Medical terms - Letter M (page 21) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Myalgia

Pain in a muscle; or pain in multiple muscles. Myalgia means muscle pain. There are many specific causes of various types of myalgia. Myalgia can be temporary or chronic. Myalgia can be a result of a mild conditions…
Myalgia, epidemic

Also known as Bornholm disease, this is a temporary illness that is a result of virus infection. The disease features fever and intense abdominal and chest pains with headache. The chest pain is typically worsened by…
Myasthenia gravis

Prefix that denotes a relationship to fungus. From the Greek mykes, meaning fungus.
Myc-

The plural of mycelium.
Mycelia

An array of fungal filaments which was thought to resemble a display of decorative nails. From the Greek mykes, meaning fungus + helos, meaning an ornamental nail or stud.
Mycelium

An array of fungal filaments which was thought to resemble a display of decorative nails. From the Greek mykes, meaning fungus + helos, meaning an ornamental nail or stud
Mycet-

Prefix that denotes a relationship to fungus. From the Greek mykes, meaning fungus
Myco-

Prefix that denotes a relationship to fungus. From the Greek mykes, meaning fungus
Mycobacteria

Plural of mycobacterium
Mycobacterium

A large family of bacteria that have unusually waxy cell walls that are resistant to digestion. The mycobacteria includes: > >Mycobacterium avium -- which causes tuberculosis in birds and immunodeficient people…
Mycobacterium avium

A slow-growing bacterium found in the soil and in dust particles that causes tuberculosis in birds and swine and is responsible for the mycobacterium avian complex (MAC) in humans. See: Mycobacterium avian complex
Mycobacterium avium complex

(MAP) A bacterium that causes Johne's disease, a form of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in cattle and other species, including primates. Because Johne's disease is in some ways quite similar to Crohn's disease…
Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis

(MAP) A bacterium that causes Johne's disease, a form of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in cattle and other species, including primates. Because Johne's disease is in some ways quite similar to Crohn's disease…
Mycobacterium chelonae

A type of bacteria related to that which causes tuberculosis and which is commonly found in soil and sometimes in sputum. M. chelonae is one of a group of rapidly growing mycobacteria that can cause postoperative wound…
Mycobacterium intercellulare

A slow-growing bacterium found in the soil and in dust particles that can cause the mycobacterium avian complex (MAC). See: Mycobacterium avian complex
Mycobacterium leprae

The bacillus responsible for leprosy (Hansen disease). Mycobacterium leprae is an obligate parasite that has to live within cells. There it is able to withstand the onslaught of enzymes and other forces by virtue of…
Mycobacterium marinum

Mycobacterium marinum: A bacterium found in both fresh and salt water that can cause disease in fish and people. Skin infection with M. marinum is usually acquired from swimming pools, aquariums, or fish-handling…
Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The bacterium that causes tuberculosis. M. tuberculosis has unusually waxy walls, is slow-growing and among the most recalcitrant bacteria to treatment. The complete genome sequence of M. tuberculosis was published in…
Mycobacterium ulcerans

The bacterium that causes Buruli ulcer. Mycobacterium ulcerans is a member of the family of bacteria that causes tuberculosis and leprosy
Mycoplasma

The mycoplasma are a very large group of bacteria. There are more than 70 types. Mycoplasma hominis and Mycoplasma pneumoniae are among the dozen types of mycoplasma that occur in humans. Mycoplasma hominis is a common…
Mycosis fungoides

A type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that first appears on the skin. Also called cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.
Mycotoxin

A toxin produced by a fungus. A mycotoxin may be formed when grains or some other products become moldy. From myco-, fungal + -toxin = a fungal toxin
Mydriasis

Dilation of the pupils induced by eyedrops. The opposite of miosis.
Myelin

The fatty substance that covers and protects nerves. Myelin is a layered tissue that sheathes the axons (nerve fibers). This sheath around the axon acts like a conduit in an electrical system, ensuring that messages…
Myelination

The formation of the myelin sheath around a nerve fiber. Also known as myelinization
Myelinization

The formation of the myelin sheath around a nerve fiber. Also known as myelination
Myelitis

