Medical terms - Letter B (page 9) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Blood clot

Blood that has been converted from a liquid to a solid state. Also called a thrombus. The process by which a blood clot forms is termed coagulation. A blood clot, or thrombus, is stationary within a vessel or the heart…
Blood clots, estrogen-associated

>esterified estrogens >esterified estrogens and methyltestosterone >estradiol >estrogens (conjugated) and medroxyprogesterone >estrogens conjugated The brand names of the estrogen therapy preparations carrying this risk…
Blood count

The calculated number of white or red blood cells (WBCs or RBCs) in a cubic millimeter of blood
Blood culture

A test designed to detect if microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi are present in blood. A sample of blood obtained using sterile technique is placed in a culture media and incubated in a controlled environment for…
Blood draw

Removal of blood, usually by venipuncture (phlebotomy, venous blood sampling). Blood draw is a popular term that is coming into common usage both as an adjective and noun. Stanford University Medical Center has a number…
Blood dyscrasia

Blood disease
Blood glucose

The main sugar that the body makes from the food in the diet. Glucose is carried through the bloodstream to provide energy to all cells in the body. Cells cannot use glucose without the help of insulin. Glucose is a…
Blood group

An inherited feature on the surface of the red blood cells. A series of related blood types constitute a blood group system such as the Rh or the ABO system. The frequencies of the ABO and Rh blood types vary from…
Blood group, ABO

The major human blood group system. The ABO type of a person depends upon the presence or absence of two genes, A and B. These genes determine the configuration of the red blood cell surface. A person can be A, B, AB…
Blood in semen

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Blood in the eye

Medically known as a subconjunctival hemorrhage. A very common cause of a painless bloody eye usually first noticed by somebody else or by the person with it when they look in the mirror. The bleeding results from a…
Blood in the urine

Blood in the urine is termed hematuria. Gross hematuria refers to blood that is so plentiful in the urine that the blood is visible grossly, with just the naked eye. Gross hematuria is in contrast to microhematuria in…
Blood Institute, National Heart, Lung, and

BI): One of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S., the NHLBI's mission is to 'provide leadership for a national research program in diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lungs, and blood and in transfusion…
Blood pH

The acidity or alkalinity of blood. The pH of any fluid is the measure of the hydrogen ion (H-) concentration. A pH of 7 is neutral. The lower the pH, the more acidic the blood. A variety of factors affect blood pH…
Blood poisoning

The medical term is 'septicemia.' No matter which of these two terms-blood poisoning or septicemia-you prefer, what is meant is the same thing, namely a 'general (systemic) disease that is due to the presence and the…
Blood pressure

The blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within the arteries. It is produced primarily by the contraction of the heart muscle. It's measurement is recorded by two numbers. The first (systolic pressure) is…
Blood pressure, high

Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure is, by definition, a repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceeding 140 over 90 mmHg -- a systolic pressure above 140 with a diastolic pressure above 90. Chronic…
Blood pressure, low

Any blood pressure that is below the normal expected for an individual in a given environment. Low blood pressure is also referred to as hypotension. Low blood pressure is a relative term because the blood pressure…
Blood sugar

Blood glucose. See also: High blood sugar; Low blood sugar
Blood sugar, high

An elevated level of the sugar glucose in the blood. Also called hyperglycemia. High blood sugar is a finding in a number of conditions, most notably diabetes mellitus. Elevated blood glucose leads to spillage of…
Blood sugar, low

The sugar here is glucose. Low blood glucose constitutes hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is only significant when it is associated with symptoms. It has many causes including drugs, liver disease, surgical absence of the…
Blood transfusion

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Blood urea nitrogen

Medically called hematuria, blood in the urine can be microscopic or gross. Evaluating hematuria requires consideration of the entire urinary tract. Tests used for the diagnosis of hematuria include the intravenous…
Blood, urinary

Medically called hematuria, blood in the urine can be microscopic or gross. Evaluating hematuria requires consideration of the entire urinary tract. Tests used for the diagnosis of hematuria include the intravenous…
Blood-brain barrier

A protective network of blood vessels and cells that filters blood flowing to the brain.
Blood-thinner

