Medical terms - Letter I (page 7) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Inheritance, multifactorial

The type of hereditary pattern seen when there is more than one genetic factor involved and, sometimes, when there are also environmental factors participating in the causation of a condition. Many common traits are…
Inheritance, Y-linked

Inheritance of genes on the Y chromosome. Since only males normally have a Y chromosome, Y-linked genes can only be transmitted from father to son. Y-linked inheritance is also called holandric inheritance. It has often…
Inherited immunodeficiency disease

See: Primary immunodeficiency disease
Inherited metabolic diseases

Also called inborn errors of metabolism, these are heritable (genetic) disorders of biochemistry. Examples include albinism, cystinuria (a cause of kidney stones), phenylketonuria (PKU), and some forms of gout, sun…
Inhibin

One of two hormones (designated inhibin-A and inhibin-B) secreted by the gonads (by Sertoli cells in the male and the granulosa cells in the female) and that inhibit the production of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)…
Inhibition, orgasmic

See: Anorgasmia
Inhibitor, ACE

See: ACE inhibitor
Inhibitor, protease

An agent that can keep a protease from working and splitting a protein into peptides. Protease inhibitors are used in HIV/AIDS treatment. The protease inhibitors represented a major advance in treating HIV infection and…
Inhibitory RNA

See: RNA inactivation; and RNA interference
Iniencephaly

A rare neural tube defect that combines extreme retroflexion (backward bending) of the head with severe defects of the spine. The affected infant tends to be short, with a disproportionately large head. The diagnosis…
Injection snoreplasty

To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emotional sense. Treadmill machines may injure anyone who gets on one. Sexual molestation injures children. From the Latin injuria meaning injury.
Injure

To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emotional sense. Treadmill machines may injure anyone who gets on one. Sexual molestation injures children. From the Latin injuria meaning injury
Injury

Harm or hurt. The term 'injury' may be applied in medicine to damage inflicted upon oneself as in a hamstring injury or by an external agent on as in a cold injury. The injury may be accidental or deliberate, as with a…
Injury, cold

Cold injuries include chilblains, 'trench foot,' and frostbite. Cold injuries occur with and without freezing of body tissues. The young and the elderly are especially prone to cold injury. Alcohol increases the risk of…
Injury, hangman (Hangman's fracture)

Injury to one of the two crescent-shaped cartilage pads between the two joints formed by the femur (the thigh bone) and the tibia (the shin bone). Each meniscus acts as a smooth surface for the joint to move on. The two…
Injury, knee meniscus

Injury to one of the two crescent-shaped cartilage pads between the two joints formed by the femur (the thigh bone) and the tibia (the shin bone). Each meniscus acts as a smooth surface for the joint to move on. The two…
Injury, mental child

Also known as emotional child abuse, this is the third most frequently reported form of child abuse (after child neglect and physical child abuse), accounting 17% of all cases of child abuse. It is likely that emotional…
Injury, mower

See: Mower injury
Injury, needlestick

See: Needlestick injury
Injury, scooter

See: Scooter injury
Inkblot test

A test used in clinical psychology and psychiatry involving inkblots. The inkblots are used to determine what a person perceives (reads into) in the enigmatic and highly ambiguous shapes. Ten standardized blots are…
Innate immunity

Immunity that is naturally present and is not due to prior sensitization to an antigen from, for example, an infection or vaccination. Since it is not stimulated by specific antigens, innate immunity is generally…
Inner ear

There are three sections of the ear. They are the external ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. The inner ear is far and away the most highly complex. The essential component of the inner ear for hearing is the…
Innervate

To supply with nerves. It is a little known fact that the cornea is the most densely innervated tissue in the body
Innervation

The nerve supply, usually to a specific part of the body. The innervation of the cornea is dense
Inotropic

Affecting the force of muscle contraction. An inotropic heart drug is one that affects the force with which the heart muscle contracts
Inpatient

