Medical terms - Letter D (page 10) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Disease, Fahr

This syndrome described in 1930 by T. Fahr is a genetic (inherited) neurological disorder characterized by abnormal deposits of calcium in certain of areas of the brain (including the basal ganglia and the cerebral…
Disease, fifth

See Gaucher disease, type 1.
Disease, Fong

See Nail-patella syndrome
Disease, foot-and-mouth

See: Foot-and-mouth disease
Disease, Forestier

A severe form of hemorrhagic fever which affects both humans and non-human primates. Caused by a genetically unique zoonotic (that is, animal-borne) RNA virus of the filovirus family, its recognition led to the creation…
Disease, Gaucher type 1

See Gaucher disease, type 1
Disease, Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker

See: Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker syndrome
Disease, Gilbert

See Gilbert syndrome
Disease, graft-versus-host

A reaction of donated bone marrow against a patient's own tissue. Also called GVHD
Disease, Graves

Generalized diffuse overactivity ('toxicity') of the entire thyroid gland which becomes enlarged into a goiter. Graves disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism. There are three components to Graves disease: >…
Disease, guinea worm

See: Guinea worm disease
Disease, gum

Inflammation of the soft tissue (gingiva) and abnormal loss of bone that surrounds the teeth and holds them in place. Gum disease is caused by toxins secreted by bacteria in 'plaque' that accumulate over time along the…
Disease, hand-foot-and-mouth

A viral syndrome with a rash on the hands and feet and in the mouth. The internal rash (the enanthem) consists of blisters and little ulcers that may involve not only the lining of the mouth but also the gums, palate…
Disease, Hansen

See: Hansen disease
Disease, Heberden

>Angina pectoris, chest pain that is often severe and crushing, due to an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle. >Osteoarthritis of the small joints with nodules (Heberden nodes) in and about the last joint of…
Disease, hemolytic, of the newborn

Abnormal breakup of red blood cells in the fetus or newborn.
Disease, Hirschsprung

A congenital abnormality (birth defect) of the bowel in which there is absence of the ganglia (nerves) in the wall of the bowel. Nerves are missing starting at the anus and extending a variable distance up the bowel…
Disease, His

Named for the Swiss physician Wilhelm His, Jr. (who also described the bundle of His in the heart), this is a louse-borne disease first recognized in the trenches of World War I and so was called trench fever. Trench…
Disease, His-Werner

Named for the Swiss physician Wilhelm His, Jr. (who also described the bundle of His in the heart) and the German physician Heinrich Werner (who was not the Werner who described Werner's syndrome). This is a louse-borne…
Disease, Hodgkin (adult)

A type of lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system). The most common symptom is painless swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck, underarm, or groin. Hodgkin disease is diagnosed when abnormal tissue is detected by a…
Disease, Hodgkin (Hodgkin lymphoma)

A disease of the lymph nodes named after the English physician Thomas Hodgkin (1798-1866) who discovered it. ('Perfecting the World' is an excellent biography of Dr. Hodgkin by A. M. and E. H. Kass)
Disease, Huntington

An hereditary disorder with mental and physical deterioration leading to death. Although characterized as an 'adult-onset' disease (as is usually the case), we have seen children with full-blown Huntington disease…
Disease, hyaline membrane

Respiratory disease of the newborn, especially the premature infant, in which a membrane composed of proteins and dead cells lines the alveoli (the tiny air sacs in the lung), making gas exchange difficult or…
Disease, hydroxyapatite crystal

The inflammation caused by hydroxyapatite crystals has been referred to as hydroxyapatite crystal disease. Hydroxyapatite is a major component and an essential ingredient of normal bone and teeth, makes up bone mineral…
Disease, inflammatory bowel

A group of chronic intestinal diseases characterized by inflammation of the bowel -- the large or small intestine. The most common types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease…
Disease, Jakob's