A common name for an anticoagulant agent used to prevent the formation of blood clots. Blood-thinners do not really thin the blood. They prevent it from clotting. Blood-thinners (anticoagulants) have various uses. Some…
Bloody nose

The nose is a part of the body that is very rich in blood vessels (vascular) and is situated in a vulnerable position on the face. As a result, any trauma to the face can cause bleeding which may be profuse. Nosebleeds…
Bloody show

1. The blood-tinged mucus created by extrusion and passage of the mucous plug that filled the cervical canal (the canal between the vagina and uterus) during pregnancy. The bloody show is therefore a classic sign of…
Bloody sputum

Coughed up blood or bloody mucus. Bloody sputum can be caused by infection in the lungs and airways, such as acute bronchitis or pneumonia and by cancer. Whenever bloody sputum is present and cannot be attributed to a…
Blot, Northern

A technique in molecular biology, used mainly to separate and identify pieces of RNA. Called a Northern blot only because it is similar to a Southern blot (which is named after its inventor, the British biologist M.E…
Blot, Southern

A test commonly used in molecular biology and genetics, the purpose of the test being to check for a match between DNA molecules. In the Southern blot technique, DNA fragments are separated by a method called agarose…
Blot, Western

A technique in molecular biology, used to separate and identify proteins. Called a Western blot merely because it has some similarity to a Southern blot (which is named after its inventor, the British biologist M.E…
Blue baby

A baby who is cyanotic (blue), due usually to a heart malformation that prevents the baby's blood from being fully oxygenated. The bluish color reflects the deoxygenated state of the blood. (Oxygenated blood is red.)…
Blue baby operation

A surgical procedure for a baby who is cyanotic (blue) due to a heart malformation that prevents blood from being fully oxygenated. The bluish color reflects the deoxygenated state of the blood. The surgery is designed…
Blue cohosh

(Caulophyllum thalictroides). A tall North American perennial plant with large blue berries. Blue cohosh is sold as an herbal dietary supplement that can induce labor. Blue cohosh contains the glycosides caulosaponin…
Blueberry root

See: Blue cohosh
Blunted affect

See: Flat affect
Blurred vision

Lack of sharpness of vision with, as a result, the inability to see fine detail. Blurred vision can occur when a person who wears corrective lens is without them. Blurred vision can also be an important clue to eye…
Blush

A redness of the skin, typically over the cheeks or neck. A blush is usually temporary and brought on by excitement, exercise, fever, or embarrassment. Blushing is an involuntary (uncontrollable) response of the nervous…
BM

Abbreviation for 'black male' used by doctors as shorthand when jotting down the results of their physical examination. For example, WDWNBM = well developed, well nourished black male; WDWNBM = well developed, well…
BMD (bone mass density)

Abbreviation for bone mass density and the synonymous term, bone mineral density
BMD (bone mineral density)

Abbreviation for bone mineral density and, the synonymous term, bone mass density. See: Bone mass density.
BMI

A person's weight in kilograms (kg) divided by their height in meters (m) squared. BMI stands for body mass index. With pounds (lbs) and inches, use the following table to calculate the BMI. Find the appropriate height…
BMI calculation

The British Medical Journal. The BMJ states that it "aims to help doctors everywhere practice better medicine and to influence the debate on health." To achieve these aims (the BMJ) publishes original scientific…
BMJ

The British Medical Journal. The BMJ states that it 'aims to help doctors everywhere practice better medicine and to influence the debate on health.' To achieve these aims (the BMJ) publishes original scientific…
BMP

Bone morphogenetic protein
BMP2

Bone morphogenic protein 2
BMPR1A

A gene located on chromosome 10 in band 10q22.3 that encodes bone morphogenic protein receptor 1A, a kinase receptor that is involved in bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling. Mutations in BMPR1A account for 25% to…
BMRs (biological response modifiers)

Substances that stimulate the body's response to infection and disease. The body naturally produces small amounts of these substances. Scientists can produce some of them in the laboratory in large amounts for use in…
BMT

Bone marrow transplantation, a procedure in which doctors replace bone marrow that is diseased (or damaged) with healthy bone marrow. The bone marrow to be replaced may be deliberately destroyed by high doses of…