Medical terms - Letter D | MedicalVocabulary.org

D & C

Dilatation and curettage, a minor operation in which the cervix is expanded enough (dilatation) to permit the cervical canal and uterine lining to be scraped with a spoon-shaped instrument called a curette (curettage)
D (domain)

Abbreviation for domain, a discrete portion of a protein with its own function. The combination of domains in a single protein determines its overall function
D (drug caution code)

Abbreviation on a medication that indicates caution because the medication may cause drowsiness. While not a part of the historical heritage of ancient prescription abbreviations, drug caution codes provide very…
D and C

Stands for dilatation and curettage. This is a very common gynecologic procedure in which the cervix of the uterus is expanded (dilated) so the cervical canal and endometrium (the uterine lining) can be scraped off with…
D-

Abbreviation for dextrorotatory, applied to a chemical compound. Dextrorotary is opposed to levorotary which is abbreviated as l-. From the Latin dexter, on the right-hand side
D-dimer

A fragment produced during the degradation of a clot. The D here stands for domain. Dimer indicates two identical units, in this case two identical domains. D-dimer result from complete breakdown of the clot. Monoclonal…
D-IBS

Diarrhea-predominant IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
D-IBS

Diarrhea-predominant IBS (irritable bowel syndrome)
D.O.

Abbreviation for Doctor of Osteopathy, an osteopathic physician. Osteopathy is a system of therapy founded in the 19th century based on the concept that the body can formulate its own remedies against diseases when the…
Da Vinci, Leonardo

The father of anatomic art. The architect, scientist, engineer, inventor, poet, sculptor and painter, Leonardo da Vinci first became interested in anatomic art when he was asked by a Veronese anatomist named Marc…
Dacry-

Combining form used before a vowel to denote a relationship to tears. See: Dacryo-
Dacryo-

A combining form denoting tears, as in dacryocyst (tear sac) and dacryocystorhinostomy (surgery to open up a tear duct). From the Greek dakry meaning 'a tear.
Dacryoadenitis

Inflammation of a lacrimal gland (a gland that produces tears)
Dacryocyst

The lacrimal sac; tear sac. The dilated (widened) upper end of the nasolacrimal duct, the passageway that permits tears to drain into the nasal cavity
Dacryocystorhinostomy

The surgical creation of a passage between the lacrimal sac (tear sac) and the nasal cavity to permit the drainage of tears. Dacryocystorhinostomy may be done to remedy an obstructed nasolacrimal duct
Dactyl-, -dactyl

Prefix or suffix denoting involvement of the digits (fingers or toes)
Dactyledema

Swelling of the fingers or toes
Dactylitis

Inflammation of a digit (either a finger or a toe). Dactyl comes from the Greek 'daktylos' meaning 'finger.' It now refers not only to the fingers but also the toes. Dactyledema is edema (swelling) of the fingers or…
Daily Prayer of a Physician

A prayer that is said to have been written by the 12th-century physician-philosopher Moses Maimonides. Like the famous oath of Hippocrates, the prayer of Maimonides is often recited by new medical graduates. This…
Daily Value

The abnormal formation of the hip joint in which the ball at the top of the thighbone (the femoral head) is not stable within the socket (the acetabulum). The ligaments of the hip joint may also be loose and stretched…
Daltonism

Colorblindness of the red-green type (also known as deuteranopia or deuteranomaly). The term 'Daltonism' is derived from the name of the chemist and physicist, John Dalton (1766-1844). Dalton was born in a village in…
Dancing mania of Maracaibo

Huntington disease. Beginning in the 1950s Dr. Americo Negrette observed a number of people with a dancing mania in villages along Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela. The syndrome was then called el mal (the bad) or el mal de…
Dander

Tiny scales shed from human or animal skin or hair. Dander floats in the air, settles on surfaces and makes up much household dust. Cat dander is a classic cause of allergic reactions
Danders

See: Dander
Dandruff

A mild skin condition that produces white flakes that may be shed and fall from the hair. Dandruff is due to the sebaceous glands overworking. (The sebaceous glands keep the skin properly oiled.) Another cause of…
Dandy fever

