Medical terms - Letter B (page 15) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Bulbar conjunctiva

That part of the conjunctiva, a clear membrane of the eye, which covers the outer surface of the eye. The other part of the conjunctiva is the palpebral conjunctiva, which lines the inside of the eyelids. The bulbar…
Bulbourethral gland

Also called Cowper's gland. A pea-sized gland in the male located behind and to the side of the urethra that discharges a component of seminal fluid into the urethra. There are two bulbourethral glands, one on each…
Bulimia

Bulimia: Also called bulimia nervosa. An eating disorder characterized by episodes of secretive excessive eating (binge-eating) followed by inappropriate methods of weight control, such as self-induced vomiting…
Bulimia nervosa

See Bulimia
Bulimia susceptibility gene

A gene that determines the susceptibility to developing bulimia, one disorder in the spectrum of eating disorders. There is now a substantial literature showing that bulimia is strongly familial and that the pronounced…
Bulla

A fluid-filled blister more than 5 mm (about 3/16 inch) in diameter with thin walls. A bulla on the skin is a blister. A bulla on the pleura (the membrane covering the lung) is also called a bleb. In Latin a bulla was a…
Bullae

More than one bulla, a bulla being a blister more than 5 mm (about 3/16 inch) in diameter with thin walls that is full of fluid. Blisters on the skin are called bullae. Bullae on the pleura (the membrane covering the…
Bullous

Characterized by blistering, such as in a second-degree burn. Bullous is the adjective for bulla. A bulla is a blister more than 5 mm (about 3/16 inch) in diameter with thin walls that is full of fluid. A bulla on the…
Bullous pemphigoid

Bullous pemphigoid: A disease characterized by tense blisters on the skin. The condition is caused by antibodies that accumulate abnormally in a layer of the skin called the basement membrane. The antigen of this…
Bummed out

Slang term for depression. For more, see: Depression
Bumps

The raised area of a bump or bruise results from blood leaking from these injured blood vessels into the tissues as well as from the body's response to the injury. A purplish, flat bruise that occurs when blood leaks…
BUN

Blood urea nitrogen. A measure primarily of the urea level in blood. Urea is cleared by the kidney and diseases which compromises the function of the kidney will frequently lead to increased blood levels. The blood BUN…
Bundling

A term employed by the FDA (the US Food & Drug Administration) that refers to the inclusion of multiple devices or multiple indications for use for a device in a single premarket submission, including products…
Bunion

A bunion is a localized painful swelling at the base of the big toe (the great toe). The joint is enlarged (due to new bone formation) and the toe is often misaligned. It is frequently associated with inflammation. It…
Buprenorphine

A prescription medication for people addicted to heroin or other opiates that acts by relieving the symptoms of opiate withdrawal such as agitation, nausea and insomnia. Buprenorphine is more weakly addictive and has a…
Burkholderia cepacia

(B. cepacia, for short.) A group of bacteria found in soil and water that are often resistant to common antibiotics. B. cepacia poses little medical risk to healthy people. However, people who have certain health…
Burkitt lymphoma

A type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) that most often occurs in young people between the ages of 12 and 30, accounting for 40% to 50% of childhood NHL. The disease usually causes a rapidly growing tumor in the abdomen…
Burkitt's lymphoma

See: Burkitt lymphoma
Burn

Damage to the skin or other body parts caused by extreme heat, flame, contact with heated objects, or chemicals. Burn depth is generally categorized as first, second, or third degree. The treatment of burns depends on…
Burn treatment

The treatment of burns depends on the depth, area and location of the burn. Burn depth is generally categorized as first, second or third degree. A first degree burn is superficial and has similar characteristics to a…
Burn, first degree

A superficial burn with similar characteristics to a typical sun burn. The skin is red in color and sensation is intact. In fact, it is usually somewhat painful
Burn, second degree

A burn that looks like a first degree burn in that it is red and sensation is intact but the damage from the burn is severe enough to cause blistering of the skin and the pain is usually somewhat more intense than with…
Burn, third degree