Better known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a dementing disease of the brain. It is believed due to an unconventional, transmissible agent (a prion). Symptoms of CJD include forgetfulness, nervousness, jerky…
Disease, Jakob-Creutzfeldt

A transmissible degenerative brain disorder technically termed spongiform encephalopathy. Eating 'mad cow' meat or squirrel brain can lead to Jakob-Creutzfeldt-like disease. Better known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease…
Disease, Kawasaki

A syndrome of unknown origin, mainly affecting young children, causing fever, reddening of the eyes (conjunctivitis), lips and mucous membranes of the mouth, ulcerative gum disease (gingivitis), swollen glands in the…
Disease, Keshan

See Keshan disease
Disease, Kikuchi

A disorder that typically causes 'swollen glands' in the neck (cervical lymphadeniopathy) together with fever or flu-like symptoms. Laboratory test abnormalities include elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)…
Disease, Kimmelstiel-Wilson

Diabetic nephropathy (kidney disease). Kimmelstiel-Wilson disease is a kidney condition associated with long-standing diabetes. It affects the network of tiny blood vessels (the microvasculature) in the glomerulus, a…
Disease, kissing

Infectious mononucleosis ('mono'), a very common illness caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). By the time most people reach adulthood, an antibody against EBV can be detected in their blood meaning they have been…
Disease, Kok

A genetic disorder also known as hyperexplexia in which babies have an exaggerated startle reflex (reaction). This disorder was not recognized until 1962 when it was described by Drs. Kok and Bruyn as a disease with the…
Disease, Kostmann

A condition with a lack of neutrophils (a type of white blood cell that is important in fighting infection). Children with this disease suffer frequent infections from bacteria which in the past led to death in…
Disease, Legg

See Legg-Calve-Perthes disease
Disease, Legg-Calve-Perthes

See Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease
Disease, Legg-Perthes

See Legg-Calve-Perthes disease
Disease, Legionnaire

A disease due to the bacteria Legionella pneumophila found in plumbing, shower heads and water-storage tanks. Outbreaks of Legionella pneumonia have been attributed to evaporative condensers and cooling towers. The…
Disease, lipid storage

A series of disorders due to inborn errors in lipid metabolism resulting in the abnormal accumulation of lipids in the wrong places (Examples include Gaucher, Fabry and Niemann-Pick diseases and metachromatic…
Disease, Lobstein's

Osteogenesis imperfecta type I. An inherited, generalized connective tissue disorder featuring bone fragility and blue sclerae (blue whites of the eyes). The classic mild form of 'brittle bone disease.' It is a dominant…
Disease, Lou Gehrig

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a classic motor neuron disease. Motor neuron diseases are progressive chronic diseases of the nerves that come from the spinal cord responsible for supplying electrical stimulation…
Disease, mad deer

See Chronic wasting disease
Disease, manic-depressive

See Manic-depression
Disease, maple syrup urine

See: Giant hypertrophic gastritis.
Disease, Marburg

Despite its seeming lack of gender, this term is applied to women only. PID refers exclusively to ascending infection of the female upper genital tract (the female structures above the cervix). PID is the most common…
Disease, Menetrier's

See: Giant hypertrophic gastritis
Disease, Meniere

A condition with recurrent vertigo accompanied by ringing in the ears (tinnitus) and deafness. Symptoms include vertigo, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, loss of hearing (in the affected ear), and abnormal eye movements…
Disease, Minamata

A disorder caused by methyl mercury poisoning that was first described in the inhabitants of Minamata Bay, Japan. Minamata disease resulted from their eating fish contaminated with mercury industrial waste. The disease…
Disease, mitochondrial

>An eye disease called Leber's hereditary optic atrophy; >A type of epilepsy called MERRF which stands for Myoclonus Epilepsy with Ragged Red Fibers; and >A form of dementia called MELAS for Mitochondrial…
Disease, mixed connective tissue

A mixture of three diseases of connective tissue (the framework of the cells of the body) -- systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, and polymyositis. Patients with mixed connective tissue disease typically have…