Smoking (Cigarette) Glossary of Terms

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Abdominal: Relating to the abdomen, the belly, that part of the body that contains all of ...

Abdominal pain: Pain in the belly. Abdominal pain can be acute or chronic. It may reflect ...

Abstinence: The voluntary self-denial of food, drink, or sex. Today, abstinence most commo...

Acute: Of abrupt onset, in reference to a disease. Acute often also connotes an illness th...

Addiction: An uncontrollable craving, seeking, and use of a substance such as alcohol or a...

Aneurysm: A localized widening (dilatation) of an artery, a vein, or the heart. At the poi...

Angina: Chest pain due to an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle. The pain is ...

Antidepressant: Anything, and especially a drug, used to prevent or treat depression.

Aorta: The largest artery in the body, the aorta arises from the left ventricle of the he...

Aortic: Pertaining to the aorta, the largest artery in the body.

Aortic aneurysm: An outpouching (a local widening) of the largest artery in the body, the ...

Aortic dissection: A progressive tear in the aorta. The inner lining (intima) of the aorta...

Artery: A vessel that carries blood high in oxygen content away from the heart to the far...

Bladder: A hollow organ in the lower abdomen that stores urine. The kidneys filter waste f...

Bladder cancer: A common form of cancer that begins in the lining of the bladder. The most...

Blood clot: A mass of coagulated blood. A blood clot can block a major blood vessel, causi...

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

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 ...

Bronchitis: Inflammation and swelling of the bronchi. Bronchitis can be acute or chronic.

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

Cardiologist: A physician who specializes in treating heart disorders.

Cardiovascular: Relating to the circulatory system, which comprises the heart and blood ve...

Cardiovascular disease: Disease affecting the heart or blood vessels.

CDC: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US agency charged with tracking a...

Cervical: Having to do with any kind of neck, including the neck on which the head is perc...

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...

Chronic: In medicine, lasting a long time. A chronic condition is one that lasts 3 months ...

Circulation: In medicine, the movement of fluid through the body in a regular or circuitou...

Circulatory: Having to do with circulation, the movement of fluid in a regular or circuito...

Cough: A rapid expulsion of air from the lungs, typically in order to clear the lung airwa...

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 ...

Dissection: The process of cutting apart or separating tissue as, for example, in the stud...

Dyspnea: Difficult or labored breathing; shortness of breath. Dyspnea is a sign of serious...

Embolism: The obstruction of a blood vessel by a foreign substance or a blood clot that tr...

Emergency department: The department of a hospital responsible for the provision of medica...

Emphysema: 1) A lung condition featuring an abnormal accumulation of air in the lung's ma...

Esophageal: Related to the esophagus.

Esophagus: The tube that connects the pharynx (throat) with the stomach. The esophagus lie...

FDA: Food and Drug Administration.

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

Heart attack: The death of heart muscle due to the loss of blood supply. The loss of bloo...

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

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

Hoarseness: Hoarseness is a term referring to abnormal voice changes. Hoarseness may be ma...

Homicide: 1. The killing of a person. 2. Strictly speaking, the killing of a...

Hypertension: High blood pressure, defined as a repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceedi...

Larynx: A tube-shaped organ in the neck that contains the vocal cords. The larynx is about...

Leg: In popular usage, the part of the body from the top of the thigh down to the foot, an...

Lung cancer: Cancer of the major organ of respiration - the lung. Lung cancer kills more m...

Lungs: The lungs are a pair of breathing organs located with the chest which remove carbon...

Mouth: 1. The upper opening of the digestive tract, beginning with the lips and con...

Nasal: Having to do with the nose.

Nicotine: An alkaloid (a nitrogen-containing chemical) made by the tobacco plant or produc...

Oncologist: A physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. After a ...

Onset: In medicine, the first appearance of the signs or symptoms of an illness as, for ex...

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

Palate: The roof of the mouth. The front portion is bony (hard palate), and the back porti...

Pancreatic: Having to do with the pancreas.

Pneumonia: Inflammation of one or both lungs, with dense areas of lung inflammation. Pneum...

Poor circulation: An inadequacy of blood flow. Inadequate blood flow to a particular area ...

Pregnancy: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body. Thi...

Prescription: A physician's order for the preparation and administration of a drug or dev...

Prescription drug: A drug requiring a prescription, as opposed to an over-the-counter dr...

Prevalence: The proportion of individuals in a population having a disease or characterist...

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

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

Pulmonary: Having to do with the lungs.

Pulmonary embolism: Sudden closure of a pulmonary artery or one of its branches, caused by...

Respiratory: Having to do with respiration.

Secondhand smoke: Smoke that comes from the burning end of a cigarette or that is exhaled ...

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

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...

Surgeon General: In the United States, the chief medical officer of the U.S. Public Health...

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

Throat: The throat is the anterior (front) portion of the neck beginning at the back of th...

Tobacco: A South American herb (Nicotiana tabacum) whose leaves contain 2 to 8 percent nic...

Ulcer: A lesion that is eroding away the skin or mucous membrane. Ulcers can have various ...

Urine: Liquid waste produced by the kidneys. Urine is a clear, transparent fluid that norm...

Vascular: Relating to blood vessels. For example, the vascular system in the body includes...

Voice box: The voice box, or larynx, is the portion of the respiratory (breathing) tract ...

Weight loss: Weight loss is a decrease in body weight resulting from either voluntary (die...

Youth: The time between childhood and maturity.