A burn in which the damage has progressed to the point of skin death. The skin is white and without sensation
Burning mouth syndrome

An intense burning sensation on the tongue, often at the tip of the tongue. The burning mouth syndrome tends to develop in supertasters and post-menopausal women. Supertasters have an unusually large density of taste…
Burning urination

See: Dysuria
Burp

1. Gas brought up from the stomach through the mouth producing a gutteral noise.2. As a verb, to bring up gas from the stomach through the mouth. Also to help a baby bring up gas after feeding by rubbing or patting its…
Bursa

A closed fluid-filled sac that functions to provide a gliding surface to reduce friction between tissues of the body. When the bursa becomes inflamed, the condition is known as bursitis. Bursa is the Greek word for 'a…
Bursae

Plural of bursa
Bursal

Pertaining to a bursa
Bursitis

4 cel ODYvAlign=top bgColor=#cccccc colSpan=2> vAlign=top width='100%' bgColor=#ffffff>Our Bursitis Main Article provides a comprehensive look at the who, what, when and how of Bursitis Bursitis: Bursitis is…
Bursitis, aseptic

A bursa is a closed fluid-filled sac that functions as a gliding surface to reduce friction between tissues of the body. When the bursa becomes inflamed, the condition is known as 'bursitis.' Most commonly this is not…
Bursitis, calcific

A bursa is a thin fluid-filled sac that reduces friction forces between tissues of the body. Chronic (repeated of long-standing) inflammation of the bursa (bursitis) can lead to calcification of the bursa. This is…
Bursitis, elbow

Inflammation of the olecranon bursa, the bursa at the tip of the elbow is called the olecranon bursitis. A bursa is a fluid-filled sac that functions as a gliding surface to reduce friction between moving tissues of the…
Bursitis, hip

Inflammation of a bursa of the hip joint. A bursa is a fluid-filled sac that functions as a gliding surface to reduce friction between moving tissues of the body. There are two major bursae of the hip. Bursitis is…
Bursitis, knee

Inflammation of a bursa of the knee joint. A bursa is a fluid-filled sac that functions as a gliding surface to reduce friction between moving tissues of the body. There are three major bursae of the knee. Bursitis is…
Bursitis, septic

A bursa is a closed fluid-filled sac that functions as a gliding surface to reduce friction between tissues of the body. When the bursa becomes inflamed, the condition is known as 'bursitis.' When the bursa is infected…
Bursitis, shoulder

Inflammation of a bursa of a shoulder joint. A bursa is a fluid-filled sac that functions as a gliding surface to reduce friction between moving tissues of the body. There are two major bursae of the shoulder. Bursitis…
Bursopathy

Disease involving a bursa, a closed fluid-filled sac that supplies a gliding surface to reduce friction between tissues of the body. Bursopathy includes, for instance, inflammation of a bursa (bursitis)
Buruli ulcer

A disorder caused by infection with a member of the family of bacteria that causes tuberculosis and leprosy -- the bacterium Mycobacterium ulcerans -- that starts as a painless swelling in the skin, most commonly in the…
Buschke disease

See: Scleredema
Buschke scleredema

See: Scleredema
Buschke's disease

See: Scleredema
Buschke's scleredema

E: Scleredema
Butterbur

A waterside plant with purple flowers and large soft leaves in which pats of butter were once wrapped during hot weather in England. The rhizome (root) of butterbur has been used as an herbal remedy for fever, asthma…
Butterfly rash

Rash: A red, flat facial rash over the bridge of the nose. Over half of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) develop this characteristic rash. Because of its shape, it is frequently referred to as the…
Butyric acid

An acid that has four carbons in it. The formula for butyric acid is: CH3-CH2-CH2-COOH
BWS

See: Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome
BX

Medical abbreviation for biopsy. See: bx
Bx

Abbreviation for biopsy, the removal of a sample of tissue for examination or other study. Biopsies are most frequently studied by use of a microscope to check for possible abnormalities such as inflammation or cancer…
Bypass

An operation in which a surgeon creates a new tubular pathway for the movement of fluids and/or other substances in the body