Medical terms - Letter C (page 2) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Cain, mark of

The mark that God set upon Cain, the eldest son of Adam. According to the Book of Genesis in the Bible, God rejected Cain's grain offering while accepting the animal offering of his brother Abel. Out of jealousy, Cain…
Cal

See: Calorie
Cal (Calorie)

Italian-born American oncologist who was a leader in developing and testing drugs to treat Hodgkin's lymphoma, breast cancer and prostate cancer, among other diseases. Calabresi was one of the first to advocate…
Calabresi, Paul

Italian-born American oncologist who was a leader in developing and testing drugs to treat Hodgkin's lymphoma, breast cancer and prostate cancer, among other diseases. Calabresi was one of the first to advocate…
Calamine

An astringent made from zinc carbonate or zinc oxide, usually used in lotion form to treat skin problems that cause itching or discomfort
Calcaneal spur

A bony spur projecting from the back or underside of the heel bone (the calcaneus) that often makes walking painful. A calcaneal spur is also called a heel spur. Spurs at the back of the heel are associated with…
Calcaneocuboid joint

The calcaneocuboid joint is located in the foot between the calcaneus bone (the heel bone) and the cuboid bone (a bone shaped like a cube just in front of the calcaneus). The calcaneocuboid joint is a gliding type of…
Calcaneus

The calcaneus is the heel bone. It is also called the os calcis. The calcaneus is a more or less rectangular bone at the back of the foot. The word 'calcaneus' comes from the Latin calx meaning limestone. The heel bone…
Calcific bursitis

Calcific bursitis: 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…
Calcification

The process of building bone by suffusing tissues with calcium salts. Also called ossification
Calcification, nonarteriosclerotic cerebral

This condition described in 1930 by T. Fahr (and therefore called Fahr syndrome) is a genetic (inherited) neurological disorder characterized by abnormal deposits of calcium in certain of areas of the brain (including…
Calcified granuloma

A calcified granuloma is a granuloma containing calcium deposits. Since it usually takes some time for calcium to be deposited in a granuloma, it is generally assumed that a calcified granuloma is an old granuloma. A…
Calcimimetic

A drug in a class of orally active, small molecules that decrease the secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH) by activating calcium receptors. The secretion of PTH is normally regulated by the calcium-sensing receptor…
Calcinosis

An abnormal deposit of calcium salts in body tissues, as is seen in some forms of disease
Calcipotriene

A synthetic form of vitamin D3 that can be applied to the skin to treat psoriasis
Calcitonin

Calcitonin: A hormone produced by the thyroid gland that lowers the levels of calcium and phosphate in the blood and promotes the formation of bone. Bone is in a constant state of remodeling whereby old bone is removed…
Calcitriol

The active form of vitamin D. Calcitriol is formed in the kidneys or made in the laboratory. It is used as a drug to increase calcium levels in the body in order to treat skeletal and tissue-related calcium deficiencies…
Calcium

A mineral found mainly in the hard part of bones, where it is stored. Calcium is added to bones by cells called osteoblasts and is removed from bones by cells called osteoclasts. Calcium is essential for healthy bones…
Calcium channel blocker

A drug that blocks the entry of calcium into the muscle cells of the heart and the arteries. It is the entry of calcium into these cells that causes the heart to contract and arteries to narrow. By blocking the entry of…
Calcium deficiency

A low level of calcium in the blood (hypocalcemia) which can make the nervous system highly irritable causing tetany (spasms of the hands and feet, muscle cramps, abdominal cramps, and overly active reflexes). Chronic…
Calcium excess

Overly high intake of calcium that can result in elevated levels of calcium in the blood (hypercalcemia). This can cause muscle weakness and constipation, affect the conduction of electrical impulses in the heart (heart…
Calculi

The plural of calculus. (Calculi is the proper Latin plural. The alternate English plural is calculuses.
Calculi, renal

Kidney stones, by another name. A common cause of blood in the urine and pain in the abdomen, flank, or groin. Occurs in 1 in 20 people at some time in their life. Development of the stones is related to decreased urine…
Calculus

1. A stone within the body, such as a stone in the urinary tract. 2. The calcium salt deposits on the teeth. 3. A field of mathematics. These different meanings of 'calculus' all go bach to the origin of the word. In…
Calculus, renal

