Medical terms - Letter A (page 18) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Aneurysm, fusiform

An aneurysm is a localized widening (dilatation) of an artery, vein, or the heart. At the area of an aneurysm, there is typically a bulge and the wall is weakened and may rupture. The word 'aneurysm' comes from the…
Aneurysm, miliary

An aneurysm is a localized widening (dilatation) of an artery, vein, or the heart. At the area of an aneurysm, there is typically a bulge and the wall is weakened and may rupture. The word 'aneurysm' comes from the…
Aneurysm, racemose

An aneurysm is a localized widening (dilatation) of an artery, vein, or the heart. At the area of an aneurysm, there is typically a bulge and the wall is weakened and may rupture. The word 'aneurysm' comes from the…
Aneurysm, renal

An aneurysm involving the kidney. An aneurysm is a localized widening (dilatation) of an artery, vein, or the heart. At the area of an aneurysm, there is typically a bulge and the wall is weakened and may rupture. The…
Aneurysm, saccular

An aneurysm is a localized widening (dilatation) of an artery, vein, or the heart. At the area of an aneurysm, there is typically a bulge and the wall is weakened and may rupture. The word 'aneurysm' comes from the…
Aneurysm, thoracic

An aneurysm situated within the thorax (chest). See: Aneurysm, aortic. An aneurysm is a localized widening (dilatation) of an artery, vein, or the heart. At the area of an aneurysm, there is typically a bulge and the…
Aneurysm, venous

An aneurysm involving a vein. As opposed to an arterial aneurysm or a cardiac aneurysm. An aneurysm is a localized widening (dilatation) of an artery, vein, or the heart. At the area of an aneurysm, there is typically a…
Aneurysmal bruit

A blowing sound heard over an aneurysm, a widening of a vessel. Bruit is French for noise
Anfinsen

See: Anfinsen, Christian Boehmer, Jr.
Anfinsen, Christian Boehmer, Jr.

(1916-1995) American biochemist who shared the 1972 Nobel Prize for work that helped explain the structure and composition of proteins in living cells. Chris Anfinsen was born in Monessen, Pennsylvania, a small town…
Angelman syndrome

Angelman syndrome: An important genetic syndrome characterized by severe motor and intellectual retardation, microcephaly (abnormally small head), ataxia, frequent jerky limb movements and flapping of the arms and…
Anger

An emotional state that may range in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and rage. Anger has physical effects including raising the heart rate and blood pressure and the levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline
Angiitis

See: Vasculitis
Angiitis, allergic granulomatous

See: Churg-Strauss syndrome
Angina

Angina: Chest pain due to an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle. The chest pain of angina is typically severe and crushing. There is a feeling just behind the breastbone (the sternum) of pressure and…
Angina pectoris

Chest pain that is typically severe and crushing with a feeling just behind the breastbone (the sternum) of pressure and suffocation, due to an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle. The term 'angina pectoris'…
Angina trachealis

Angina trachealis: This has nothing whatsoever to do with the usual type of angina (angina pectoris) which is chest pain of cardiac origin. Angina trachealis is more commonly known as croup. This is an infection of the…
Angina, exudative

Angina, exudative: This has nothing whatsoever to do with the usual type of angina (angina pectoris) which is chest pain of cardiac origin. Angina trachealis is more commonly known as croup. Croup is an infection of the…
Angina, Prinzmetal

Angina, Prinzmetal: Chest pain due to a coronary artery spasm, a sudden constriction of one of the vessels that supply the heart muscle with blood rich in oxygen. This deprives the heart muscle of blood and oxygen…
Angina, variant

Angina, variant: Chest pain due to coronary artery spasm, a sudden constriction of a coronary artery (one of the vessels that supply the heart muscle with blood rich in oxygen) depriving the heart muscle (myocardium) of…
Angina, Vincent

Angina, Vincent: This is trench mouth, a progressive painful infection with ulceration, swelling and sloughing off of dead tissue from the mouth and throat due to the spread of infection from the gums. Certain germs…
Angioedema

Like hives but affects deeper skin layer.
Angioedema, hereditary

A genetic form of angioedema. (Angioedema is also referred to as Quinke's disease.) Persons with it are born lacking an inhibitor protein (called C1 esterase inhibitor) that normally prevents activation of a cascade of…
Angiogenesis

The process of developing new blood vessels. Angiogenesis is important in the normal development of the embryo and fetus. It also appears important to tumor formation. Certain proteins, including angiostatin and…
Angiogram

