Medical terms - Letter A
1,573 terms start with the letter A.
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Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin)
Acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin): Aspirin is a good example of a tradename that has entered into the language. Aspirin was once the Bayer trademark for acetylsalicylic acid. On Aug. 10, 1897 young Bayer researcher, Felix…
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ACG2
Achondrogenesis type II
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ACh (acetylcholine)
Abbreviation for acetylcholine. See: Acetylcholine
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Achalasia
Our Achalasia Main Article provides a comprehensive look at the who, what, when and how of Achalasia Achalasia: A disease of the esophagus caused by the abnormal function of nerves and muscles of the esophagus that…
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AChE (acetylcholinesterase)
Abbreviation for acetylcholinesterase. See: Acetylcholinesterase
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Achilles
In Greek mythology, the hero who was thought to have some special medical knowledge. Achilles studied medicine with Chiron, the centaur, who invented it. '...But save me. Take me to the ship, cut this arrow out of my…
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Achilles tendon
A tough sinew that attaches the calf muscle to the back of the heel bone. The Achilles tendon is one of the longest tendons in the body. It is also called the tendo Achilles or the tendo calcaneus, the calcaneus being…
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Achilles tendonitis
Inflammation of the Achilles tendon, the tough sinew that attaches the calf muscle to the back of the calcaneus or heel bone. Achilles tendonitis causes pain and often swelling over the Achilles tendon. The tendon is…
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Achillobursitis
Pain due to inflammation of the bursa associated with the Achilles tendon. . The Achilles tendon is one of the better known anatomic features in sports medicine due to the abrupt dramatic nature of some injuries to this…
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Achillodynia
Pain due to inflammation of the Achilles tendon or the bursa associated with it. The Achilles tendon is one of the better known anatomic features in sports medicine due to the abrupt dramatic nature of some injuries to…
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Achlorhydria
A lack of hydrochloric acid in the digestive juices in the stomach (in technical terms, so that the pH of the stomach contents fails to fall below 4.0 under maximal stimulation). Hydrochloric acid helps digest food…
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Achondrogenesis
A genetic disorder of bonwe resulting in short-limbed dwarfism. There are a number of different types of achondrogenesis. See: Achondrogenesis type II
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Achondrogenesis type II
A severe inherited disorder of bone growth characterized by a short body and limbs and a lack of bone formation in the spine and pelvis. Infants with this disorder have short arms and legs, a small chest with short…
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Achondrogenesis, Langer-Saldino type
See: Achondrogenesis type II
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Achondrogenesis-hypochondrogenesis, type II
See: Achondrogenesis type II
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Achondroplasia
Our Achondroplasia Main Article provides a comprehensive look at the who, what, when and how of Achondroplasia Achondroplasia: The most common form of short stature with disproportionately short limbs -- dwarfism with…
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Achoo syndrome
A disorder characterized by nearly uncontrollable paroxysms of sneezing provoked in a reflex fashion by the sudden exposure of a dark-adapted subject to intensely bright light, usually to brilliant sunlight. The number…
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Achromatopsia
An hereditary disorder of sight due to a lack of cone vision - that type of vision provided by the cone photoreceptors in the retina. In the normal eye, there are some 6 million cone photoreceptors; they are located…
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Achromycin
See: Tetracycline
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Acid deposition
A complex chemical and atmospheric phenomenon that occurs when emissions of sulfur and nitrogen compounds and other substances are transformed by chemical processes in the atmosphere and then deposited on earth in…
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Acid indigestion
Excessive secretion of hydrochloric acid by the stomach cells. Medically known as hyperchlorhydria. Sometimes used interchangeably with heartburn. See also: Heartburn
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Acid phosphatase
Acid phosphatase is an enzyme that works under acid conditions and is made in the liver, spleen, bone marrow and the prostate gland. Abnormally high serum levels of the enzyme may, for example, indicate prostate disease…
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Acid rain
Rain resulting from the combination of fossil fuel emissions and water in the atmosphere. The environmental effects of acid rain include the acidification of lakes and streams, damage to trees at high altitude, the…
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Acid reflux
A common condition and an abnormal one in which acid in the stomach rises up into the esophagus. This occurs because the valve separating the contents of the stomach from the esophagus does not function properly. See…
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Acid, amino
