About Us | Privacy | Site Map
May 19, 2013


Acromegaly FAQs Glossary of Terms

The following are health and medical definitions of terms that appear in the Acromegaly FAQs article.

Abnormal: Outside the expected norm, or uncharacteristic of a particular patient.

Acne: Localized skin inflammation as a result of overactivity of the oil glands at the ba...

See the entire definition of Acne

Acromegaly: Condition due to the production of too much growth hormone by the pituitary gl...

See the entire definition of Acromegaly

Adenoma: A benign tumor that arises in or resembles glandular tissue. If an adenoma become...

See the entire definition of Adenoma

Adjacent: Lying nearby. Related terms include superjacent, subjacent, and circumjacent. Fr...

See the entire definition of Adjacent

Airway: The path that air follows to get into and out of the lungs. The mouth and nose are...

See the entire definition of Airway

Arms: An appendage in anatomy and in clinical trials. See: Arm.

Arthritis: Inflammation of a joint. When joints are inflamed they can develop stiffness, w...

See the entire definition of Arthritis

Back pain: Pain felt in the low or upper back. Causes of pain in the low and upper back in...

See the entire definition of Back pain

Benign: Not malignant. A benign tumor is one that does not invade surrounding tissue or sp...

See the entire definition of Benign

Bioinformatics: The sum of the computational approaches to analyze, manage, and store biol...

See the entire definition of Bioinformatics

Blood glucose: The main sugar that the body makes from the food in the diet. Glucose is ca...

See the entire definition of Blood glucose

Blood pressure: The blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within the arteries. It is...

See the entire definition of Blood pressure

Blood sugar: Blood glucose. See also: High blood sugar; Low blood sugar.

Brain: The portion of the central nervous system that is located within the skull. It func...

See the entire definition of Brain back to top

Breathing: The process of respiration, during which air is inhaled into the lungs through ...

See the entire definition of Breathing

Cancer: An abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, ...

See the entire definition of Cancer

Carpal tunnel syndrome: Compression and irritation of the median nerve as it passes under ...

See the entire definition of Carpal tunnel syndrome

Cartilage: Firm, rubbery tissue that cushions bones at joints. A flexible kind of cartilag...

See the entire definition of Cartilage

Cell: The basic structural and functional unit of any living thing. Each cell is a small c...

See the entire definition of Cell

Chest: The area of the body located between the neck and the abdomen. The chest contains t...

See the entire definition of Chest

Chest pain: Pain in the chest that can be a result of many things, including angina, heart...

See the entire definition of Chest pain

Colon: The long, coiled, tubelike organ that removes water from digested food. The remaini...

See the entire definition of Colon

Colon cancer: A malignant tumor arising from the inner wall of the large intestine (the co...

See the entire definition of Colon cancer

Colonic: 1. See: Colonic (adjective). 2. See: Colonic (noun).

CT scan: Computerized tomography scan. Pictures of structures within the body created by a...

See the entire definition of CT scan

Cure: 1. To heal, to make well, to restore to good health. 2. A time withou...

See the entire definition of Cure

Diabetes: Refers to diabetes mellitus or, less often, to diabetes insipidus. Diabetes mell...

See the entire definition of Diabetes

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

See the entire definition of Diagnosis

Dopamine: An important neurotransmitter (messenger) in the brain.

back to top

Endocrine: Pertaining to hormones and the glands that make and secrete them into the blood...

See the entire definition of Endocrine

Endocrinology: The study of the medical aspects of hormones, including diseases and condit...

See the entire definition of Endocrinology

Fatigue: A condition characterized by a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency ...

See the entire definition of Fatigue

Food and Drug Administration: An agency within the US Public Health Service that provides ...

See the entire definition of Food and Drug Administration

Gigantism: Excessive growth both in height and specific body parts. Gigantism with extreme...

See the entire definition of Gigantism

Gland: A group of cells that secrete a substance for use in the body. For example, the thy...

See the entire definition of Gland

Glucose: The simple sugar that is the chief source of energy. Glucose is found in the bloo...

See the entire definition of Glucose

Goiter: A noncancerous enlargement of the thyroid gland. With a goiter, the levels of thyr...

See the entire definition of Goiter

Growth hormone: A hormone made in the pituitary gland that stimulates the release of anoth...

See the entire definition of Growth hormone

Headache: A pain in the head with the pain being above the eyes or the ears, behind the he...

See the entire definition of Headache

Heart: The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. ...

See the entire definition of Heart

Heart disease: Any disorder that affects the heart. Sometimes the term "heart disease" is ...

See the entire definition of Heart disease

Heart rhythm disorders: Abnormal rhythm of the heartbeat due to irregularities in transmis...

See the entire definition of Heart rhythm disorders

High blood pressure: A repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceeding 140 over 90 mmHg. Chro...

See the entire definition of High blood pressure

High blood sugar: An elevated level of the sugar glucose in the blood. Also called hypergl...

See the entire definition of High blood sugar back to top

Hormone: A chemical substance produced in the body that controls and regulates the activit...

See the entire definition of Hormone

Impotence: A common problem among men characterized by the consistent inability to sustai...

See the entire definition of Impotence

Incision: A cut through skin or other tissue performed by a health care professional.

Indicate: In medicine, to make a treatment or procedure advisable because of a particular ...

See the entire definition of Indicate

Informatics: The application of computers and statistics to the management of information....

