Medical dictionary

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Faeces: stools.
Failure to thrive: a condition characterized by lag in physical growth and development.
Fallopian tubes: the tubes which carry the egg (ova) from the ovaries to the womb.
Fanconi anaemia: a rare inherited type of aplastic anaemia which carries an increased risk to the patient of developingleukaemia.
Fascia: fibrous connective tissue wrapped round muscles as well as softer more delicate organs in membrane-like layers of varied thickness around the body.
Fasciculation: twitch.
Fasciitis: inflammation of the fascia, resulting from infection or from a rheumatic disease such as Reiter's syndrome or ankylosing spondylitis.
Fats: one of the three main classes of foods and a source of energy in the body, there are two types: saturated and unsaturated.
Fatty acids: the chemical units that make up fat, usually in combination with glycol to form triglycerides.
Fatty streaks: fatty deposits on the lining of artery walls that can lead on to atheroma.
Febrile: feverish.
Felty's syndrome: a combination of seropositive rheumatoid arthritis (often with relatively inactive synovitis) with splenomegaly and neutropenia. It is associated with serious infections, vasculitis (leg ulcers, mononeuritis), anaemia, thrombocytopenia and lymphadenopathy.
Femoral: thigh-related.
Fermentation: the process of bacteria breaking down undigested food to release alcohols, acids, and gases.
Ferriprive: anaemic.
Fibre: a substance found in foods that come from plants and helps in the digestive process.
Fibrin: a blood-clotting protein.
Fibrinogen: a protein in the blood involved in the formulation of blood clots; high levels increase the risk of a heart attack.
Fibromyalgia: a condition which affects the muscles and ligaments but does not damage the joints. It is a common condition and can be severe. In fibromyalgia the fibrous tissues (fibro-) and muscles (-my) are affected by pain (-algia) and tenderness.
Fibrosing alveolitis: a condition caused by cells that are normally involved in the body's own defence against infection, instead causing inflammation, injury, and scarring in the lungs.
Fibrosis: fibrous tissue formation.
Fibrositis: see fibromyalgia.
Fissure: groove or crack.
Fistula: abnormal passage between two organs or between an organ and the outside of the body.
Flaccid: soft.
Flatulence: wind.
Flexion: contracting a muscle.
Floaters: drifting dark spots within the field of vision.
Flower remedies: specially blended to suit the individual patient said to bring about benefits by influencing each person's life force.
Fluor albus: vaginal discharge.
Foetoplacental: fetus and placenta-related.
Foetotoxic: toxic to the fetus.
Foetus: an unborn baby, after the eighth week of pregnancy.
Folic acid: a form of vitamin b obtained from green leafy vegetables, e.g. Spinach. It is essential for synthesis of DNA and therefore the growth and division of cells.
Folic acid antagonist: a chemical which inhibits a cell's capacity to use folic acid and so prevent cell division. See also chemotherapy.
Follicle: a small body cavity with a secretory or excretory function.
Folliculitis: follicle inflammation.
Fontanelle: soft spot on skull of new-born babies.
Foramen: an opening in a bone or organ.
Foreskin: the skin over the tip of the penis.
Fovea: a depressed region in the middle of the retina that is responsible for detailed central vision.
Fragile X syndrome: an inherited condition in which the X chromosome - is slightly abnormal.
Free radical: a chemically active, charged atom or complex of atoms containing an excess or deficient number of electrons. Radicals seek to transfer electrons from or to other atomic complexes in order to achieve a more stable configuration. This process can damage the large molecules within cells.
Freiberg's infraction/disease: a painful condition of the foot due to avascular necrosis. Usually affects active adolescent girls with pain localised to the metatarsal head.
Frenulum: the fold in the mucous membrane that attaches the tongue to the floor of the mouth.
Friedreich’s ataxia: an inherited disease that causes progressive damage to the nervous system resulting in symptoms ranging from muscle weakness and speech problems to heart disease.
Frozen shoulder: see 'adhesive capsulitis'.
Fundoscopy: a thorough eye screening in which the pupil is dilated and the back of the eye are examined with an opthalmoscope.
Fungistatic: fungus growth-preventing.
Fungus: an infective agent such as a mould or yeast. See also candida.
Furunculosis: boils.

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