One of the 20 building blocks of protein. The sequence of amino acids in a protein and, hence, the function of that protein are determined by the genetic code in the DNA. Amino acids are molecules that (in technical…
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Acid, bile
See: Bile acid
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Acid, fatty
One of many molecules that are long chains of lipid-carboxylic acid found in fats and oils and in cell membranes as a component of phospholipids and glycolipids. (Carboxylic acid is an organic acid containing the…
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Acid, folic
One of the B vitamins that is a key factor in the synthesis (the making) of nucleic acid (DNA and RNA). A deficiency of folic acid after birth causes a kind of anemia, namely, megaloblastic anemia in which there is a…
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Acid, nucleic
One of the molecules in the chromosomes of living cells and viruses that plays a central role in the storage and replication of hereditary information and in the expression of this information through protein synthesis…
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Acid, pantothenic
Pantothenic acid is vitamin B5, one of the less well known B vitamins, perhaps because it is widely distributed in nature. Pantothenic acid is virtually ubiquitous. It is present in foods as diverse as poultry…
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Acid, trans fatty
An unhealthy substance, also known as trans fat, made through the chemical process of hydrogenation of oils. Hydrogenation solidifies liquid oils and increases the shelf life and the flavor stability of oils and foods…
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Acid-base balance
Acid-base balance refers to the mechanisms the body uses to keep its fluids close to neutral pH (that is, neither basic nor acidic) so that the body can function normally
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Acidophilus
Bacteria found in yogurt that can help restore a supportive bacterial environment to an intestinal tract whose normal intestinal bacterial population ('flora') has been disturbed by disease or antibiotics. Eating yogurt…
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Acidosis
Too much acid in the body, a distinctly abnormal condition resulting from the accumulation of acid or from the depletion of alkaline reserves. In acidosis, the pH of the blood is abnormally low. Acidosis is associated…
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Acinetobacter
(Pronounced AH-sin-neto-bacter). A group of bacteria found in soil, water, and hospitals where they can cause serious infections in immunocompromised people and are often resistant to antibiotics. Acinetobacter can be…
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Acinus, pulmonary
The ending of a tiny airway in the lung, where the alveoli (air sacs) are located. In anatomy, an acinus is a round cluster of cells, usually epithelial cells, that looks somewhat like a knobby berry. The word 'acinus'…
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ACL
Anterior cruciate ligament
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ACL injury
See: Anterior cruciate injury
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Acne
Our Acne Main Article provides a comprehensive look at the who, what, when and how of Acne Acne: Localized skin inflammation as a result of overactivity of the oil glands at the base of hair follicles. Acne happens when…
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Acne rosacea
Acne, rosacea: This term is actually a misnomer! The appropriate term is simply rosacea which is a chronic skin disease that affects the middle third of the face with persistent redness over the areas of the face and…
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Acne vulgaris
The common form of acne seen most often in teenagers or young adults, acne vulgaris is the result of overactive oil glands that become plugged, red, and inflamed. Most outbreaks of acne can be treated by keeping the…
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Acne, adult
Popular name for rosacea. For more information, see: Rosacea
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ACNM
The American College of Nurse-Midwives. See: Nurse-midwife
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ACOG (Amer College of Ob & Gyn)
ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists): The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is an organization concerned with the quality of OB/Gyn practice in the U.S. It is called 'a cog.' The…
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Acou-
Combining form relating to hearing. As in acoustic, otoacoustic emission test, and presbyacousia
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Acoustic
Having to do with sound or hearing. The acoustic nerve (the 8th cranial nerve) is concerned with hearing and the sense of balance and head position. An acoustic neuroma is a tumor on the acoustic nerve
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Acoustic aphasia
See: Auditory aphasia
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Acoustic nerve
A cranial nerve concerned with hearing, balance and head position. The acoustic nerve is the 8th cranial nerve. It branches into two parts -- a cochlear part integral to hearing and a vestibular part which mediates the…
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Acoustic neurinoma
A benign tumor that may develop on the hearing and balance nerves near the inner ear. The tumor results from an overproduction of Schwann cells -- small sheet-like cells that normally wrap around nerve fibers like onion…
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Acoustic neurofibromatosis
See: Neurofibromatosis type 2