Medical terms - Letter C (page 12) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Char syndrome

A genetic disorder characterized by patent ductus arteriosis and unusual facial features including a long philtrum (increase in the distance between the nose and upper lip), down-slanting palpebral fissures (eye slits)…
Charbon

Known also as anthrax, charbon is a serious bacterial infection. It is not primarily a human disease but rather an infection of animals. Cattle, sheep, horses, mules, and some wild animals are highly susceptible. Humans…
Charcoal, activated

See: Activated charcoal
Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease

A genetic disease of nerves characterized by progressively debilitating muscle weakness, particularly of the limbs. The foremost feature is marked wasting of the distal extremities, particularly the peroneal muscle…
Charcot-Wilbrand syndrome

Loss of dreaming after a stroke. In more technical terms the syndrome is characterized by visual agnosia and the inability to revisualise images. Named for the French founder of modern neurology Jean-Martin Charcot…
Chargaff ratios

See: Chargaff rule
Chargaff rule

The rule that in DNA there is always equality in quantity between the bases A and T and between the bases G and C. (A is adenine, T is thymine, G is guanine, and C is cytosine.) Named for the great Austrian-American…
Chargaff's rule

See: Chargaff rule
CHARGE association

A constellation of congenital malformations (birth defects). The name of the condition is an acronym of some of the most frequent features: > >C = Coloboma (cleft) of the eye (80% of cases) and Cranial nerve…
CHARGE syndrome

See: CHARGE association
Charles Bell

See: Bell, Charles
Charles D. Kelman

See: Phacoemulsification
Charles Darwin

See: Darwin, Charles
Charley horse

A cramp in a muscle in the leg, usually caused by a strain or injury. A charley horse can last anywhere from a few seconds to a quarter of an hour, and occasionally longer. It is not uncommon for one to recur repeatedly…
Chart, Snellen's

The familiar eye chart used to measure how well you see at various distances. Snellen's chart is imprinted with block letters that line-by-line decrease in size, corresponding to the distance at which that line of…
Chasing the dragon

A practice of heroin use involving heating heroin and then inhaling it. Some heroin users have gone to this practice because they believe erroneously that it will protect them against contracting HIV and other diseases…
CHD

Congenital heart disease, a malformation of the heart or the large blood vessels near the heart. The term 'congenital' speaks only to time, not to causation; it means 'born with' or 'present at birth.' Congenital heart…
Checkpoint

The side of the face forming the side wall of the mouth. The cheek bone is part of the temporal bone of the skull that provides the prominence of the cheek. The word "cheek" comes from the Middle English "cheke" meaning…
Cheek

The side of the face forming the side wall of the mouth. The cheek bone is part of the temporal bone of the skull that provides the prominence of the cheek. The word 'cheek' comes from the Middle English 'cheke' meaning…
Cheilitis

Inflammation of the lips or of a lip. Cheilitis can also be spelled chilitis. Angular cheilitis is inflammation and fissuring radiating from the commissures (angles) of the mouth secondary to predisposing factors such…
Cheiroarthropathy

A syndrome of limited joint mobility that occurs in patients with diabetes. Cheiroarthropathy is characterized by thickening of the skin resulting in contracture of the fingers. Cheiroarthropathy causes such limited…
CHEK2

A gene on chromosome 22q that encodes a kinase enzyme and influences a person's susceptibility to breast cancer. A variant (allele) of CHEK2 that abolishes its kinase activity results in a 2-fold increase in the risk of…
Chekhov

See: Chekhov, Anton
Chekhov, Anton

(1860-1904) 'Russia's most famous physician' and greatest dramatist. Anton Pavlovich Chekhov graduated from the Medical Faculty of Moscow University in 1884 and practiced medicine throughout much of his short remaining…
Chemical menopause

Menopause: Menopause induced by chemotherapy or other chemicals or medications. Chemical menopause is a type of 'induced menopause', menopause induced by an unusual event, such as may also occur when the ovaries are…
Chemical reaction

