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 Medical dictionary
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Dandruff: also called seborrheic dermatitis, is an inflammatory
condition of the scalp which causes itching and scaling.
Debridement: the surgical removal of foreign material or dead and
damaged tissue from a wound or burn.
Decibel: a unit of measure of the intensity of sound.
Decubitus: lying down.
Decubitus ulcer: a bedsores or pressure sores.
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT): a clot in the deep veins of the leg.
Defaecation: emptying the bowels.
Defibrillation: restoring heart beat with an electric shock.
Degenerative arthritis / degenerative joint disease:osteoarthritis.
Degradation: break-down.
Dehiscence: to split open or rupture.
Dehydration: a condition in when the body water content falls to a low
level.
Deletion: a chromosome
abnormality in which part of a single chromosome has been lost.
Delirium a mental disturbance associated by hallucinations and
incoherence.
Dementia: a general mental deterioration due to organic or psychological
factors.
De Morgan's spots: harmless raised red or purple spots on the skin
usually affecting middle-aged or elderly people.
Demulcent: a soothing agent that protects the mucous membranes and
relieves irritation.
Demylenation the breakdown of the sheath surrounding nerve fibres.
Dendritic: branching.
Dentition: set of teeth.
Depersonalization: dream-like feeling.
Depigmentation: loss of normal colouring.
Depletion: a laboratory procedure for reducing the numbers of specific
cell types within bone marrow donated for transplantation, for example the
removal of some types of lymphocytes.
This may be to avoid "mismatch" problems (particularly in relation to
unrelated donor transplants) or to remove a sub-set of potentially leukaemic cells in an autograft.
Depression: a chronic or
recurrent mental state characterized by hopelessness and lack of motivation and
energy. Other major symptoms include loss of appetite and either excessive or
inadequate sleep.
Deprivation: loss or lack.
Derivative: substance obtained from something else.
Dermabrasion the removal of the surface layer of skin.
Dermatitis: skin inflammation.
Dermatological: skin-related.
Dermatomycosis: fungal skin infection.
Dermatomyositis: like polymyositis, dermatomyositis is a
connective tissue disease, and is characterised by muscle weakness, stiffness
and pain, but is also accompanied by a rash, making the skin turn red or
violet.
Dermatophytosis: ringworm.
Dermatosis: skin disease.
Dermographia: using pressure or friction to write on skin.
Desensitization: gradually increasing the dose of a medicine in order to
overcome severe allergic reactions.
Desquamation: flaky skin.
Detoxication: drug addiction treatment.
Deviated septum: a condition in which the nasal septum is shifted to the
side.
DEXA / DXA: Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry: currently the most
accurate way of assessing bone mass by bone density scanning and thus
predicting any risk of osteoporosis
before fractures occur.
Dextrocardia: a rare condition in which the heart is situated in the
right-hand side of the chest instead of the left.
Diabetes insipidus: a disease of the pituitary gland or kidney that
causes sufferers to urinate often, get thirsty and hungry, and feel weak.
Diabetes mellitus: the medical condition in which blood glucose levels
rise as a result of inadequate production of insulin.
Dialysis: the separation of crystalline impurities from colloidal liquid
suspension.
Diaphragm: the thin sheet of muscle separating the chest from the
abdomen.
Diaphysis: the shaft of long bones.
Diarrhoea: is the frequent passage of loose, watery stools.
Diastole: part of blood pressure - the period in which the heart muscle
relaxes between beats.
Diathermy: heat treatment.
Differentiation: the gradual maturation of a cell whereby its functions
and properties become increasingly: specialised.Leukaemic cells are often poorly
differentiated, i.e. They show immature characteristics.
Diffuse: widely distributed.
Diffusion: spreading.
Digitalization: giving heart failure drugs.
Dilatation: stretching of a body cavity, vessel, or opening .
Diptheria: an infectious acute bacterial infection that affects the
larynx and pharynx.
Diplopia: double vision.
Disc problems: lumbar disc disorders, i.e. prolapsed intervertebral
discs.
