Medical terms - Letter W | MedicalVocabulary.org

Waardenburg syndrome

A genetic disorder that causes deafness, white forelock (a frontal white blaze of hair), a difference of color between the iris of one eye and the other (heterochromia iridis), white eye lashes, and wide-set inner…
Waardenburg, Petrus Johannes

See: Stickler syndrome.
Wagner syndrome

See: Stickler syndrome
Wagner's syndrome

See: Stickler syndrome
Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia

A chronic low-grade (indolent) type of lymphoma due to a malignant clone of plasma cells. These plasma cells multiply out of control, invade the bone marrow, lymph nodes, and spleen, and characteristically produce huge…
Walker, baby

A device that allows a baby to move about in a half-seated, half-upright position. A 'walker' may paradoxically delay a baby in development. The baby using a walker tends to be slow in reaching motor milestones such as…
Walleye

1. A dense white opacity (leukoma) of the cornea. 2. Divergent strabismus (exotropia) in which the eye turns outward away from the nose. 3. Large staring eyes, like those of certain fish such as the pike. All of these…
Walleyed

1. Having exotropia -- divergent strabismus -- in which the eyes turn outward away from the nose. The Japanese term is ron-pari, as one eye is looking at Rondon (London) and the other is looking at Pari (Paris). 2…
Wamble

Both a verb and noun meaning: 1. To move unsteadily; an unsteady motion. 2. To feel nauseated; a feeling of nausea. 3. (Of a stomach) To rumble or growl. From the Middle English wamelen (to feel nausea), from the…
Warble

A small hard nodule produced by the larva of a fly that has penetrated the skin. The warble can be erythematous (reddened). The most common complication is a secondary bacterial infection around the warble. The usual…
Warburg apparatus

A device used in biochemistry for measuring breathing (respiration) by tissues. Tissue slices are enclosed in a chamber in which the temperature and pressure are monitored, and the amount of gas produced or consumed by…
Warburg's yellow enzyme

A key respiratory enzyme discovered by the German biochemist Otto Heinrich Warburg (1883-1970), a pioneer in research on the respiration of cells and the metabolism of tumors. Warburg's yellow enzyme is a flavoprotein…
Warfarin

Warfarin: An anticoagulant drug (brand names: Coumarin, Panwarfin, Sofarin) taken to prevent the blood from clotting and to treat blood clots and overly thick blood. Warfarin is also used to reduce the risk of clots…
Warfarin, teratogenicity of

Warfarin, teratogenicity of: The anticoagulant warfarin (COUMADIN) is a known teratogen, an agent that can disturb the development of the embryo and fetus and lead to birth defects.. Warfarin taken by a woman during…
Warshaw

See: Warshaw, Joseph
Warshaw, Joseph

(1936-2003) Eminent American pediatrician and pioneer in human developmental biology. Warshaw used biochemical, cell biological and molecular techniques to investigate the regulation of fetal growth and perinatal…
Wart

Wart: A local growth of the outer layer of the skin (the epidermis) caused by a virus. The virus of warts (a papillomavirus) is transmitted by contact. The contact can be with a wart on someone else or one on oneself…
Wart, genital

A wart that is confined primarily to the moist skin of the genitals. These warts are due to viruses belonging to the family of human papilloma viruses (HPVs) which are transmitted through sexual contact. The virus can…
Wart, venereal

The same as a genital wart, a wart that is confined primarily to the moist skin of the genitals. These warts are due to viruses belonging to the family of human papilloma viruses (HPVs) which are transmitted through…
Warts, plantar

Warts that grow on the soles of the feet. Plantar warts are different from most other warts. They tend to be flat and cause the buildup of callus (that has to be peeled away before the plantar wart itself can be seen…
Wasp sting

A sting from a wasp, like that of other large stinging insects such as bees, hornets and yellow jackets, capable of triggering allergic reactions varying greatly in severity and scope from a localized reaction limited…
Wasting

