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 Medical dictionary
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Tachyarrhythmia: irregular heartbeat.
Tachycardia: rapid beating of the heart, usually applied to rates over
100 per minute.
T'ai-Chi: exercise guided by Chinese Medical methods.
Tartar: an accumulation of minerals and plaque on the surface of the
teeth.
T-cell: T-cells are a type of white blood cell
which are normally very effective at defending the body against disease but
occasionally they start attacking the body's own tissue as in rheumatoid
arthritis.
Tears: watery and salty secretions of the lachrymal gland of the
eye.
Temporal arteritis: the condition known
as temporal arteritis is also called cerebral arteritis, cranial arteritis,
giant cell arteritis and sometimes granulomatous arteritis. It is associated
with painful inflammation of the blood vessels (arteries) of the head; the
temples are often tender to the touch and headaches are common. It can often
occur with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). It
is a form of vasculitis of unknown aetiology, predominantly affecting people
aged 50+, with a higher incidence in women.
Tendon: cord or strand of strong fibrous tissue that anchors muscle to
bone.
Tendonitis: inflammation of a tendon.
Tennis elbow: is caused by physical strain through any one of a number
of activities. The medical name for tennis elbow is 'lateral epicondylitis'
(the lateral epicondyle is the bony part that is on the outside of the elbow
joint). It is caused when the tendons coming from the muscle of the forearm
become inflamed at the point where they join causing pain and tenderness.
Tenosynovitis: inflammation of a tendon sheath.
Teratogenic (niet: teratogen): producing fetal abnormality.
Teratological: early fetus development-related.
Testosterone: the naturally occurring male
hormone. When administered as a drug it can cause gain in lean body mass,
increased sex drive and possibly aggressive behavior.
Tetany: muscle spasm.
Thalamus: part of the brain.
Theophylline: an alkaloid found with caffeine in tea leaves. A smooth
muscle relaxant, diuretic, cardiac, stimulant and vasodilator.
Thermoregulation: heat regulation.
Therapeutic touch: a modern form of laying-on hands.
Thoracic: chest-related.
Threadworms: live in the bowel and around the bottom. They are tiny
white worms about half an inch long which look like "threads" of
white cotton- hence the name threadworms.
Thrombin: an enzyme that converts fibrinogen into fibrin.
Thrombocyte: see platelet.
Thrombocythaemia: an over-production of platelets. See also essential
thrombocythaemia.
Thrombocytopaenia: shortage of platelets leading to problems with bleeding.
Thrombocytosis: increased platelets in the
blood.
Thromboembolism: blood clotting.
Thrombolytic: dissolving blood clots.
Thrombophlebitis: venous inflammation with thrombus formation.
Thrombosis: the development of a clot in a blood vessel, usually in a
vein but sometimes in an artery.
Thrombus: a blood clot that develops within the
circulation.
Thymus: a gland at the base of the neck concerned with the production of
functional t-cells.
Thyrotoxicosis: overactive thryoid.
Thyroxine: an iodine-containing hormone of the thyroid gland
Tic: spasmodic movement or twitching
Tinea pedis: fungal infection of the foot.
Tinnitus: ringing in the ears.
Tissue: a collection of more or less uniform cells specialised to
perform a particular function.
Titre: concentration of a substance in solution.
T-lymphocyte: a type of white blood cell derived from the thymus (hence
t cells) involved in controlling immune reactions.
Tomography: an x-ray picture of internal organs of the body.
Topical: applied to the skin.
Torsade de pointes: irregular heartbeat.
Torsion: twisting.
Torticollis: twisting of head and neck.
Total body irradiation (TBI): radiotherapy often given in several doses
prior to bone marrow transplantation with the aim of killing any residualleukaemia in the patient. It is used
in conjunction with high dose anti-cancer drugs.
Tourette Syndrome (TS): a neurological disorder characterised by tics
(involuntary, rapid, sudden movements that occur repeatedly in the same way).
Toxaemia: blood poisoning.
Toxicity: the harmful side effects of a given drug.
Toxoplasmosis: a life-threatening opportunistic infection caused by the
protozoa Toxoplasma gondii. Toxoplasmosis can affect a number of organs, but it
most commonly causes encephalitis (brain inflammation) with characteristic
focal lesions. It is contracted by eating contaminated undercooked meat.
TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition): a liquid food substitute infused
directly into a vein and designed to meet a person's entire nutritional
needs.
Trachea: the windpipe, the passage in the throat leading to the
lungs.
Tracheitis: bronchitis.
Tracheostomy: a procedure in which an opening is cut in the trachea and
a tube is inserted to maintain an effective airway.
Trachoma: eye infection.
Trait: an inherited characteristic or condition.
Transcutaneous: through the skin.
Transdermal: through the skin.
Translocation: an exchange of material between or within chromosomes, and can involve any chromosome.
Transmission: how a virus or bacteria goes from one person to the
next.
Transudation: the passage of serum or other body fluids through a
tissue.
Trephine biopsy: removal of a small "core" of bone marrow
under local anaesthetic. It is used to assess bone marrow structure, the number
and distribution of all the blood cell types. The trephine biopsy is normally
done at the same time as a bone marrow aspirate.
Triglyceride: The combination of glycerol
with three separate chains of fatty acids. This is the basic structure of most
fats and oils.
Trismus: lockjaw.
Trisomy: term which indicates the presence of an additional whole chromosome.
Tubal ligation: a surgical procedure in which the uterine tubes are cut
and tied to prevent pregnancy.
Tuberosity: a rounded prominence, usually on a bone that serves for the
attachment of muscles and ligaments.
Tumour: an accumulation of abnormal cells which may
be benign or malignant.
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