Medical terms - Letter H (page 17) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Hypoglycemia

Hypoglycemia: Low blood sugar (glucose). When symptoms of hypoglycemia occur together with a documented blood glucose under 45 mg/dl, and the symptoms promptly resolve with the administration of glucose, the diagnosis…
Hypoglycemia unawareness

Hypoglycemia unawareness: A complication of diabetes in which the patient is unaware of a deep drop in blood sugar because it fails to trigger the secretion of epinephrine which generates the characteristic symptoms of…
Hypoglycemic

Relating to hypoglycemia, an abnormally low level of the sugar glucose in the blood, usually a complication of diabetes, in which the body does not produce enough insulin to fully metabolize glucose. Hypoglycemic…
Hypogonadism

A condition in which decreased production of gonadal hormones leads to below-normal function of the gonads and to retardation of sexual growth and development. (The gonads are the ovaries and testes and the hormones…
Hypohidrosis

Subnormal sweating, less sweating than usual. Hidrosis meaning sweating, so hypohidrosis is literally undersweating
Hypohidrotic

Pertaining to hypohidrosis, too little sweating
Hypokalemia

Low blood potassium. Potassium is the major positive ion (cation) found inside of cells. The chemical notation for potassium is K+. The proper level of potassium is essential for normal cell function. An abnormal…
Hypomagnesemia

Too little magnesium. Magnesium deficiency can occur due to inadequate intake or impaired intestinal absorption of magnesium. Low magnesium (hypomagnesemia) is often associated with low calcium (hypocalcemia) and low…
Hypomania

A condition similar to mania but less severe. The symptoms are similar with elevated mood, increased activity, decreased need for sleep, grandiosity, racing thoughts, and the like. However, hypomanic episodes differ in…
Hypomanic

Affected by hypomania, a condition similar to mania but less severe. Hypomanic episodes may resemble manic episodes in symptoms. But hypomanic episodes do not cause significant distress or greatly impair one's work…
Hypomnesia

Abnormally poor memory of the past. As compared to hypermnesia and amnesia. From hypo- + the Greek mneme, memory
Hyponatremia

An abnormally low concentration of sodium in the blood. Too little sodium can cause cells to malfunction, and extremely low sodium can be fatal. Hyponatremia has many causes including medications such as diuretics and…
Hypoosmolar

In biochemistry, referring to hypoosmolarity, an abnormal decrease in the osmolarity of the body fluids
Hypoosmolarity

In biochemistry, an abnormal decrease in the osmolarity of the body fluids
Hypoparathyroidism

Hypoparathyroidism: Underfunction of the parathyroid glands with deficient production of the hormone parathormone which leads to low blood calcium (hypocalcemia). The parathyroid glands are located adjacent to the…
Hypopharyngeal diverticulum

See: Zenker diverticulum
Hypophosphatemia

A less than normal blood level of phosphate. The opposite of hyperphosphatemia.
Hypopigmented

Underpigmented.
Hypoplasia

Underdevelopment or incomplete development of a tissue or organ. For example, there can be hypoplasia (underdevelopment) of the enamel of the teeth. Hypoplasia is less drastic than aplasia where there is no development…
Hypoplasia of the thymus and parathyroids

See: DiGeorge syndrome
Hypoplasia, syndromatic hepatic ductular

Also called Alagille syndrome or arteriohepatic dysplasia, this is a genetic disorder characterized by jaundice in the newborn period, liver disease with cholestasis, peripheral pulmonic stenosis and unusual face…
Hypoplastic anemia-triphalangeal thumbs

E-Smith type: See: Aase-Smith syndrome II
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome

A form of congenital heart disease in which the whole left half of the heart (including the aorta , aortic valve, left ventricle and mitral valve) is underdeveloped (hypoplastic). Blood returning from the lungs has to…
Hypopnea

Literally, underbreathing. Breathing that is shallower or slower than normal. Hypopnea is distinct from apnea in which there is no breathing. Hypopnea comes from the Greek roots hypo- (meaning low, under, beneath, down…
Hypoproteinemic hypertrophic gastropathy