1. Gradual loss (for example, of weight), deterioration, emaciation. As in a wasting disease. 2. Excessive depletion. As in salt wasting, the excessive loss of salt
Watchful waiting

Closely monitoring a patient's condition but withholding therapy until the sign and symptom appear or change. Also called observation
Water

1. A tasteless odorless colorless liquid with the chemical formula H2O.2. The liquid which forms rain, rivers, and the sea and makes up a large part of the bodies of most organisms, including humans.3. The amniotic…
Water blister

A blister with clear watery contents that is not purulent (does not contain pus) and is not sanguineous (does not contain blood). A blister is medically termed a vesicle. One that is more than 5 mm in diameter with thin…
Water channel

See: Aquaporin
Water fluoridation

The addition of fluoride to water supplies that are low in fluoride in order to prevent dental caries. For years now, water fluoridation has reduced pain and suffering related to tooth decay, reduced tooth loss, reduced…
Water hammer pulse

See: Pulse, water hammer
Water on the brain

Known medically as 'hydrocephalus', this is an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles of the brain. The fluid is often under increased pressure and can compress and damage the brain…
Water pore

See: Aquaporin
Water requirements, infant

Water is an important part of a baby's diet because water makes up a large proportion of the baby's body. When properly prepared, all infant formulas are approximately 85% water. Infant formulas are available in three…
Waterborne bacterial disease

An illness due to infection with bacteria contaminating the water supply. Waterborne bacterial diseases cause a wide range of syndromes including: acute dehydrating diarrhea (cholera), prolonged febrile illness with…
Watermelon

A fruit of African origin that is, in reality, a vegetable related to cucumbers and squash. Watermelon is 92% water and 8% sugar. It is rich in lypocene, an antioxidant that gives it its characteristic color. It is fat…
Watermelon stomach

Parallel red sores in the stomach that look like the stripes on a watermelon. Frequently seen with cirrhosis of the liver
Watson

See: Watson, James
Watson, James

American biologist (1928-) who, with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, shared the 1962 Nobel prize in Medicine and Physiology, 'for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its…
Wax dip

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…
Wax, ear

The ear canal is shaped somewhat like an hourglass. The skin on the outer part of the canal has special glands that produce earwax. The purpose of this natural wax is to repel water and to trap dust and sand particles…
WBC

Commonly used abbreviation for a white blood cell. WBC also stands for the white blood cell count which is the number of white blood cells in a volume of blood. Normal range varies slightly between laboratories but is…
WBS

Wiedemann-Beckwith syndrome. See: Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome
WDWN

Abbreviation for 'well developed, well nourished' used by doctors as shorthand when jotting down the results of their physical examination. For example, a WDWNWF = well developed, well nourished white female; WDWNBF =…
Weasand

1. The windpipe (trachea). 2. More loosely, the throat. 'Cut his weasand with thy knife.' The Tempest, Shakespeare. Weasand is from the Middle English wesand and the Old High German weisunt meaning windpipe. Sometimes…
Weaver syndrome

An overgrowth syndrome characterized by accelerated growth and advanced bone age (evident at birth), unusual craniofacial appearance, hoarse low-pitched cry, and hypertonia (increased muscle tone) with camptodactyly…
Weaver's bottom

Inflammation of the bursa that separates the gluteus maximus muscle of the buttocks from the underlying bony prominence of the bone that we sit on, the ischial tuberosity. Weaver's bottom is a form of bursitis that is…
Weaver-Smith syndrome.

See: Weaver syndrome
Wegener's granulomatosis

Wegener's granulomatosis: An uncommon type of inflammation of small arteries and veins (vasculitis) that classically involves the vessels supplying the tissues of the lungs, nasal passages (sinuses), and kidneys…
Weighing, hydrostatic

See: Underwater weighing
Weighing, underwater

See: Underwater weighing
Weight loss

Weight loss is a decrease in body weight resulting from either voluntary (diet, exercise) or involuntary (illness) circumstances. Most instances of weight loss arise due to the loss of body fat, but in cases of extreme…
Weight Watchers