Discharge: clear, yellow, or cloudy liquid that comes out of body
openings.
Discoid: disk-shaped.
Discoid rash: red patches of skin associated with scaling and plugging
of the hair follicles.
Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs): there are two groups of
DMARDs which are also called 'second line' drugs. The first group includes
antimalarials, penicillamine, gold and sulphasalazine; the second group are
termed 'immunosuppressant' because they suppress the immune system (the body's
own defence system).
DISH: Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hypertosis; characterised by large
vertebral osteophytes which extend vertically to bridge intervertebral
spaces.
Dislocation: moving out of position.
Disposition: tendency.
Disseminated disease: disease in which the cancerous cells have spread
from the tissue of origin to other organs.
Dissociation: separation.
Distal: further from the centre.
Distension: enlarging.
Distil: purify.
Diuresis: the production of more urine than normal.
Diuretic: a drug to stimulate the excretion of urine by the kidneys.
Diurnal: daytime.
Diverticulitis: colon inflammation.
Diverticulum: a small sac-like niche protruding from a tubular structure
eg the colon.
Dizygotic: fraternal twins.
DNA: (deoxyribonucleic acid) provides the essential
building block for storing genetic material. There are 4 different chemical
components of DNA (bases) arranged in coded sequence as
genes which determine an individual's inherited characteristics.
Dominant: in dominant inheritance if one of a pair of genes is altered the individual possessing
that gene will show signs of the relevant disorder. In any pregnancy there is a
50 per cent chance that he or she will pass the altered gene on, giving rise to
a child who is also affected.
Donor lymphocyte infusion: if a patient who has had an allogeneicbone marrow transplant has a
relapse, with return of the original disease, they may be given lymphocytes from the donor.
Dopamine: a neurotransmitter in the brain.
Dorsal: pertaining to the back.
Dorsiflexion: to bend backward.
Double-blinded: a clinical trial in which neither the participants nor
the doctors know who is receiving the experimental drug and who is receiving
the placebo or standard comparison treatments. This method is believed to
achieve the most accurate, generalizable results because neither the doctors
nor the patients can affect the observed results with their psychological
biases.
Douching: washing out.
Down' s syndrome: a congenital condition in which some or all of the
body cells have three copies of chromosome 21.
Duct: passage.
Ductus arteriosus: a blood vessel in the fetus that links the pulmonary
artery with the aorta that closes at birth.
Duodenal ulcer: an ulcer in the lining of the duodenum.
Duodenitis: an irritation of the duodenum.
Duodenum: the part of gut that follows the stomach.
Duplication: where a part of a chromosome or gene is duplicated.
Dupuytren's contracture:a painless condition which affects the palms of
the hands and the fingers. It may only cause skin nodules but can progress to
make the fingers contract to the palm of the hand.
Dura mater: covering of brain and spinal chord.
Dysarthria: problems with speaking caused by difficulty moving or
coordinating the muscles needed for speech.
Dysentery: an infectious disease of the colon causing bloody,
mucus-filled diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever.
Dysgenesis: malformation.
Dysgeusia: distortion of sense of taste.
Dyskinesia: jerky movements.
Dyslexia: impaired reading ability characterized by difficulty in coping
with written symbols.
Dysmenorrhoea: painful menstruation.
Dyspareunia: painful intercourse.
Dyspepsia: digestive upset, which may include
flatulence, heartburn, nausea or vomiting.
Dysphagia: difficulty in swallowing.
Dysphonia: difficulty in voice production.
Dysphoria: anxiety.
Dysplasia: abnormal changes or growth of cells
and tissues.
Dyspnoea: laboured or difficult breathing.
Dyspraxia: an immaturity of the brain resulting in messages not being
properly transmitted to the body.
Dystonia: muscle disorders.
Dystrophin: the protein that's missing in boys
with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Normal muscle cells produce a lot of this.
Dystrophin is related to other proteins which are affected in other types of muscular dystrophy.
Dystrophy: growth failure in tissue.
Dysuria: difficulty or pain in urination.
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