A stone in the kidney (or lower down in the urinary tract). Also called a kidney stone. The stones themselves are called renal caluli. The word 'calculus' (plural: calculi) is the Latin word for pebble. Renal stones are…
Calefacient

1. (noun) Anything that warms. 2. (noun) A substance that produces a feeling of warmth when it is applied to the body. 3. (adjective) Producing warmth; heating. From the Latin calefacere (to make warm), from calere (to…
Calf

The belly or fleshy hind part of the leg below the knee. The calf is made up mainly of the gastrocnemius muscle (which comes from the Greek 'gastroknemia' meaning calf of the leg, from 'gaster' (gastr-), belly, +…
Calf bone

Familiar name for the fibula, the lateral (outside) and smaller of the two long bones in the lower leg. The other bone in the lower leg is the tibia. The tibia bears weight; the fibula does not. The fibula articulates…
Caliciviridae

See: Calicivirus; Norovirus
Calicivirus

>Norovirus, a common cause of food poisoning and acute gastroenteritis in humans; >Sapovirus, formerly called 'Sapporo-like virus' (SLV) and sometimes referred to as classic or typical calicivirus, which can also cause…
Calipers

A metal or plastic tool similar to a compass used to measure the diameter of an object. The skin fold thickness in several parts of the body can be measured with skin calipers to determine the lean body mass. This may…
Calipers, skin

See: Skin calipers
CALLA

Common acute lymphocytic leukemia antigen. See: Metallomembrane endopeptidase
Callosity

Synonymous with callus. Both callus and callosity are derived from the Latin callum meaning thick skin
Callus

1. A localized firm thickening of the upper layer of skin as a result of repetitive friction. A callus on the skin of the foot has become thick and hard from rubbing (as a result of repetitive friction). Calluses of the…
Calor

Heat, one of the four classic signs of inflammation (together with dolor, rubor and tumor). From the Latin calor, heat. See also: Dolor; Rubor; Tumor
Calor, dolor, rubor, and tumor

Heat, pain, redness, and swelling. The four classical signs of inflammation, originally recorded by the Roman encyclopedist Celsus in the 1st century A.D
Calorie

A unit of food energy. In nutrition terms, the word calorie is used instead of the more precise scientific term kilocalorie which represents the amount of energy required to raise the temperature of a liter of water one…
Camelpox

A severe disease of camels in northern Africa and southwestern Asia caused by the camelpox virus. This virus has rarely, if ever, caused disease in people. However, the sequence of the camelpox virus genome is most…
Camisole

A straitjacket. The term camisole was borrowed from the French and refers to a woman's garment, usually sleeveless. The term came from the Latin camisia for linen shirt or nightgown
CAMP-dependent protein kinase

See: Protein kinase A
Camphechlor

See: Toxaphene
Campion, Thomas

(1567-1620) English physician, poet, and composer. Campion first studied law, but had little sympathy with, or respect for, legal studies. He then spent 3 years (1602-1605) on the Continent and received the M.D. degree…
Campylobacter jejuni

A bacterium that typically infects the bowels. Now the leading cause of bacterial food poisoning, Campylobacter jejuni is most often spread by contact with raw or undercooked poultry. A single drop of juice from a…
Campylobacteriosis

Disease caused by Campylobacter jejuni, now the leading cause of bacterial food poisoning, most often spread by contact with raw or undercooked poultry. A single drop of juice from a contaminated chicken is enough to…
Canavan disease

Canavan disease: A severe progressive inherited (genetic) disorder of the central nervous system (CNS). The signs of Canavan disease usually appear when the children are between 3 and 6 months of age. They include…
Cancer

Cancer: An abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, in some cases, to metastasize (spread). Cancer is not one disease. It is a group of more than 100 different and distinctive…
Cancer anorexia

Loss of desire to eat due to cancer. Cancer anorexia contributes to malnutrition, increases morbidity (illness) and mortality (death), and impinges on the quality of life
Cancer antigen 125

Taking care of cancer. When cancer is suspected, a biopsy is usually performed and the tissue is sent to a pathologist for evaluation. If a cancer diagnosis is made, an oncologist will evaluate the patient to determine…
Cancer care

Cancer care: Taking care of cancer. When cancer is suspected, a biopsy is usually performed and the tissue is sent to a pathologist for evaluation. If a cancer diagnosis is made, an oncologist will evaluate the patient…