Medical terms - Letter D (page 8) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Diffuse cutaneous mastocytosis

See: Diffuse mastocytosis
Diffuse degeneration of gray matter with cirrhosis

Ic cirrhosis, Alpers: A progressive disease of the nervous system characterized by spasticity (tightness), myoclonus and dementia and by liver problems with jaundice and cirrhosis. This disorder, first described by…
Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis: Abbreviated as DISH. Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis is a form of degenerative arthritis characteristically associated with flowing calcification along the sides of the…
Diffuse mastocytosis

A form of mastocytosis in which the entire skin is thickened and leathery with generalized reddening and intense pruritus (itching) due to widespread infiltration of the skin with mast cells. Treatment may include…
Diffuse toxic goiter

Graves disease, the most common cause of hyperthyroidism (overactivity of the thyroid gland), with generalized diffuse overactivity ('toxicity') of the entire thyroid gland which becomes enlarged into a goiter. There…
DiGeorge syndrome

A genetic disorder characterized by hypocalcemia, immunodeficiency, and congenital heart disease: > >Hypocalcemia (low calcium levels in the blood) due to hypoplasia (underdevelopment) of the parathyroid glands that are…
Digestive a Kidney Dis, Nat'l Inst Diabetes and

Diabetes and (NIDDK): One of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S., the NIDDK has a multisystem name and a comparably broad mission, namely, to 'conduct and support basic and applied research and provide…
Digestive system

The organs that are responsible for getting food into and out of the body and for making use of it. These organs include the salivary glands, the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, liver, gallbladder, pancreas…
Digit

A finger or toe
Digit, supernumerary

An extra finger or toe
Digital rectal exam

): An exam to detect abnormalities that can be felt (palpated) from within the rectum. The doctor inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum and feels for anything that is not normal. The digital rectal exam is…
Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase

See: Alzheimer disease.
Dihydrotestosterone

A byproduct of the male hormone testosterone. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) is considered to be the essential androgenic hormone. DHT is responsible for the formation of male primary sex characteristics during embryonic…
Dihydroxyacetone

Also known as DHA, the active ingredient in most sunless tanning lotions. See: DHA
Dilatate

To enlarge or expand. For example, to dilatate the eye is to enlarge the pupil temporarily with special (mydriatic) eye drops. This procedure allows the eye care specialist to better view the inside of the eye. The word…
Dilatation

The process of enlargement or expansion. For example, dilatation of the eye is the process by which the pupil is temporarily enlarged with special (mydriatic) eye drops. This allows the eye care specialist to better…
Dilatation and curettage

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 curet (or curette), an instrument shaped like a spoon…
Dilate

To stretch or enlarge. It comes from the Latin verb 'dilatare' meaning 'to enlarge or expand.
Dilated cardiomyopathy

A disorder in which the chambers of the heart are dilated (enlarged) because the heart muscle is weakened and cannot pump effectively. There are many causes, the most common being myocardial ischemia (not enough oxygen…
Dilating

The widening and opening of the cervix caused by uterine contractions
Dilation

The process of enlargement, stretching, or expansion. The word 'dilatation' means the same thing. Both come from the Latin 'dilatare' meaning 'to enlarge or expand.
Dilation, pupil

This examination enables your eye care professional to see more of your retina, the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of your eye. Dilating (widening) the pupil permits your eye to be examined for signs of…
Dilation, pupil (test)

This examination enables your eye care professional to see more of your retina, the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of your eye. Dilating (widening) the pupil permits the retina to be examined for signs of…
Dilator

A device used to stretch or enlarge an opening. Patients with scarring of the muscular tube through which food passes from the throat to the stomach (esophagus) can require a dilator procedure in order to open the…
Dinucleotide

A sequence of 2 base pairs. A trinucleotide (a triplet of base pairs) may be split into a dinucleotide and a mononucleotide
Dioscorides

Dioscorides of Anazarbus. First century Greek physician, botanist and pharmacologist whose encyclopedia of materia medica was used for centuries after his death. Born in southeast Asia Minor in the Roman Empire in the…
Dioxin