See the entire definition of Informatics

Internal medicine: The medical specialty dedicated to the diagnosis and medical treatment ...

See the entire definition of Internal medicine

Jaw: The movable junction of the bones below the mouth (the mandible) and the bone just ab...

See the entire definition of Jaw

Kidney: One of a pair of organs located in the right and left side of the abdomen. The kid...

See the entire definition of Kidney

Kyphosis: Outward curvature of the spine, causing a humped back. Treatment includes physic...

See the entire definition of Kyphosis

Lips: Aside from the lips of the mouth, there are two pairs of lips at the entrance to the...

See the entire definition of Lips

Liver: The largest solid organ in the body, situated in the upper part of the abdomen on t...

See the entire definition of Liver

Menstrual: Pertaining to menstruation (the menses), as in last menstrual period, menstrua...

See the entire definition of Menstrual

Menstrual cycle: The monthly cycle of changes in the ovaries and the lining of the uteru...

See the entire definition of Menstrual cycle

Metabolism: The whole range of biochemical processes that occur within a living organism. ...

See the entire definition of Metabolism

MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.

back to top

Muscle: Muscle is the tissue of the body which primarily functions as a source of power. T...

See the entire definition of Muscle

Nerve: A bundle of fibers that uses electrical and chemical signals to transmit sensory an...

See the entire definition of Nerve

Nose: The external midline projection from the face. The purpose of the nose is to warm, c...

See the entire definition of Nose

Operation: In medicine, a surgical procedure. Many operations are named after persons. The...

See the entire definition of Operation

Optic: Having to do with vision.

Optic nerve: The optic nerve connects the eye to the brain. The optic nerve carries the...

See the entire definition of Optic nerve

PA-C: Physician Assistant - Certified.

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

See the entire definition of Pain

Palpitations: Unpleasant sensations of irregular and/or forceful beating of the heart. In ...

See the entire definition of Palpitations

Pharmacy: A location where prescription medications are sold. A pharmacy is constantly sup...

See the entire definition of Pharmacy

Pituitary: 1. As an adjective, pertaining to the pituitary gland or its hormonal se...

See the entire definition of Pituitary

Pituitary gland: The main endocrine gland. It is a small structure in the head. It is ca...

See the entire definition of Pituitary gland

Precursor: Forerunner. That which precedes or is derived from an available source.

Primary care: A patient's main source for regular medical care, ideally providing continui...

See the entire definition of Primary care

Protein: One of the three nutrients used as energy sources (calories) by the body. Protein...

See the entire definition of Protein back to top

Radiation: 1. Rays of energy. Gamma rays and X-rays are two of the types of energy ...

See the entire definition of Radiation

Radiation therapy: The use of high-energy rays to damage cancer cells, stopping them from ...

See the entire definition of Radiation therapy

Receptor: 1. In cell biology, a structure on the surface of a cell (or inside a cel...

See the entire definition of Receptor

Remission: Disappearance of the signs and symptoms of cancer or other disease. A remission...

See the entire definition of Remission

Reproduction: The production of offspring. Reproduction need not be sexual; for example, y...

See the entire definition of Reproduction

Scan: As a noun, the data or image obtained from the examination of organs or regions of...

See the entire definition of Scan

Shortness of breath: Difficulty in breathing. Medically referred to as dyspnea. Shortness ...

See the entire definition of Shortness of breath

Skull: The skull is a collection of bones which encase the brain and give form to the hea...

See the entire definition of Skull

Sleep: The body's rest cycle.

Somatostatin: A hormone that is widely distributed throughout the body, especially in the ...

See the entire definition of Somatostatin

Spine: 1) The column of bone known as the vertebral column, which surrounds and protects ...

See the entire definition of Spine

Stroke: The sudden death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen, caused by blockage of blood...

See the entire definition of Stroke

Surgeon: A physician who treats disease, injury, or deformity via operative or manual meth...

See the entire definition of Surgeon

Surgery: The branch of medicine that employs operations in the treatment of disease or inj...

See the entire definition of Surgery

Sweating: The act of secreting fluid from the skin by the sweat (sudoriferous) glands. The...

See the entire definition of Sweating back to top

Symptom: Any subjective evidence of disease. In contrast, a sign is objective. Blood comin...

See the entire definition of Symptom

Syndrome: A combination of symptoms and signs that together represent a disease process.

Therapy: The treatment of disease. Therapy is synonymous with treatment.

Thyroid: 1. The thyroid gland. Also, pertaining to the thyroid gland. 2. A p...

See the entire definition of Thyroid

Thyroid gland: A gland that makes and stores hormones that help regulate the heart rate, b...

See the entire definition of Thyroid gland

Tiredness: See: Tired.

Tongue: A strong muscle that is anchored to the floor of the mouth. The tongue is covered ...

See the entire definition of Tongue

Triglycerides: The major form of fat stored by the body. A triglyceride consists of three ...

See the entire definition of Triglycerides

Tumor: An abnormal mass of tissue. Tumors are a classic sign of inflammation, and can be ...

See the entire definition of Tumor back to top


Women's Health

Find out what women really need.

Please acknowledge your agreement





Medical Dictionary


Use Pill Finder Find it Now

Pill Identifier on RxList

  • quick, easy,
    pill identification

Find a Local Pharmacy

  • including 24 hour, pharmacies