Medical terms - Letter A (page 2) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Abnormal

Not normal. Deviating from the usual structure, position, condition, or behavior. In referring to a growth, abnormal may mean that it is cancerous or premalignant (likely to become cancer)
ABO blood group

The major human blood group system. A person's ABO type depends upon the presence of absence of two genes --the A and B genes. These genes are encoded on chromosome 9 (in band 9q34.1). They determine part of the…
Abortifacient

A substance that causes pregnancy to end prematurely and causes an abortion
Abortion

In medicine, an abortion is the premature exit of the products of conception (the fetus, fetal membranes, and placenta) from the uterus. It is the loss of a pregnancy and does not refer to why that pregnancy was lost. A…
Abortion, artificial

An abortion that is brought about intentionally. Also called an induced or therapeutic abortion. As opposed to a spontaneous abortion (a miscarriage)
Abortion, habitual

The miscarriage of 3 or more consecutive pregnancies. The abortion of 3 or more miscarriages (spontaneous abortions) with no intervening pregnancies is also termed recurrent abortion. Habitual or recurrent abortion is a…
Abortion, induced

An abortion that is brought about intentionally. Also called an artificial or therapeutic abortion. As opposed to a spontaneous abortion (a miscarriage)
Abortion, multiple

Two or more miscarriages (spontaneous abortions) by a woman. Couples who have had multiple abortions have about a 5% chance that one member of the couple is carrying a chromosome translocation responsible for the…
Abortion, recurrent

The occurrence of 3 or more miscarriages (which are medically termed 'spontaneous abortions') with no intervening pregnancies. Recurrent abortion (or, as it is sometimes called, habitual abortion) is a form of…
Abortion, spontaneous

A miscarriage, that is, any pregnancy that is not viable (the fetus cannot survive) or in which the fetus is born before the 20th week of pregnancy. Spontaneous abortion occurs in at least 15-20% of all recognized…
Abortion, therapeutic

An abortion that is brought about intentionally. Also called an artificial or induced abortion. As opposed to a spontaneous abortion (a miscarriage)
Abortive

The word 'abortive' has a number of meanings including prematurely born; fruitless or unsuccessful; imperfectly formed or developed; tending to cut short. In everyday language, the sense of 'abortive' to mean…
Abortive polio

Abortive polio is a minor illness. It accounts for 80-90% of clinically apparent cases of polio infection, chiefly in young children. It does not involve the CNS. The usual symptoms are slight fever, malaise, headache…
ABR (auditory brainstem response)

Abbreviation for auditory brainstem response. See: ABR test
ABR test

>Hearing integrity (and neurologic normalcy) in infants and young children. >Neurologic integrity (and hearing) in patients who are comatose, unresponsive, or impaired due to a stroke, an acoustic neuroma (tumor on the…
Abraham-man

Also abram-man. One of a class of beggars who once wandered over England after the dissolution of the religious houses in the 16th century, pretending lunacy for the sake of obtaining alms. To sham Abraham (or sham…
Abrasion

An abrasion or 'excoriation' is a wearing away of the upper layer of skin as a result of applied friction force. In dentistry an 'abrasion' is the wearing away of the tooth substance
Abrin

A phytotoxin (plant poison) found in the seeds of a plant called the rosary pea or jequirity pea. These seeds are red with a black spot covering one end. Abrin is similar to ricin, a toxin that is also found in the…
Abruptio (abruptio placentae)

Premature separation of the placenta from the wall of the uterus. Abruption is a potentially serious problem both for the mother and baby
Abruption

A sudden breaking off or away. Abruption of the placenta (abruptio placentae) is the premature separation of the placenta from the wall of the uterus, a potentially very serious situation for the mother and baby
Abs

Commonly used slang for the abdominal muscles, the muscles running up and down in the abdominal wall. The 'abs' contain the rectus abdominus muscle, 'rectus' meaning straight.
Abscess

A local accumulation of pus anywhere in the body. The following are some examples of abscesses: > >A skin abscess is better known as a common boil; >A peritonsillar abscess is a persistent collection of pus behind the…
Abscess, breast

