Medical terms - Letter B (page 4) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Bed bugs

Bed bugs: Bed bugs are small, oval, wingless insects of the family Cimicidae, which have a flat, reddish-brown body and feed on human and animal blood. Bed bugs are active at night and bite any areas of exposed skin…
Bed sore

A painful, often reddened area of degenerating, ulcerated skin caused by pressure and lack of movement, and worsened by exposure to urine or other irritating substances on the skin. Untreated bed sores can become…
Bednet

Netting which is hung over the bed to keep out mosquitos and other insects. Bednets are an important form of mosquito control and a major modality for preventing malaria. Bednets can be treated with an insecticide. The…
Bedsore

See: Bed sore
Bedwetting

Bedwetting: Involuntary urination in bed. Bedwetting is called 'enuresis,' from the Greek 'enourin' meaning 'to urinate in.'
Bee genome

See: Honey bee genome
Bee sting

Stings from bees and other large stinging insects such as yellow jackets, hornets and wasps can trigger allergic reactions varying greatly in severity. Avoidance and prompt treatment are essential. In selected cases…
Bee sting, Africanized

All stings from bees (and other large stinging insects such as yellow jackets, hornets and wasps) can trigger allergic reactions varying greatly in severity. Avoidance and prompt treatment are essential. This is surely…
Beef tapeworm

Taenia saginata, the most common of the big tapeworms that parasitizes people, contracted from infected raw or rare beef. Can grow to be 12-25 feet (3.6-7.5 m) long in the human intestine. Also known as the African…
Beers criteria

Criteria for safe medication use in older adults -- for people over 65 years of age. First issued in 1991, these criteria have been repeatedly revised and updated. In addition to the benzodiazepines, the Beers criteria…
Beers list

See: Beers criteria
Beetle, blister

A blister beetle is one of a number of beetles that have historically been used in dried or powdered form for medicinal purposes to raise blisters on the skin. An example of a blister beetle is the so-called Spanish…
Behavior center, moral

An area of the brain in what is known as the prefrontal cortex. Children who suffer damage before 16 months of age to the prefrontal cortex in the front of the brain tend later to display pathological behavior problems…
Behavior therapy

A treatment program that involves substituting desirable behavior responses for undesirable ones
Behavior, automatic

A behavior that is performed without conscious knowledge and that does not appear to be under conscious control. This curious type of behavior occurs in a number of neurological and psychiatric disorders. The neurologic…
Behavioral medicine

An interdisciplinary field of research and practice that focuses on how people's thoughts and behavior affect their health and disease. Behavioral medicine is concerned, for example, with undesirable behaviors such as…
Behcet's disease

See: Behcet's syndrome
Behcet's syndrome

Behcet's syndrome: A chronic inflammatory disorder involving the small blood vessels which is characterized by a classic triad of features: ulcers in the mouth, ulcers of the genitalia, and inflammation of the eye…
Behind-the-ear hearing aid

A hearing aid worn behind the ear. The device amplifies sounds more than most other types of hearing aids. Behind-the-ear (BTE) aids rest behind the ear. Sound is sent to the ear canal via the earmold and clear plastic…
Beijerinck

See: Beijerinck, Martinus W.
Beijerinck, Martinus W.

(1851-1931) Dutch microbiologist who was the first person to use the term 'virus' for the invisible disease-causing material that he showed to be self-replicating. He originated selective culture techniques, also known…
Bekam

Malay name for the practice of cupping. See: Cupping
Belching

A normal process to relieve distention from the air that accumulates in the stomach. The upper abdominal discomfort associated with excessive swallowed air may extend into the lower chest, producing symptoms suggesting…
Bell

1. Bell's palsy.2. Bell, Charles
Bell's palsy

Paralysis of the facial nerve, the nerve that supplies the facial muscles on one side of the face. Bell's palsy is also called facial nerve paralysis. The cause of facial nerve paralysis is often not known, but is…
Bell, Charles

(1774-1842) Renowned surgeon, anatomist and artist, who discovered Bell's palsy, paralysis of the facial nerve, the nerve that supplies the facial muscles on one side of the face. Bell waa a great neurologist and made…
Bell, Sir Charles

See: Bell, Charles
Bellini duct carcinoma

(BDC) A rare type of kidney cancer that begins in the duct of Bellini (a continuation of the collecting tubules). BDC often grows and spreads quickly
Belly

That part of the body that contains all of the structures between the chest and the pelvis. Also called the abdomen. The belly (or abdomen) is separated anatomically from the chest by the diaphragm, the powerful muscle…
Belly button

The navel or umbilicus. The one-time site of attachment of the umbilical cord. The term 'belly button' was coined around 1877
Belly pain

Pain in the abdomen. See: Abdominal pain
Belt, seat

A belt used to hold an individual in their seat. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for teenagers in the United States. Over 70% of those killed were not wearing seat belts. Seat belts can help…
Benign

Not cancer. Not malignant. A benign tumor does not invade surrounding tissue or spread to other parts of the body. A benign tumor may grow but it stays put (in the same place). In a general sense, 'benign' means of a…
Benign intracranial hypertension

Increased pressure within the brain in the absence of a tumor. Symptoms may include headache, nausea, vomiting, pulsating intracranial noises, singing in the ears, double vision, loss of visual accuracy, and even…
Benign lymphoreticulosis

Cat scratch disease, a mild flu-like infection, with swollen lymph nodes (lymphadenitis) and mild fever of short duration, due to cat scratches, especially from kittens. There is usually a little bump (a papule) which…
Benign melanoma

See: Melanoma, benign
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)

A balance disorder that results in the sudden onset of dizziness, spinning, or vertigo when moving the head
Benign prostatic hyperplasia

See: Benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Benign prostatic hypertrophy

Recurring meningitis without identifiable cause that leaves no residual damage to the nervous system. Benign recurrent aseptic meningitis is also called Mollaret meningitis. The cause of benign recurrent aseptic…
Benign recurrent aseptic meningitis

Recurring meningitis without identifiable cause that leaves no residual damage to the nervous system. Benign recurrent aseptic meningitis is also called Mollaret meningitis. The cause of benign recurrent aseptic…
Benign sleep myoclonus

Sleep myoclonus: A distinctive disorder of sleep in infancy characterized by rhythmic myoclonic jerks (sudden muscle contractions) which occur when the child is asleep and which stop when the child is awakened. Sleep…
Benjamin Spock

See: Spock, Benjamin
Benzene

A sweet smelling, highly toxic hydrocarbon. Long-term exposure to benzene is known to cause anemia and leukemia. The anemia associated with benzene exposure is termed aplastic anemia. The types of leukemia associated…
Benzidine

A compound used mainly for dyeing textiles and paper that is a known human carcinogen (cancer-causing agent). Benzidine was one of the first chemicals for which an association of occupational exposure and increased…
Benzo(a)pyrene

Abbreviated B(a)P. A member of a class of compounds known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). B(a)P, along with other PAHs, is suspected of causing cancer in humans
Benzodiazepines

A class of drugs that act as tranquilizers and are commonly used in the treatment of anxiety. Benzodiazepines can cause drowsiness
BER

Base excision repair
Bereavement

The period after a loss during which grief is experienced and mourning occurs. The time spent in a period of bereavement depends on how attached the person was to the person who died, and how much time was spent…
Bergamot oil

An aromatic extract of the rind of the bergamot orange used to flavor Earl Grey tea and in aromatherapy. It causes photosensitivity, due largely to the presence of 5-methoxypsoralen. Drinking very large amounts of Earl…
Bergstrom

See: Bergström, Sune K.