Constipation in Children 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 ...

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

Absorb: 1. To take something in, as through the skin or the intestine.
2....

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

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

Anus: The opening of the rectum to the outside of the body.

Bedwetting: Involuntary urination in bed. Bedwetting is called "enuresis," from the Gree...

Belly: That part of the body that contains all of the structures between the chest and t...

Belly button: The navel or umbilicus; the former site of attachment of the umbilical cord....

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

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

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

Cerebral: Of or pertaining to the cerebrum or the brain.

Cerebral palsy: An abnormality of motor function (the ability to move and control movement...

Chemotherapy: 1. In the original sense, a chemical that binds to and specifically k...

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

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

Congenital: A condition that is present at birth, whether or not it is inherited.

Constipation: Infrequent and frequently incomplete bowel movements. Constipation is the op...

Cystic fibrosis: A common grave genetic disease that affects the exocrine glands and is ch...

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

Depression: An illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and that affects the way...

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 ...

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

Digital rectal exam: A routine exam in which a physician inserts a lubricated, gloved fing...

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

Down syndrome: A common birth defect that is usually due to an extra chromosome 21 (trisom...

Electrolyte: A substance that dissociates into ions in solution and acquires the capacity ...

Encopresis: The inability to control the elimination of stool. Encopresis can have a varie...

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

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

Fiber: The parts of fruits and vegetables that cannot be digested. Fiber is of vital impor...

Ganglion: The celebrated 2nd century Greek physician Galen ((c. 130-201 A.D.) who lived a...

Gastroenterologist: A physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases...

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

Guthrie test: A simple screening blood test for phenylketonuria (PKU). The Guthrie test wa...

Heel prick: A simple procedure in which a newborn baby's heel is pricked and then a small ...

Herbal: 1. An adjective, referring to herbs, as in an herbal tea.
2. A...

Hypothyroid: Deficiency of thyroid hormone which is normally made by the thyroid gland wh...

Incontinence: The inability to control excretions, to hold urine in the bladder, or to kee...

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

Intervention: The act of intervening, interfering or interceding with the intent of modify...

Laxative: Something that promotes emptying of the bowels. Laxatives are used to combat con...

Lead poisoning: An acute or chronic poisoning caused by the absorption of lead or any of i...

Mental retardation: The condition of having an IQ measured as below 70 to 75 and significa...

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

Narcotic: 1. A drug that causes insensibility or stupor. A narcotic induces narcosi...

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

Navel: The umbilicus, the former site of attachment of the umbilical cord, usually found i...

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

Nerve cell: See: Neuron.

Newborn screening: Tests of newborns to screen for serious treatable diseases most of whic...

Ointment: An oil-based preparation that is applied to the skin. Whereas an ointment has an...

Ounce: A measure of weight equal to 1/16^th of a pound or, metrically, 28.35 gra...

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

Palsy: Paralysis, generally partial, whereby a local body area is incapable of voluntary m...

Pediatric: Pertaining to children.

Peristalsis: The rippling motion of muscles in the digestive tract. In the stomach, this m...

Poisoning: Taking a substance that is injurious to health or can cause death. Poisoning i...

Potassium: The major positive ion (cation) found inside cells. The chemical notation for p...

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

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

Radiograph: In medicine, an X-ray or a film produced through X-ray.

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

Reflex: An involuntary reaction. For example, the corneal reflex is the blink that occurs ...

Spinal cord: The major column of nerve tissue that is connected to the brain and lies with...

Stomach: The digestive organ that is located in the upper abdomen, under the ribs. The upp...

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

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

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...

Urinary: Having to do with the function or anatomy of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, or ur...

Urinary incontinence: The unintentional loss of urine. Inability to hold urine in the blad...

Urinary tract: The organs of the body that produce, store, and discharge urine. These orga...

Vomit: Matter from the stomach that has come up into and may be ejected beyond the mouth, ...

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

X-ray: High-energy radiation with waves shorter than those of visible light. X-ray is used...