Medical terms - Letter W (page 2) | MedicalVocabulary.org

Weil syndrome

A severe form of leptospirosis with liver disease. See: Leptospirosis
Weissenbacher-Zweymuller syndrome

See: Stickler syndrome
Wellcovorin

See: Leucovorin
Welt

A red bump, ridge or swelling of unbroken skin raised by a stinging blow or by an allergic reaction to foods, drugs or insect bites, as in hives (urticaria). The word 'welt' has a number of nonmedical but related…
Werner syndrome

A premature aging disease that begins in adolescence or early in adulthood and results in apparent old age by 30-40 years of age. The characteristic features of Werner syndrome include short stature, premature graying…
Werner-His disease

Named for the German physician Heinrich Werner (who did not describe Werner's premature aging syndrome) and the Swiss physician Wilhelm His, Jr. (who did describe the bundle of His in the heart), this is a louse-borne…
Wesand

See: Weasand
Wesil

See: Weasand
West Nile encephalitis

West Nile encephalitis: A febrile disease caused by the West Nile virus that is transmitted from birds to the common Culex mosquito and then to people. The virus is named after the area it was first found in Uganda…
West Nile fever

Fever: A febrile disease caused by the West Nile virus that is transmitted from birds to the common Culex mosquito and then to people. The virus is named after the area it was first found in Uganda. West Nile fever…
West Nile virus

West Nile virus: The mosquito-borne virus that causes West Nile fever. One of the flaviviruses, a family of viruses also responsible for dengue, yellow fever, and tick-borne encephalitis virus. Like the other…
West syndrome

Infantile spasms, a seizure disorder of infancy and early childhood with the onset predominantly in the first year of life of myoclonic seizures, hypsarrhythmia (abnormal, chaotic electroencephalogram), and mental…
Western blot

A technique in molecular biology, used to separate and identify proteins. Called a Western blot merely because it has some similarity to a Southern blot (which is named after its inventor, the British biologist M.E…
Western medicine

Conventional medicine, as distinct for instance from traditional Chinese medicine
Wet brain

See: Cerebral edema
Wet lung

See: ARDS
Wet market

A live animal market, a common sight in many areas of the world and a source of influenza viruses and other infectious disease agents for human beings. SARS outbreaks have been traced to wet markets in southern China…
Wezand

See: Weasand
WF

Abbreviation for 'white female' 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 = well developed…
WFS1

A gene on the short (p) arm of chromosome 4 in band 4p16 that encodes (provides the instructions for) a protein called wolframin. Mutations in WFS1 are associated with Wolfram syndrome and with nonsyndromic deafness…
Wharton's jelly

A gelatinous substance within the umbilical cord. Wharton's jelly is a rich source of stem cells. Named for the English physician and anatomist Thomas Wharton (1614 -1673) who first described it
Wheal

A raised, itchy (pruritic) area of skin that is almost always an overt sign of allergy. Not all wheals are alike. They may be redder or paler than the skin around them. They may vary in configuration and may be rounded…
Wheat weevil

See: Granary weevil
Wheezer

A slang term for a patient who is wheezing. Sometimes applied to someone having serious trouble breathing
Wheezing

A whistling noise in the chest during breathing when the airways are narrowed or compressed
WHI

The Women's Health Initiative, a long-term health study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) focused on strategies for preventing heart disease, breast cancer, colorectal cancer and osteoporosis in…
Whiplash injury

Hyperextension (over-extension) injury to the neck, often the result of being struck from behind, as by a fast-moving vehicle in a car accident. The mechanics of whiplash injury are thought to be as follows: The victim…
Whipple disease

A form of intestinal malabsorption (an inability to absorb nutrients from the intestine) described in 1907 by the pathologist and Nobel laureate George H. Whipple in a medical missionary who first developed arthritis…
Whipple procedure

A type of surgery used to treat pancreatic cancer. The head of the pancreas, the duodenum, a portion of the stomach, and other nearby tissues are removed. The Whipple procedure is named for Allen O. Whipple, an American…
Whipworm

A nematode (roundworm) also called Trichuris trichiura. The third most common round worm of humans. The worm is found worldwide, with infections more frequent in areas with tropical weather and poor sanitation practices…
White blood cell

One of the cells the body makes to help fight infections. There are several types of white blood cells (leukocytes). The two most common types are the lymphocytes and neutrophils (also called polymorphonuclear…
White blood cell count

Kocyte count): The number of white blood cells (WBCs) in the blood. The WBC is usually measured as part of the CBC (complete blood count). White blood cells are the infection-fighting cells in the blood and are distinct…
White cell differential, automated

A machine-generated percentage of the different types of white blood cells, usually split into granulocytes, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils
White coat hypertension

A transient increase in blood pressure (hypertension) triggered by the sight of medical personnel in white coats (or other attire)
White matter

The part of the brain that contains myelinated nerve fibers. The white matter is white because it is the color of myelin, the insulation covering the nerve fibers. The white matter is as opposed to the gray matter (the…
White phosphorus

A waxy solid which burns easily and is used in chemical manufacturing and smoke munitions. It is also used by industry to produce phosphoric acid and other chemicals for use in fertilizers, food additives, and cleaning…
White spots on the nails

Very small semi-circular white spots on the nails. These spots may be found on the fingernails and, particularly, the toenails. The white spots on the nails reflect injury to the base (matrix) of the nail. The matrix is…
White subungual onychomycosis, proximal

The rarest form of fungus infection of the finger or toenail. (Fungus infection of the finger or toenail is also called onychomycosis.) The infection begins in the nail fold (the portion of the nail opposite the tip of…
White-coat hypertension (White coat hypertension)

A rodent capable of carrying the types of hantavirus that cause HPS (hantavirus pulmonary syndrome) in the US. The white-footed mouse is hard to distinguish from the deer mouse. The head and body together are about four…
White-footed mouse

A rodent capable of carrying the types of hantavirus that cause HPS (hantavirus pulmonary syndrome) in the US. The white-footed mouse is hard to distinguish from the deer mouse. The head and body together are about four…
Whitehead

A familiar term for what is medically called a closed comedo. A comedo, the primary sign of acne, consists of a dilated (widened) hair follicle filled with keratin squamae (skin debris), bacteria, and sebum (oil). A…
Whitmore's disease

An infectious illness, also called melioidosis, that is most frequent in Southeast Asia and Northern Australia and is caused by a bacteria called 'Pseudomonas pseudomallei' found in soil, rice paddies and stagnant…
Whitmore-Jewett staging system

A staging system for prostate cancer. See Jewett staging system
WHO (World Health Organization)

A type of chromosome rearrangement, also called a Robertsonian translocation, in which there is fusion of an entire long arm of one acrocentric chromosome with a similarly intact long arm of another acrocentric…
Whole-arm translocation

A type of chromosome rearrangement, also called a Robertsonian translocation, in which there is fusion of an entire long arm of one acrocentric chromosome with a similarly intact long arm of another acrocentric…
Whooping cough

Also known as pertussis, this is a feared infectious disease that can strike the respiratory system and affect other organs of the body. It has three stages-an initial stage with watery runny nose and eyes, a…
WHS

Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome
Wiedemann-Beckwith syndrome

See: Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome
Wildervanck syndrome

A syndrome characterized by the combination of congenital deafness, Duane syndrome (eye retraction), and fusion of the neck vertebrae (Klippel-Feil anomaly). Wildervanck syndrome is limited, or almost completely…
Wilkins, Lawson

American physician (1894-1963) who founded pediatric endocrinology. At Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore, Dr Wilkins started a clinic devoted to pediatric endocrinology and focused particularly on problems of…