A patient whose care requires a stay in a hospital. As opposed to an outpatient. The term inpatient dates back to at least 1760. The case of an inpatient was referred to an incase
INR

Stings from large stinging insects such as bees, hornets, yellow jackets and wasps can trigger allergic reactions varying greatly in severity. Avoidance and prompt treatment are essential. In selected cases, allergy…
Insect sting

Stings from large stinging insects such as bees, hornets, yellow jackets and wasps can trigger allergic reactions varying greatly in severity. Avoidance and prompt treatment are essential. In selected cases, allergy…
Insecticidal

Capable of killing insects or controlling their growth
Insecticide

A chemical used specifically to kill or control the growth of insects. Certain insecticides have been banned because of their adverse effects on animals or humans. Dursban (chlorpyrifos) is one that has been banned…
Insecticide-treated bednet

A bednet that has been treated with insecticide to protect against mosquitos and malaria. 'Provision of insecticide-treated bednets (ITNs) is universally accepted as an efficacious and essential public health service in…
Insemination

The deposition of semen in the female reproductive tract. Under normal circumstances, the deposit is made within the vagina or the cervix (the opening to the uterus). By artificial means (such as intrauterine…
Insemination, artificial

A procedure in which a fine catheter (tube) is inserted through the cervix (the natural opening of the uterus) into the uterus (the womb) to deposit a sperm sample directly into the uterus. The purpose of this…
Insemination, heterologous

A procedure in which a fine catheter (tube) is inserted through the cervix (the natural opening of the uterus) into the uterus (the womb) to deposit a sperm sample from a donor other than the woman's mate directly into…
Insemination, homologous

A procedure in which a fine catheter (tube) is inserted through the cervix (the natural opening of the uterus) into the uterus (the womb) to deposit a sperm sample from the woman's mate directly into the uterus. The…
Insemination, intrauterine

A procedure in which a fine catheter (tube) is inserted through the cervix (the natural opening of the uterus) into the uterus (the womb) to deposit a sperm sample directly into the uterus. The purpose of intrauterine…
Insertable loop recorder

See: Patient-activated cardiac event recorder
Insertion

Chromosome abnormality due to insertion of a segment from one chromosome into another chromosome.
Insinuate

In the biomedical sciences, to introduce slowly, through a winding or narrow passage, or by a persistent movement. The term 'insinuate' in this sense carries the connotation of introducing artfully and gently, as a…
Insomnia

Insomnia that occurs most nights and lasts a month or more. The treatment of chronic insomnia consists of: First, the diagnosis and treatment of underlying medical or psychological problems. The identification of…
Insomnia, chronic

Insomnia that occurs most nights and lasts a month or more. The treatment of chronic insomnia consists of: > >First, the diagnosis and treatment of underlying medical or psychological problems. >The identification of…
Insomnia, fatal familial

See Fatal familial insomnia
Insomnia, intermittent

Insomnia that occurs from time to time and each time lasts less than a week or two. Intermittent insomnia may not require treatment since the episodes of insomnia usually only last a few days at a time. For example, if…
Insomnia, transient

Insomnia that usually lasts less than a week and does not recur. If it recurs from time to time, the insomnia is considered intermittent. If the insomnia affects most nights and lasts a month or more, it is considered…
Inspissate

To thicken. Inspissated bile is thickened bile
Institute of Medicine

One of the National Academies of the United States. The Institute of Medicine conducts policy studies on health issues. For example, the Institute of Medicine issued reports and recommendations in September, 2001 on…
Institute on Deafness and Communication Disorders

S, National (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…
Institute, National Eye (NEI)

One of the US National Institutes of Health, NEI's mission is to 'conduct and support research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to blinding eye diseases, visual disorders…
Institutional Review Board

IRB. A group of scientists, doctors, clergy, and consumers at each health care facility that participates in a clinical trial. IRBs are designed to protect study participants. They review and must approve the action…