One of a number of poisonous petroleum-derived chemicals which are produced when herbicides (substances used for killing plants) are made or when plastics are burned. Dioxins are chemically dibenzo-p-dioxins. One of the…
Dip, paraffin

A treatment for the symptoms of joint and muscle conditions, such as arthritis, that consists of melted mineral wax derived from petroleum applied to a body area. Paraffin dips can be especially helpful in relieving the…
Dip, wax

A treatment for the symptoms of joint and muscle conditions, such as arthritis, that consists of melted mineral wax derived from petroleum applied to a body area. Wax dips can be especially helpful in relieving the pain…
Dipeptide

A peptide consisting of two amino acids
Diphtheria

Diphtheria: An acute infectious disease that typically strikes the upper respiratory tract including the throat. It is caused by infection with the bacteria Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Symptoms include sore throat and…
Diploe

The soft spongy material between the inside table and outside table (the interior and exterior bony plates) of the skull. The diploe contains bone marrow
Diploid

The number of chromosomes in most cells of the body. This number is 46 in humans. It is naturally twice the haploid number of 23 chromosomes contained in human eggs (ova) and sperm
Diplopia

The condition in which a single object appears as two objects. Also called 'double vision.' From the Greek diplo- (double) + -opia (vision). See also: Diplopia, binocular; Diplopia, monocular
Diplopia, binocular

Double vision (diplopia) that is only evident when looking through both eyes and disappears if one eye is closed or covered. The condition is caused by misalignment of the eyes by the extraocular muscles (the muscles…
Diplopia, monocular

Double vision (diplopia) in only one eye. The double vision persists when the other eye is covered. Monocular diplopia can be caused by astigmatism (abnormal curvature of the front of the cornea), keratoconus…
Dipper

A person in whom there is the normal nocturnal fall (dip) in blood pressure. The opposite of a dipper is a nondipper
Diprosopus

Two-faced conjoined twins (incompletely separated identical twins). The twins have almost complete fusion of their bodies with one set of limbs. Part or all of the face is duplicated. The condition usually results in…
Dipsophobia

An abnormal and persistent fear of drinking alcohol. Sufferers of dipsophobia experience undue anxiety about addiction to alcohol and the effect this addiction can have on their body. (However, their abstinence from…
Dipsosis

Excessive thirst; overwhelming desire for water or another liquid. Dipsosis may occur when the amount of water in the body falls below normal. Any activity that causes perspiration can deplete the body's water supply…
Direct-entry midwife

A midwife who has entered the profession of midwifery as an apprentice to a practicing midwife rather than attending a formal school program
Directed DNA sequencing

Successively sequencing DNA from adjacent stretches of a chromosome
Directives, advance

Known also as advance medical directives, these are documents that pertain to treatment preferences and the designation of a surrogate decision-maker in the event that a person should become unable to make medical…
Directives, advance medical

These documents pertain to treatment preferences and the designation of a surrogate decision-maker in the event that a person should become unable to make medical decisions on their own behalf. Advance directives…
Dirofilaria immitis

The dog heartworm
Disaster supplies kit

Items stored in case of emergency, such as a prolonged power outage, earthquake, or flood. You and your family can cope best by preparing for disaster before it strikes. One way to prepare is by assembling a Disaster…
Disc

Shortened terminology for an intervertebral disc, a disk-shaped piece of specialized tissue that separates the bones of the spinal column. The center of a disc, called the nucleus, is soft, springy and receives the…
Disc, cervical

A disk shaped piece of specialized tissue that separates the vertebral bones of the spinal column in the neck. The center of the disc, which is called the nucleus, is soft, springy and receives the shock of standing…
Disc, optic

The circular area in the back of the inside of the eye where the optic nerve connects to the retina. Also called the optic nerve head
Disc, slipped

Rupturing of the tissue that separates the vertebral bones of the spinal column. The center of the disc, which is called the nucleus, is soft, springy and receives the shock of standing, walking, running, etc. The outer…