Medical terms - Letter A (page 12) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Allergy to cockroaches

Allergy to cockroaches: A condition that manifests as an allergic reaction when one is exposed to tiny particles from cockroaches. Asthma can be due to exposure to cockroach allergens (allergy-provoking substances)…
Allergy, cow milk

Allergy, cow milk: Casein and whey are the two major proteins of human milk and most milk-based formulas. Some (less than 8% of) infants have a true allergy to the cow proteins that are in milk-based formulas. Infants…
Allergy, honey bee

See: Honey bee allergy
Allergy, peanut

See: Peanut allergy
Allergy, soy milk

Allergy, soy milk: Soy protein formulas contain no cow milk and are therefore reasonable alternatives for infants with true cow milk allergy. However, some infants have allergy to both cow milk and soy proteins. These…
Allodynia

Pain from stimuli which are not normally painful. The pain may occur other than in the area stimulated. Allodynia means other pain. See: Cutaneous allodynia
Alloerotic

Having to do with sexual excitement toward the same sex. The opposite is heteroerotic
Allogeneic

Taken from different individuals of the same species. Two or more individuals are said to be allogeneic to one another when the genes at one or more loci are not identical
Allogeneic graft

See: Allograft
Allograft

The transplant of an organ or tissue from one individual to another of the same species with a different genotype. A transplant from one person to another, but not an identical twin, is an allograft. Allografts account…
Allopath

Or allopathist. A term sometimes applied to a physician who practices conventional medicine (allopathy)
Allopathic

Pertaining to allopathy (conventional medicine). The term was coined in 1842 by C.F.S. Hahnemann to designate the usual practice of medicine as opposed to homeopathy, the system of therapy that he founded
Allopathic medicine

The system of medical practice which treats disease by the use of remedies which produce effects different from those produced by the disease under treatment. MDs practice allopathic medicine. Also called conventional…
Allopathist

See: Allopath
Allopathy

The system of medical practice which treats disease by the use of remedies which produce effects different from those produced by the disease under treatment. MDs practice allopathic medicine. The term 'allopathy' was…
ALMS1

A gene on chromosome 2p13. Alstrom syndrome is caused by mutation of ALMS1
Alogia

1. Complete lack of speech, as in profound mental retardation or advanced dementia. Alogia is synonymous in this sense with aphasia. 2. Poverty of speech, as commonly occurs in schizophrenia.From the Greek a-, without +…
Alopecia

Baldness. There are many types of alopecia, each with a different cause. Alopecia may be localized to the front and top of the head as in common male pattern baldness. It may be patchy as in a condition called alopecia…
Alopecia areata

Alopecia areata: A patchy baldness which typically begins with patchy hair loss on the scalp and sometimes progresses to complete baldness and even loss of body hair. The hair loss tends to be rather rapid and…
Alopecia capitis totalis

Loss of all of the scalp hair. Alopecia means baldness and capitis refers to the head. Alopecia capitis totalis is thus total baldness of the scalp with normal hair elsewhere on the body. Aside from alopecia capitis…
Alopecia universalis

Absence of all of the hair, not only on the scalp, but also on the entire body. Affected individuals are born without eyebrows and eyelashes and never develop axillary or pubic hair. There are hair follicles but they…
Alopecia, traumatic

Hair loss caused by injury to the scalp. Traumatic alopecia is usually caused by grooming methods that attempt to straighten the natural kinkiness of hair in order to make the hair more manageable. It is a result of…
ALOX5AP

Arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase-activating protein. See: FLAP
Alpers disease

A progressive disease of the nervous system characterized by spasticity (tightness), myoclonus and dementia and by liver problems with jaundice and cirrhosis. This disorder, first described by Alpers in 1931 as 'Diffuse…
Alpha blocker

A drug that blocks receptors in arteries and smooth muscle. This action relaxes the blood vessels and leads to an increase in blood flow and a lower pressure for the control of hypertension. The action in the urinary…
Alpha cell, pancreatic

A type of cell in the pancreas (the organ of the digestive system located behind the stomach). Within the pancreas, the alpha cells are located in areas called the islets of Langerhans. Alpha cells make and release…
Alpha error

The statistical error (said to be 'of the first kind' or type I) made in testing an hypothesis when it is concluded that a result is positive when it really is not. Alpha error is often referred to as a false positive
Alpha helix

The coiled structure of many proteins consisting of a single chain of amino acids stabilized by hydrogen bonds. The alpha helix was first proposed by Linus Pauling and Robert Corey in a brilliant series of paper in the…
Alpha interferon

A protein produced by the body in response to an infection. There are 3 major classes of interferon -- alpha, beta, and gamma
Alpha linolenic acid

See: Alpha-linolenic acid
Alpha Omega Alpha

The medical honor society, the medical school equivalent of Phi Beta Kappa, in the United States and Canada. Membership is by election for distinguished academic achievement. Medical students, house officers, and…
Alpha particle

A tiny mass of material composed of two protons and two neutrons. Alpha particles do not travel very far from their radioactive source. They cannot pass through a piece of paper, clothes or even the layer of dead cells…
Alpha synuclein

See: Alpha-synuclein
Alpha thalassemia

Alpha thalassemia: A blood disorder, thalassemia is not one disease but rather a group of disorders that have a single feature in common: they all have a genetic defect in the production of hemoglobin, the protein that…
Alpha-1

Short for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency: An inherited disorder that results in low or no production of a protein called alpha-1 antitrypsin. This deficiency leads to damage of various organs, principally the lungs and liver…
Alpha-defensin

See: Defensin
Alpha-ET

Street name for alpha-ethyltryptamine
Alpha-ethltryptamine

An illicit hallucinogenic drug related to tryptamine. Street names for alpha-ethyltryptamine include: Alpha-ET; ET; Love pearls; Trip (also refers to LSD). Many agents in the class of tryptamines are hallucinogenic…
Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP)

AFP is a plasma protein that is normally produced by the fetus. It serves as the basis for some useful tests. AFP is manufactured principally in the fetus's liver and, also, in the fetal gastrointestinal (GI) tract and…
Alpha-galactosidase A deficiency

See: Fabry disease
Alpha-glucosidase inhibitor

A class of oral medications for type 2 diabetes that decrease the absorption of carbohydrates from the intestine, resulting in a slower and lower rise in blood glucose throughout the day, especially right after meals…
Alpha-linolenic acid

An essential fatty acid found in flaxseed oil, canola oil and walnuts. Abbreviated ALA
Alpha-synuclein

One in a family of structurally related proteins that are prominently expressed in the central nervous system. Aggregated alpha-synuclein proteins form brain lesions that are hallmarks of some neurodegenerative diseases…
Alport syndrome

An hereditary condition characterized by kidney disease, sensorineural (nerve) deafness and sometimes eye defects. The classic disorder as described by Alport in 1927 is nephritis (inflammation of the kidney), often…
Alprazolam

Alprazolam: A benzodiazepine sedative that causes dose-related depression of the central nervous system. Alprazolam is useful in treating anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, and muscle spasms. The brand name is Xanax. A…
ALPS

Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome
ALS

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS has two meanings. One meaning of ALS refers to several adult diseases characterized by progressive degeneration of motor neurons. (In the UK, the term 'motor neuron disease' is used…
ALS1

See: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 1
ALS2

See: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis 2