See: Giant hypertrophic gastritis
Hyposmia

A reduced ability to smell and to detect odors. Some people have anosmia and can detect no odors
Hypospadias

A birth defect of the penis involving the urethra (the transport tube leading from the bladder to discharge urine outside the body). The urethra normally travels in the male through the full length of the penis so that…
Hypotension

Any blood pressure that is below the normal expected for an individual in a given environment. Hypotension is the opposite of hypertension (abnormally high blood pressure). Hypotension is a relative term because the…
Hypotension, orthostatic

A temporary lowering of blood pressure (hypotension) due usually to suddenly standing up (orthostatic). Orthostatic hypotension may be experienced by healthy people -- it is more common in older people -- who rise…
Hypotension, postural

A drop in blood pressure (hypotension) due to a change in body position (posture) when a person moves to a more vertical position: from sitting to standing or from lying down to sitting or standing. Postural hypotension…
Hypotensive

Having abnormally low blood pressure (hypotension). See also: Hypertensive; Normotensive
Hypothalamic hamartoma

A benign tumor of the hypothalamus, the area of the brain that controls body temperature, hunger, and thirst. (In technical terms, the hypothalamus lies beneath a structure known as the thalamus and forms the floor of…
Hypothalamus

The area of the brain that controls body temperature, hunger, and thirst
Hypothermia

Abnormally low body temperature. The condition needs treatment at body temperatures of 35C (95 F) or below. And hypothermia becomes life threatening below body temperatures of 32.2 C (90 F). The signs and symptoms of…
Hypothyroidism

Deficiency ofroid hormone which is normally made by the thyroid gland which is located in the front of the neck: NTER>
Hypothyroidism, congenital

Hypothyroidism, congenital: Underactivity of the thyroid gland at birth, resulting in growth retardation, developmental delay and other abnormal features. Can be due to deficiency of iodine in the mother's diet during…
Hypothyroidism, infantile

Hypothyroidism (subnormal activity of the thyroid gland) that starts after birth and is manifest by features including delays in growth and development and myxedema surfacing during infancy. Myxedema is a dry waxy type…
Hypotonia

Decreased tone of skeletal muscles. In a word, floppiness. Hypotonia is a common finding in cerebral palsy and other neuromuscular disorders. Untreated hypotonia can lead to hip dislocation and other problems. Treatment…
Hypotonic solution

A solution with a lower salt concentration than in normal cells of the body and the blood. As opposed to an isotonic solution or a hypertonic solution
Hypoventilation

The state in which a reduced amount of air enters the alveoli in the lungs, resulting in decreased levels of oxygen and increased levels of carbon dioxide in the blood. Hypoventilation can be due to breathing that is…
Hypovolemia

An abnormal decrease in blood volume or, strictly speaking, an abnormal decrease in the volume of blood plasma. From hypo- + volume + emia (blood)
Hypovolemic

Referring to hypovolemia, an abnormal decrease in blood volume. As, for example, hypovolemic shock
Hypovolemic shock

See shock.
Hypoxemia

Abnormally low levels of oxygen in the blood. Hypoxemia may be mild to severe and leads to shortness of breath. Low blood oxygen can result from a variety of conditions that affect either the ability of the heart to…
Hypoxia

A subnormal concentration of oxygen. By contrast with normoxia (normal oxygen) and anoxia (the absence or near absence of oxygen). From hyp- (below) + -ox- (oxygen) + -ia
Hypoxia-ischemia

See hypoxia. Ischemia refers to blood flow to cells and organs that is not sufficient to maintain their normal function.
Hypoxic

Pertaining to hypoxia, a subnormal concentration of oxygen.
Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

Damage to cells in the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) from inadequate oxygen. Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy allegedly may cause in death in the newborn period or result in what is later recognized…
Hysterectomy

Hysterectomy: A surgical operation to remove the uterus and, sometimes, the cervix. Removal of the entire uterus and the cervix is referred to as a total hysterectomy. Removal of the body of the uterus without removing…
Hysterectomy, abdominal

Hysterectomy, abdominal: Surgical removal of the uterus through an incision made in the abdominal wall. As opposed to a vaginal hysterectomy