production of
red blood cells, that is used especially in the treatment
of nutritional anemias, and that occurs especially in green
leafy vegetables, liver, kidneys, dried beans, and mushrooms
—called also folacin, folate, Lactobacillus
casei factor, pteroylglutamic acid, vitamin
Bc, vitamin M
G
H
Heme iron
The form of
iron found in animal sources, which is highly available for
absorption. Good sources of heme iron include clams, liver,
beef, and shrimp
Hemoglobin
An iron-containing
protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to the cells
from the lungs and carries carbon dioxide away from the cells
and to the lungs
Hepatic Dysfunction
A dysfunction of, relating to, affecting,
or associated with the liver
Homocysteine
An amino acid C4H9NO2S
that is produced in animal metabolism by the demethylation
of methionine and forms a complex with serine that breaks
up to produce cysteine and homoserine and that appears to
be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease
and osteoporitic hip fracture when occurring at high levels
in the blood
Hypercalcemia
The presence of an excess of calcium
in the blood
Hyperhomocysteinemia
The presence of an excess of homocysteine,
a chemical found in the blood, that is an established independent
risk factor for a wide range of cardiovascular diseases in
both men and women, including coronary heart disease, myocardial
infarction, and stroke
Hypervitaminosis
An abnormal state resulting from excessive
intake of one or more vitamins
I
Inflammatory bowel
disease
Either of two inflammatory diseases
of the bowel: Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
Iron Deficiency
A reduction of total iron body stores
that can result in anemia and altered function of many vital
cells in the body
J
K
L
M
Macrocyctic anemia
An anemia (reduction of the number of red blood cells)
characterized by red blood cells that are larger than normal. Two
common causes include vitamin B12 deficiency or deficiency of folic
acid
Magnesium
A silver-white light malleable
ductile metallic element that occurs abundantly in nature
(as in bones and seeds and in the form of chlorophyll in the
green parts of plants) and is used in metallurgical and chemical
processes, in photography, in signaling, and in the manufacture
of pyrotechnics because of the intense white light it produces
on burning, and in construction especially in the form of
light alloys
Menopause
The natural cessation of menstruation
occurring usually between the ages of 45 and 55 with a mean
in Western cultures of approximately 51 (2): the physiological
period in the life of a woman in which such cessation and
the accompanying regression of ovarian function occurs —called
also climacteric
Microcyctic anemia
Anemia (reduction of the number of
red blood cells) characterized by red blood cells that are
smaller than normal. The most common cause is iron deficiency
Myocardial Infarction
A heart attack
N
Nephrosis
A term for non-inflammatory disease
of the kidneys, also called nephropathy
Nitrogen balance
The relationship between the
nitrogen taken into the body, usually as food, and the amount
of nitrogen excreted from the body in urine and feces. A negative
nitrogen balance means that parts of the body, such as muscles,
are breaking down faster than they are replaced. Anabolic
steroids are associated with improved nitrogen balance, provided
there is adequate intake of calories and protein
O
Osteoporosis
A condition that affects especially
older women and is characterized by decrease in bone mass
with decreased density and enlargement of bone spaces producing
porosity and brittleness
P
Pernicious anemia
A severe hyperchromic
anemia marked by a progressive decrease in number and increase
in size and hemoglobin content of the red blood cells and
by pallor, weakness, and gastrointestinal and nervous disturbances
and associated with reduced ability to absorb vitamin B12 due to the absence of intrinsic factor—also called addisonian
anemia
Placebo
An inactive substance (pill, liquid,
etc.), which is administered as if it were a therapy or drug,
but which has no therapeutic value. Placebos are used in clinical
trials to assess the real action of a drug administered identically,
through comparison and avoiding any psychic
Pseudoephedrine
A crystalline alkaloid C10H15NO
that is isomeric with ephedrine and is administered chiefly
in the form of its hydrochloride C10H15
NO·HCl
or
sulfate (C10H15NO)2·H2SO4especially to relieve nasal congestion factors
Q
R
Red blood cells: Red blood cells, or
erythrocytes
Are the most common type of
cells in the blood and are the body’s principal means
of delivering oxygen from the lungs to the tissues via the
blood
S
Sarcoidosis
Chronic disease of unknown cause that
is characterized by the formation of nodules resembling true
tubercles especially in the lymph nodes, lungs, bones, and
skin
Sinusitis
Inflammation of the sinus of the paranasal
sinuses. The source of the inflammation could be bacterial,
fungal, viral, allergic or autoimmune in origin
T
Testosterone
The most potent, naturally occurring
androgen formed by the testes, ovary, and adrenal cortex,
also referred to as the male sex hormone
U
Uterine fibroid
A benign tumor especially of the uterine
wall that consists of fibrous and muscular tissue
V
Vitamin B6
Pyridoxine or a closely related
compound found widely in combined form and considered essential
to vertebrate nutrition
Vitamin B12
A complex cobalt-containing compound C63H88CoN14O14P that occurs especially in liver, is essential to normal blood
formation, neural function, and growth, and is used especially
in treating pernicious and related anemias and in animal feed
as a growth factor —called also cyanocobalamin or hydroxycobalamin
Vitamin D
Any or all of several fat-soluble
vitamins chemically related to steroids, essential for normal
bone and tooth structure, and found especially in fish-liver
oils, egg yolk, and milk or produced by activation (as by
ultraviolet irradiation) of sterols
Vitamin E
Any of several fat-soluble vitamins
that are chemically tocopherols or tocotrienols, are essential
in the nutrition of various vertebrates in which their absence
is associated with infertility, degenerative changes in muscle,
or vascular abnormalities, are found especially in wheat germ,
vegetable oils, egg yolk, and green leafy vegetables or are
made synthetically, and are used chiefly in animal feeds and
as antioxidants
W
X
Y
Z
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Source: http://www.medlineplus.gov/
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