See: Breast abscess. see also: Breast infection; Mastitis
Abscess, perianal

See: Perianal abscess
Abscess, peritonsillar

See: Peritonsillar abscess
Abscess, skin

See: Skin abscess
Abscission

To remove tissue by cutting it away, as in surgery
Abse

See: Abse, Dannie
Abse, Dannie

British pulmonary physician and poet. Abse was born in 1923 in Cardiff, Wales to a Jewish family. He studied medicine first in Wales and then at King's College, London. He published his first collection of poetry in…
Absence of the breast

A rare condition wherein the normal growth of the breast or nipple never takes place. They are congenitally absent. There is no sign whatsoever of the breast tissue, areola or nipple. There is nothing there. Absence of…
Absence of the nipple

Medically called athelia, this is a rare condition but it is common in certain conditions. Athelia tends to occurs on one side (unilaterally) in children with the Poland sequence and on both sides (bilaterally) in…
Absence seizure

A seizure that takes the form of a staring spell. The person suddenly seems to be 'absent.' An absence seizure involves a brief loss of awareness, which can be accompanied by blinking or mouth twitching. Absence…
Absent eye

Also called anophthalmia, a congenital malformation (birth defect) of the globe. Anophthalmia refers, strictly speaking, to absence of the globe and ocular tissue from the orbit. However, in most cases of anophthalmia…
Absenteeism

The frequent absence from work or other duty without good reason. See also: Presenteeism
Absinthe

Once a major medical hazard, absinthe is an emerald-green liqueur flavored with extracts of the wormwood plant, licorice and aromatic flavorings in a alcohol base. Absinthe was manufactured, commercialized and…
Absinthism

The disorder associated with the habitual abuse of absinthe. The symptoms included hallucinations, sleeplessness, tremors, and convulsions. There has been debate over whether absinthism was due to absinthe or the…
Absolute CD4 count

The number of 'helper' CD4 T-lymphocytes in a cubic millimeter of blood. With HIV, the absolute CD4 count declines as the infection progresses. The absolute CD4 count is frequently used to monitor the extent of immune…
Absolute neutrophil count

The real number of white blood cells (WBCs) that are neutrophils. The absolute neutrophil count is commonly called the ANC. The ANC is not measured directly. It is derived by multiplying the WBC count times the percent…
Absorb

1. To take something in, as through the skin or the intestine.2. To react with radiation and reduce it in intensity, as with a dose of radiation or transmitted light.See also: Absorbed dose; Absorption; Malabsorption…
Absorbed dose

In radiology, the amount of energy that is deposited in any material by ionizing radiation. The unit of absorbed dose, the rad, is a measure of energy absorbed per gram of material. An alternative unit of absorbed dose…
Absorption

Uptake. In the biomedical sciences, absorption has diverse specific meanings. In the body, absorption is the process whereby a cell, tissue or organ takes up a substance. In the intestinal tract, absorption is the…
Abstemious

Marked by restraint, especially in the consumption of food or alcohol. From the Latin prefix 'abs-,' meaning 'from' or 'away,' and the Latin noun 'temetum,' meaning 'intoxicating drink.'
Abstinence

The voluntary self-denial of food, drink, or sex. Today, abstinence most commonly refers to denial of one's sexual activity
Abstinence, periodic

Also known as fertility awareness, natural family planning, and the rhythm method, this approach entails not having sexual intercourse on the days of a woman's menstrual cycle when she could become pregnant or using a…
Abuse, child

Child abuse is a very complex and dangerous set of problems that include child neglect and the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of children. Child neglect is the most frequently reported form of child abuse and the…
Abuse, elder

See: Elder abuse
Abuse, emotional child

Emotional child abuse is the third most frequently reported form of child abuse (after child neglect and physical child abuse), accounting 17% of all cases of child abuse. It is likely that emotional child abuse is…
Abuse, physical child

Next to child neglect, physical abuse is the second most frequently reported form of child abuse, accounting for 25% of all cases of child abuse. Physical child abuse is physical injury inflicted upon the child with…
Abuse, pregnancy

Abuse of an expectant mother. This abuse is most often perpetrated by the woman's spouse, partner, or relative. Spurts of temper can progress to shouting and name calling. Then pushing and shoving. The use of physical…
Abuse, psychological child

Also known as emotional child abuse, this is the third most frequently reported form of child abuse (after child neglect and physical child abuse), accounting 17% of all cases of child abuse. It is likely that emotional…