Medical terms - Letter G (page 9) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Godfrey Hounsfield

See: Hounsfield, Godfrey
Goiter

Enlargement of the thyroid gland. A goiter is not cancerous. It is simply a thyroid gland that is bigger than usual. A goiter can be associated with levels of thyroid hormone that are normal (euthyroid), too high…
Goiter, diffuse toxic

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…
Goiter, iodide

Just as too little iodine can cause thyroid disease, so may prolonged intake of too much iodine also lead to the development of goiter (swelling of the thyroid gland) and hypothyroidism (abnormally low thyroid…
Goiter, toxic multinodular

Condition in which the thyroid gland contains multiple lumps (nodules) that are overactive and produce excess thyroid hormones. This condition is also known as Parry's disease or Plummer's disease
Goiter-deafness syndrome

See Pendred syndrome
Goitrogenic foods

Goitrogenic are foods that can affect thyroid function by inhibiting synthesis of thyroid hormones, resulting in enlargement of the gland (goiter). Goitrogenic foods include Brussel sprouts, kohlrabi, turnips, rutabaga…
GOLD

The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD), a collaborative project of the US National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Its goals are to increase…
GOLD-0

One of the stages of chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD), according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). GOLD-0 is stage 0 in the GOLD classification of COPD and indicates 'at risk'…
GOLD-1

One of the stages of chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD), according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). GOLD-1 is stage I in the GOLD classification of COPD and indicates 'mild…
GOLD-2

One of the stages of chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD), according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). GOLD-2 is stage II in the GOLD classification of COPD and indicates 'moderate…
GOLD-3

One of the stages of chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD), according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD). GOLD-3 is stage III in the GOLD classification of COPD and indicates 'severe…
Goldberger, Joseph

American public health physician (1874-1929) who solved the puzzle of pellagra. See: Pellagra
Goldenhar syndrome

Congenital malformation of the jaw, cheek and ear associated with vertebral defects. There is deformity of the external ear and abnormal smallness of that half of the face. Coloboma (cleft) of the upper eyelid is…
Goldring

See: Goldring, Sidney
Goldring, Sidney

Polish-born American neurosurgeon who pioneered the surgical treatment of epilepsy. Beginning in the 1970s, Dr. Goldring developed a technique that allows the brain to be mapped, enabling the procedure to be used with…
Golfer's cramp

A dystonia that affects the muscles of the hand and sometimes the forearm and only occurs when playing golf. Similar focal dystonias have also been called typist's cramp, pianist's cramp, musician's cramp, and writer's…
Gonad

A reproductive gland (ovary or testis) that produces germ cells (gametes). In embryonic life, the gonad in males and females is initially identical. This gonad is said to be 'indifferent' before it differentiates into a…
Gonad, female

The female gonad, the ovary or 'egg sac', is one of a pair of reproductive glands in women. They are located in the pelvis, one on each side of the uterus. Each ovary is about the size and shape of an almond. The…
Gonad, indifferent

In embryonic life, the gonad in males and females is initially identical. This gonad is said to be 'indifferent' before it differentiates into a definitive testis or ovary. An indifferent gonad becomes a testis if the…
Gonad, male

The male gonad, the testicle (or testis), located behind the penis in a pouch of skin (the scrotum). The testicles produce and store sperm and are also the body's main source of male hormones (testosterone). These…
Gonadotropin

Hormones that are secreted by the pituitary gland, and that affect the function of the male or female gonads. See follicle-stimulating hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin.
Gonadotropin, human chorionic

See: Human chorionic gonadotropin
Gonarthritis

Inflammation of the knee joint
Gonorrhea

A sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoea. Although gonorrhea is known primarily as a sexually transmitted infection (STI), it is not exclusively so, but can also be transmitted…
GOO

Gastric outlet obstruction
Good Samaritan

Someone who voluntarily helps someone else who is in distress. The term 'Good Samaritan' comes from the parable of the Good Samaritan related in the Book of Luke in the New Testament of the Bible. The parable tells of a…
Good Samaritan law

A law designed to protect a Good Samaritan from legal liability. Such laws usually specify that whoever in good faith provides emergency (and sometimes non-emergency) medical services shall not be civilly liable unless…
Good-for-you bacteria

