Croup Glossary of Terms

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Acetaminophen: A nonaspirin pain reliever or analgesic. Acetaminophen may be given alone t...

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

Adenovirus: One of a group of viruses that can cause infections of the lung, stomach, inte...

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

Aspirin: Once the Bayer trademark for acetylsalicylic acid, now the common name for this a...

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

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

Bronchi: The plural of bronchus.

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

Croup: An infection of the larynx, trachea, and bronchial tubes that occurs mainly in chil...

Cyanosis: A bluish color of the skin and the mucous membranes due to insufficient oxygen i...

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 ...

Diphtheria: An acute infectious upper respiratory tract disease that affects the throat. I...

Dry mouth: The condition of not having enough saliva to keep the mouth wet. This is due to...

Ear: The hearing organ. There are three sections of the ear, according to the anatomy tex...

Epinephrine: A substance produced by the medulla (inside) of the adrenal gland. The name e...

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

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

Ibuprofen: A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is commonly used to treat 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 ...

Influenza: The flu is caused by viruses that infect the respiratory tract which are divide...

Intensive care: See critical care.

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

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...

Measles: An acute and highly contagious viral disease characterized by fever, runny nose,...

Mechanical ventilation: Use of a machine called a ventilator or respirator to improve the ...

Membranous: Pertaining to a membrane. As in acute membranous gingivitis, membranous nephro...

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

Mucus: A thick fluid that is produced by the lining of some organs of the body.

Nail: In medicine, there are two types of nails. One is just a plain old metal nail used t...

Neck: The part of the body joining the head to the shoulders. Also, any narrow or constric...

Nostril: The external opening of the nose. The nostrils are also called the nares.

Oxygen: The odorless gas that is present in the air and necessary to maintain life. Oxygen...

Parainfluenza: A disease due to an acute respiratory infection caused by a parainfluenza v...

Pediatric: Pertaining to children.

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

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

Pulse: The rhythmic dilation of an artery that results from beating of the heart. Pulse is...

Respiratory: Having to do with respiration.

Respiratory syncytial virus: A virus that causes mild respiratory infections, colds, and c...

RSV: Although several standard medical dictionaries indicate only that RSV stands for Rous...

Sore: 1. (adjective) A popular term for painful, such as a sore throat. 2. (...

Sore throat: Pain in the throat. Sore throat may be caused by many different causes, inclu...

Steroid: One of a large group of chemical substances classified by a specific carbon struc...

Symptomatic: 1 With symptoms, as a symptomatic infection. 2 Characteristic o...

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

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...

Trachea: A tube-like portion of the respiratory tract that connects the larynx with the br...

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

Trauma center: A specialized hospital facility that is designed to provide diagnostic and ...

Trigger: Something that either sets off a disease in people who are genetically predispose...

Tylenol: See: Acetaminophen.

Ventilation: The exchange of air between the lungs and the atmosphere so that oxygen can ...

Viral: Of or pertaining to a virus. For example, if a person has a viral rash, the rash wa...

Viral infection: Infection caused by the presence of a virus in the body. Depending on...

Virus: A microorganism that is smaller than a bacterium that cannot grow or reproduce apar...

Wheezing: A whistling noise in the chest during breathing. Wheezing occurs when the airway...