An acute mosquito- borne viral illness of sudden onset that usually follows a benign course with headache, fever, prostration, severe joint and muscle pain, swollen glands (lymphadenopathy) and rash. The presence (the…
Danlos syndrome

Better known today as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), this is an inherited disorder with easy bruising, joint hypermobility (loose joints), skin laxity, and weakness of tissues. There are a number of different…
Dannie Abse

See: Abse, Dannie
Danon disease

A genetic disorder characterized by heart problems, mental retardation and muscle weakness that affects males who usually die of cardiac arrhythmia or heart failure at around the age of 30. The disease is due to a…
Darier disease

A genetic skin disease characterized by slowly progressive hardening of the skin (keratoses) around the hair follicles. This disorder is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner and is due to mutation in a gene called…
Dark adaptometry

A type of electrophysiologic retinal testing done to measure the period of time which passes before the retina regains its maximal sensitivity to low amounts of light when going from conditions of bright light to…
Darwin, Charles

English naturalist (1809-82), considered the father of evolution. Darwin voyaged aboard the Beagle to see the wonders of South America. After his return to England, he proposed a mechanism for evolution -- natural…
DASH diet

An eating plan designed to lower the blood pressure. DASH is an acronym for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. The DASH 'combination diet' has been shown to decrease the blood pressure and so helps prevent and…
Data

Facts, statistics, and the like. In medicine and the health sciences, people often speak of 'the data' erroneously in the singular. 'Data' is a plural noun and takes a plural verb, as in 'the data are very convincing.'…
Date rape

Rape of a woman by a man with whom she is acquainted. The rapist is usually the woman's 'date' (escort). Although there are many possible date rape scenarios, in a common one, the man tries to weaken the resistance of…
Date, expiration

The date for a drug estimated for its shelf life with proper storage in sealed containers away from harmful and variable factors like heat and humidity. The expiration date of a medicine is based on data, called…
Daughter

1. A female offspring. 2. A female adopted child. 3. A product of radioactive decay. 4. A cell resulting from cell division
David-Stickler syndrome

See: Stickler syndrome
Daw

Abbreviation meaning 'dispense as written.' One of a number of hallowed abbreviations of terms that have traditionally been used in prescriptions
Day sight

Night blindness. Listed in medical dictionaries under 'Nyctalopia' from the Greek 'nyct' (night) + 'aloas' (obscure or blind) + 'opsis' (vision), the condition involves impaired vision in dim light and in the dark (but…
DBT

Dialectical behavioral therapy
DCIS

See Pendred syndrome.
DDH (developmental dislocation of the hip)

The abnormal formation of the hip joint in which the ball at the top of the thighbone (the femoral head) is not stable within the socket (the acetabulum). The ligaments of the hip joint may also be loose and stretched…
De Lange syndrome

A relatively common birth defect syndrome with multiple malformations and mental retardation of unknown origin. de Lange syndrome is recognized by the presence of: > >Prenatal and postnatal growth retardation; >Delayed…
De Musset sign

Rhythmic nodding or bobbing of the head in synchrony with the heart beat, a sign of aortic insufficiency --incompetence of the aortic valve with aortic regurgitation. The causes include syphilitic aortitis, rheumatic…
De Quervain's tenosynovitis

De Quervain's tenosynovitis: De Quervain's tenosynovitis is inflammation of tendons on the side of the wrist at the base of the thumb. These tendons include the extensor pollicis brevis and the abductor pollicis longus…
DEA

Every prescription written in the United States bears a DEA number, that of the prescribing doctor, the DEA being the Drug Enforcement Administration of the U.S. Department of Justice. Historically, the DEA's roots go…
Deafness

Deafness: Deafness is defined by partial or complete hearing loss. Levels of hearing impairment vary from a mild but important loss of sensitivity to a total loss of hearing. Older adults suffer most often from hearing…
Deafness and Communication Disorders, Institute

Institute on (NIDCD): One of the US National Institutes of Health. The mission of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders is to 'conduct and support biomedical research and research training…
Deafness and keratopachydermia

See Keratitis-ichthyosis-deafness syndrome.