A process in which one substance is transformed into another. Thousands of different types of chemical reactions occur in the body and are essential to its structure and function
Chemical terrorism

Terrorism using chemical agents. These chemical agents are poisonous gases, liquids or solids that have toxic effects on people, animals or plants. Most chemical agents are capable of causing serious injuries or death…
Chemo

Slang for chemotherapy -- drug therapy for cancer. Most anticancer drugs are given IV (into a vein) or IM (into muscle). Some anticancer agents are taken orally (by mouth). Chemotherapy is usually systemic treatment…
Chemo-brain

See: Chemobrain
Chemo-fog

See: Chemobrain
Chemobrain

Cognitive dysfunction associated with chemotherapy. It is thought that chemotherapy may cause memory loss, attention loss, and other problems that make it difficult for patients to think clearly. Also known as…
Chemoembolization

Chemoembolization is a procedure in which the blood supply to a tumor is blocked and anticancer drugs are administered directly into the tumor, permitting a much higher concentration of drugs to be in contact with the…
Chemofog

See: Chemobrain
Chemokine

One of a large group of proteins that act as lures and were first found attracting white blood cells. The chemokines are involved in a wide variety of processes including acute and chronic types of inflammation…
Chemokine receptor

Chemokine receptor: A molecule that receives a chemokine and a chemokine dock. A chemokine is a protein that acts as a lure. Chemokines are involved in inflammation, cancer, and infectious diseases. Several chemokine…
Chemokinesis

The response of a cell to a chemical that causes the cell to make some kind of change in its movement by speeding it up, slowing it down or changing its direction. The molecules that achieve these results are called…
Chemoprevention

The use of natural or laboratory-made substances to prevent a disease such as cancer. The regular use of aspirin is known to reduce the risk of the polyps from which colorectal cancer arises. This is an instance of…
Chemoprophylaxis

The use of a chemical agent to prevent the development of a disease. See: Chemoprevention
Chemoradiotherapy

The combination of simultaneous chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Chemoradiotherapy before surgery has been found to reduce the risk of local recurrence of rectal cancer
Chemosense

The chemical sensing system. The sense of smell is part of our chemical sensing system, or the chemosenses
Chemosensory

Pertaining to the sensing of chemicals, as by olfaction (the sense of smell). Diabetes and Parkinson's disease are among the diseases accompanied or signaled by chemosensory problems such as smell disorders
Chemosis

Swelling around the iris (the colored circle that surrounds the pupil) due to edema (swelling) of the bulbar conjunctiva (the clear membrane that coats the outer surface of the eye)
Chemotherapy

L ODYvAlign=top bgColor=#cccccc colSpan=2> vAlign=top width='100%' bgColor=#ffffff>Our Chemotherapy Main Article provides a comprehensive look at the who, what, when and how of Chemotherapy Chemotherapy: 1. In the…
Chemotherapy, adjuvant

Chemotherapy, adjuvant: Chemotherapy (drug therapy) that is given after tumor surgery. The idea underpinning adjuvant chemotherapy is that the toxic drugs are more effective after the main tumor has been removed and any…
Chemotherapy, topical

Chemotherapy, topical: Treatment with an anticancer drug in a lotion, ointment or cream that is applied to the skin
Chemotherapy-related cognitive dysfunction

See: Chemobrain
Chen, Zhong Wei

(1929-2004) Chinese surgeon considered the 'father of replantation.' Dr. Chen was the first to reattach a severed hand with success which he did in 1963
Cherubism

A genetic disorder of childhood that leads to prominence of the lower face and an appearance reminiscent of the cherubs portrayed in Renaissance art. Cherubism is due to a problem in bone formation that is largely…
Chest

The area of the body located between the neck and the abdomen. The chest contains the lungs, the heart and part of the aorta. The walls of the chest are supported by the dorsal vertebrae, the ribs, and the sternum. The…
Chest film

Most common X-ray used to detect abnormalities in or within the thoracic cage, such as the lungs, heart, aorta, and the bones of the chest. Extra metallic objects, such as jewelry are removed from the chest and neck…