An x-ray of blood vessels which can be seen because the patient receives an injection of dye to outline the vessels on the x-ray
Angiography

A procedure performed to view blood vessels after injecting them with a radioopaque dye that outlines them on x-ray. This technique can be usefully used to look at arteries in many areas of the body, including the…
Angiography, coronary

The most accurate method (the 'gold standard') for evaluating and defining coronary artery disease (CAD). Coronary angiography is used to identify the exact location and severity of CAD. During coronary angiography, a…
Angiography, fluorescein

See: Von Willebrand disease.
Angiohemophilia

See: Von Willebrand disease
Angioid streaks

Tiny breaks in the elastin-filled tissue in the back of the eye (retinae). These abnormalities are visible to the doctor during an examination using a viewing instrument called an ophthalmoscope. Angioid streaks are…
Angiokeratoma corporis diffusum universale

See: Fabry disease
Angiomatosis, bacillary

A bacterial infection due to a cat scratch most often seen today in people with HIV. The disease characteristically presents with swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenitis), sore throat, fatigue, and fever, chills, sweats…
Angiomyxoma, aggressive

A slow-growing tumor of stromal cells which occurs primarily in the genital and pelvic regions. This tumor is much more common in women. It can range from relatively small tumors to football-size masses in the pelvis…
Angioneurotic edema, hereditary

Edema, hereditary: A genetic form of angioedema. (Angioedema is also referred to as Quinke's disease.) Persons with it are born lacking an inhibitor protein (called C1 esterase inhibitor) that normally prevents…
Angiopathy

Disease of the blood vessels (arteries, veins, and capillaries). There are two basic types of angiopathy: microangiopathy and macroangiopathy. In microangiopathy, the walls of small blood vessels become so thick and…
Angioplasty

Procedure with a balloon-tipped catheter to enlarge a narrowing in a coronary artery. Also called Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA).
Angiosarcoma

A type of cancer that begins in the lining of blood vessels. This type of tumor tends to be aggressive, recur locally, and spread widely. It can originate anywhere in the body but is well known to arise in skin, soft…
Angiostatin

Angiostatin is a piece (a fragment) of a protein, plasminogen, used normally in blood clotting. This fragment is normally secreted by tumors. It appears to halt the process of developing new blood vessels (angiogenesis)…
Angiostrongyliasis

Infection with the parasitic nematode (roundworm) Angiostrongylus. The two species that infect humans are A. cantonensis and A. costaricensis. A. cantonensis, the rat lungworm, is the most common cause of human…
Angiostrongylus infection

Also called angiostrongyliasis. See: Angiostrongyliasis
Angiotensin

A family of peptides (smaller than proteins) that act as vasoconstrictors to narrow blood vessels
Angiotensin converting enzyme

Usually abbreviated ACE
Angiotensin converting enzyme 2

An enzyme, abbreviated ACE2, that is an essential regulator of heart function. It may also be involved in the embryonic development of the heart. ACE2 was discovered in 2000. The gene for it has been mapped to the X…
Angiotensin II receptor blocker

A medication that blocks the action of angiotensin II, permitting the blood vessels to relax and dilate (widen), which lowers the blood pressure. Abbreviated ARB. ARBs are used to control high blood pressure…
Angiotensin receptor blocker

See: Angiotensin II receptor blocker
Angle-closure glaucoma

This condition can be acute or chronic. It consists of increased pressure in the front chamber (anterior chamber) of the eye due to sudden (acute) or slowly progressive (chronic) blockage of the normal circulation of…
Angle-closure glaucoma, acute

Increased pressure in the front chamber (anterior chamber) of the eye due to sudden (acute) blockage of the normal circulation of fluid within the eye. The block takes place at the angle of the anterior chamber formed…
Angry

Pertaining to anger, an emotional state that may range in intensity from mild irritation to intense fury and rage. Anger has physical effects; it raises the heart rate and blood pressure and the levels of adrenaline and…
Anhedonia

Loss of the capacity to experience pleasure. The inability to gain pleasure from normally pleasurable experiences. Anhedonia is a core clinical feature of depression, schizophrenia, and some other mental illnesses. An…
Anhidrosis

Not sweating. From the Greek an- meaning a lack of + hidros meaning sweat = lack of sweat. The inability to sweat may seem a blessing but it is not, since to sweat is to be able to stay cool. Anhidrosis creates a…