Inflammation of the spinal cord.
Myelitis, transverse

A disease of the spinal cord in which there is demyelination (erosion of the myelin sheath that normally protects nerve fibers). The onset of the disorder is typically sudden. Symptoms include back pain followed by…
Myelodysplastic syndrome

A group of bone marrow disorders characterized by the underproduction of one or more types of blood cells due to dysfuntion of the marrow. The myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) may arise de novo (newly) or be secondary to…
Myeloencephalitis

Inflammation of both the spinal cord and the brain. Myeloencephalitis (also called encephalomyelitis) can be caused by a variety of conditions that lead to inflammation of the spinal cord and brain. Among the common…
Myelofibrosis

Fibrosis (spontaneous scarring) of the bone marrow. This can be associated with a variety of diseases, primarily myeloproliferative (pre-leukemic) disorders. Sometimes used interchangeably with agnogenic myeloid…
Myelogenous

Referring to the nonlymphocytic groups of white blood cells, including the granulocytes, monocytes and platelets. Synonymous with myeloid. Acute myelogenous leukemia is therefore also known as acute myeloid leukemia.
Myelogenous leukemia, acute

Myelogenous leukemia, acute: Abbreviated AML. Also called acute myeloid leukemia or acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL). A quickly progressive malignant disease in which there are too many immature blood-forming cells…
Myelogram

An x-ray of the spinal cord and the bones of the spine. During a myelogram, a contrast material that is injected into the spinal canal is used to visualize the structures of the spinal cord and nerve roots
Myeloid

Referring to the nonlymphocytic groups of white blood cells, including the granulocytes, monocytes and platelets. Synonymous with myelogenous. Acute myeloid leukemia is thus also known as acute myelogenous leukemia.
Myeloid leukemia, acute

Myeloid leukemia, acute: A quickly progressive malignant disease in which there are too many immature blood-forming cells in the blood and bone marrow, the cells being specifically those destined to give rise to the…
Myeloma

A tumor of antibody-producing cells, called plasma cells, that are normally found in the bone marrow
Myeloperoxidase

An enzyme in leukocytes (white blood cells) that is linked to inflammation and cardiovascular disease. An elevated blood level of the enzyme predicts the early risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack). Abbreviated…
Myeloperoxidase deficiency

Deficiency of the enzyme myeloperoxidase which may predispose to severe fungal infections. The enzyme is critical to the oxygen-dependent killing of bacteria by leukocytes (white blood cells)
Myeloproliferative

Referring to the proliferation of the bone marrow cells that give rise to red blood cells, granulocytes (a type of white blood cells), and/or platelets (crucial to blood clotting). The term myeloproliferative is in…
Myeloproliferative disorders

Malignant diseases of certain bone marrow cells including those that give rise to the red blood cells, the granulocytes (types of white blood cells), and the platelets (crucial to blood clotting). The myeloproliferative…
MYH

A base excision repair gene responsible for an hereditary colon cancer syndrome. MYH is located on the short (p) arm of chromosome 1 in region 1p34.3-p32.1. MYH encodes an enzyme that removes the base adenine from…
MYH syndrome

See: MYH
Myo- (prefix)

A prefix denoting a relationship to muscle. Myo- enters into many words and terms in medicine including cardiomyopathy, dermatomyositis, electromyography, leiomyoma, myocardial infarction, myocarditis, myocardium…
Myocardial bridge

Literally a bridging of heart muscle over one of the major arteries to the heart (usually the left anterior descending artery). The heart has formed in this abnormal design from birth, whereby the artery is actually…
Myocardial infarction

A heart attack. Abbreviated MI. The term 'myocardial infarction' focuses on the myocardium (the heart muscle) and the changes that occur in it due to the sudden deprivation of circulating blood. The main change is…
Myocardial infarction, acute

See: Acute myocardial infarction
Myocarditis

Myocarditis: Inflammation of the myocardium, the heart muscle. Myocarditis can be caused by a number of different conditions. The most common cause is infection of the heart muscle by a virus. The virus causes the…
Myocarditis, viral

Inflammation of the muscles in the walls of the heart due to a viral infection. Among the offenders are dozen of different common viruses, including the adenovirus, coxsackievirus, poliovirus, echoviruses, and influenza…
Myocardium

The heart muscle.