Acromegaly FAQs Glossary of Terms

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...

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 ...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.

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

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

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

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

Optic: Having to do with vision.

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

PA-C: Physician Assistant - Certified.

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sleep: The body's rest cycle.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

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

Tiredness: See: Tired.

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

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

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