Clostridium Difficile (C. difficile, C. diff, Antibiotic Related Colitis) Glossary of Terms

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Abdomen: The belly, that part of the body that contains all of the structures between the...

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 ...

Acquired: Not inherited, or present at birth (congenital), but developing after birth. For...

Analysis: In psychology, a term for conversation-based therapeutic processes used to gain ...

Antibiotic: A drug used to treat infections caused by bacteria and other microorganisms. ...

Antitoxin: An antibody capable of destroying microorganisms including viruses and bacteri...

Bacteria: Single-celled microorganisms that can exist either as independent (free-living) ...

Bacterial: Of or pertaining to bacteria, as in a bacterial lung infection.

Bacterium: The singular of bacteria.

Blood count: The calculated number of white or red blood cells (WBCs or RBCs) in a cubic m...

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

Botulism: An uncommon but potentially very serious illness, a type of food poisoning, that...

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

CBC: A commonly used abbreviation in medicine that stands for complete blood count, a set...

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

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

Clostridium: A group of anaerobic bacteria (bacteria that thrive in the absence of oxygen)...

Clostridium botulinum: A group of gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria commonly found...

Clostridium difficile: A bacterium that is one of the most common causes of infection of t...

Colitis: Inflammation of the large intestine (the colon). There are many forms of coliti...

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

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

Colonoscopy: A procedure whereby a physician inserts a viewing tube (colonoscope) into the...

Complete blood count: A set values of the cellular (formed elements) of blood. These meas...

Dehydration: Excessive loss of body water. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract that ca...

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

Diarrhea: A common condition that involves unusually frequent and liquid bowel movements. ...

Distention: The state of being distended, enlarged, swollen from internal pressure.

Endoscope: A lighted optical instrument that is used to get a deep look inside the body. A...

Enema: Liquid injected into the rectum. An enema may be used for therapeutic (such as to s...

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

Fecal: Relating to the feces, the stool. The excrement discharged from the intestines.

Feces: The excrement discharged from the 'intestines.

Fever: Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degr...

Flora: The population of microbes inhabiting the outside or inside surfaces of people (or ...

Gastric: Having to do with the stomach.

Gastroenterology: The medical specialty devoted to the study, diagnosis and treatment of d...

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

Heart rate: The number of heartbeats per unit of time, usually per minute. The heart rate ...

ICU: Intensive care unit. The intensive care unit is a designated area of a hospital facil...

Immunoglobulin: A protein produced by plasma cells and lymphocytes and characteristic of t...

Incidence: The frequency with which something, such as a disease or trait, appears in a pa...

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Inflammation: A localized reaction that produces redness, warmth, swelling, and pain as a ...

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

Intravenous immunoglobulin: A sterile solution of concentrated antibodies extracted from h...

Laboratory: A place for doing tests and research procedures, and for preparing chemicals a...

Lactobacillus: A bacterium normally found in the mouth, intestinal tract, and vagina. Lact...

Leukocytosis: A condition in which the number of white blood cells is higher than normal.

Megacolon: An abnormally enlarged colon. Megacolon can arise as a serious congenital probl...

Metabolic: Relating to metabolism, the whole range of biochemical processes that occur wit...

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

MPH: Master of public health, a degree designating successful training in analyzing past, ...

Nausea: Stomach queasiness, the urge to vomit. Nausea can be brought on by many causes, in...

Nursing: 1) Profession concerned with the provision of services essential to the maintena...

Nursing home: A residential facility for people with chronic illness or disability, partic...

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

Probiotics: live microorganisms (usually bacteria) that are similar to beneficial microor...

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

Pseudomembranous colitis: Severe inflammation of the inner lining of the colon. Pseudomemb...

Rectum: The last 6 to 8 inches of the large intestine. The rectum stores solid waste until...

Recur: To occur again; to return. For example, a symptom, sign, or disease can recur.

Recurrence: The return of a sign, symptom, or disease after a remission. The reappearance ...

Recurrent: Appearing or occurring again. For example, a recurrent fever is a fever that ha...

Refractory: Not yielding, or not yielding readily, to treatment.

Relapse: The return of signs and symptoms of a disease after a remission.

Resolution: In genetics, the degree of molecular detail on a physical map of DNA. Resoluti...

Risk factor: Something that increases a person's chances of developing a disease. For exam...

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

Sepsis: The presence of bacteria (bacteremia), other infectious organisms, or toxins creat...

Septic: Infected, or denoting infection. For example, septic shock is shock that is caused...

Shock: In medicine, a critical condition that is brought on by a sudden drop in blood flow...

Sigmoidoscopy: A procedure in which a physician inserts a viewing tube (sigmoidoscope) int...

Stool: The solid matter that is discharged in a bowel movement.

Strain: 1. An injury to a tendon or muscle resulting from overuse or trauma. 2. A heredita...

Streptococcus: A group of bacteria that causes a multitude of diseases. Under a microscope...

Sulfonamides: The sulfa-related group of antibiotics, which are used to treat bacterial in...

Supportive care: Treatment given to prevent, control, or relieve complications and side ef...

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

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

Tetanus: An often fatal infectious disease that is caused by the bacterium Clostridium tet...

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

Toxin: A poison produced by certain animals, plants, or bacteria.

WBC: White blood cell.

White blood cell: One of the cells the body makes to help fight infections. There are seve...

White blood cell count (leukocyte count): The number of white blood cells (WBCs) in the b...