Bacteria that are good for health. Lactobacillus acidophilus are a type of good-for-you bacteria. The term is an informal one for probiotic
Goodman syndrome

A genetic syndrome characterized by acrocephalosyndactyly -- birth defects involving the head and face and the fingers. The craniofacial features are essentially those of acrocephaly while the finger abnormalities…
Goodpasture syndrome

An autoimmune disease characterized by a combination of lung and kidney disease --specifically, pulmonary hemorrhage (bleeding in the lungs) and glomerulonephritis (inflammation of the glomerulus) --due to severe…
Goose bump

A temporary local change in the skin when it becomes rougher due to erection of little muscles, as from cold, fear, or excitement. The chain of events leading to this skin change starts with a stimulus such as cold or…
Gooseflesh

A temporary local change in the skin when it becomes rougher due to erection of little muscles, as from cold, fear, or excitement. The chain of events leading to this skin change starts with a stimulus such as cold or…
Gorham disease

Also called disappearing bone disease. Extensive loss of calcium from a single bone so that it cannot be seen on x-ray. Any bone can be involved but the upper arm, shoulder, and jaw are most frequent. This type of…
Gorlin syndrome

Name sometimes used for the LEOPARD syndrome which Dr. Robert J. Gorlin and colleagues recognized and reported in the medical literature in 1969. A oral pathologist and clinical geneticist at the University of…
Gorlin syndrome II

Name sometimes used for the LEOPARD syndrome which Dr. Robert J. Gorlin and colleagues recognized and reported in the medical literature in 1969. A oral pathologist and clinical geneticist at the University of…
Gorlin-Goltz syndrome

See: Gorlin syndrome
Gottron sign

A scaly, patchy redness over the knuckles seen in patients with dermatomyositis, an inflammatory muscle disorder. (See polymyositis).
Gout

Gout: Condition characterized by abnormally elevated levels of uric acid in the blood, recurring attacks of joint inflammation (arthritis), deposits of hard lumps of uric acid in and around the joints, and decreased…
Gout, tophaceous

A form of chronic gout whereby nodular masses of uric acid crystals (tophi) are deposited in different soft tissue areas of the body. Even though tophi are most commonly found as hard nodules around the fingers, at the…
Gouty arthritis

An attack that is usually extremely painful of joint inflammation due to deposits of uric acid crystals in the joint fluid (synovial fluid) and joint lining (synovial lining). Intense joint inflammation occurs as white…
Gower syndrome (situational syncope)

The temporary loss of consciousness in particular kinds of situations. (Syncope is temporary loss of consciousness or, in plain English, fainting). The situations that trigger this reaction are diverse and include…
GPO

GPO stands for various things (such as the Government Printing Office) but in a healthcare context (and many other contexts) a GPO is a Group Purchasing Organization. A medical GPO might be able to bring the purchasing…
Graft

Healthy skin, bone, or other tissue taken from one part of the body to replace diseased or injured tissue removed from another part of the body. For example, skin grafts can be used to cover areas of skin that have been…
Graft-versus-host disease

A complication of bone marrow transplants in which T cells in the donor bone marrow graft go on the offensive and attack the host's tissues. Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is seen most often in cases where the blood…
Gram (measure)

A unit of measurement of weight and mass in the metric system. In weight, a gram is equal to a thousandth of a kilogram. In mass, a gram is equal to a thousandth of a liter (one cubic centimeter) of water at 4 degrees…
Gram calorie

See: Calorie
Gram calorie (Calorie)

The Danish bacteriologist J.M.C. Gram (1853-1938) devised a method of staining bacteria using a dye called crystal (gentian) violet. Gram's method helps distinguish between different types of bacteria. The gram-staining…
Gram stain

The Danish bacteriologist J.M.C. Gram (1853-1938) devised a method of staining bacteria using a dye called crystal (gentian) violet. Gram's method helps distinguish between different types of bacteria. The gram-staining…
Gram-negative

Gram-negative bacteria lose the crystal violet stain (and take the color of the red counterstain) in Gram's method of staining. This is characteristic of bacteria that have a cell wall composed of a thin layer of a…