Cushing Syndrome Glossary of Terms

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

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

Abortion: In medicine, an abortion is the premature exit of the products of conception (t...

Acne: Localized skin inflammation as a result of overactivity of the oil glands at the ba...

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

Adrenal gland: A small gland located on top of the kidney. The adrenal glands produce horm...

Amenorrhea: Absence or cessation of menstruation. Amenorrhea is conventionally divided ...

Anatomy: The study of human or animal form, by observation or examination of the living be...

Anterior: The front, as opposed to the posterior. The anterior surface of the heart is tow...

Anterior pituitary: The front portion of the pituitary, a small gland in the head called...

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...

Asthma: A common lung disorder in which inflammation causes the bronchi to swell and narro...

Ataxia: Poor coordination and unsteadiness due to the brain's failure to regulate the body...

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

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

Bone marrow: The soft blood-forming tissue that fills the cavities of bones and contains f...

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

Breastfeeding: Feeding a child human breast milk. According to the American Academy of Ped...

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

Carbohydrates: Mainly sugars and starches, together constituting one of the three principa...

Carcinoma: Cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover body organs. Ex...

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

Cognitive: Having to do with thought, judgment, or knowledge.

Corticosteroid: Any of the steroid hormones made by the outer portion (cortex) of the adre...

Corticotropin-releasing hormone: A hormone made by the hypothalamus that stimulates the re...

Cortisol: A metabolite of the primary stress hormone cortisone. Cortisol is an essential f...

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...

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...

Diabetes insipidus: Excessive urination and extreme thirst as a result of inadequate outpu...

Diabetes mellitus: Better known just as "diabetes" -- a chronic disease associated with ab...

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

Dizziness: Painless head discomfort with many possible causes including disturbances of ...

Duodenum: The first part of the small intestine. The duodenum is a common site for peptic ...

Dysfunction: Difficult function or abnormal function.

Ectopic: In the wrong place, out of place. For example, an ectopic kidney is a kidney that...

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

Endogenous: Inside. For example, endogenous cholesterol is cholesterol that is made inside...

Enzyme: A protein (or protein-based molecule) that speeds up a chemical reaction in a livi...

Enzymes: Proteins that act as a catalysts in mediating and speeding a specific chemical re...

Essential: In medicine, of unknown cause, as in essential hypertension (high blood pressur...

Exogenous: Originating from outside the organism. Insulin taken by a diabetic is exogenous...

Fats: Plural of the word "fat". See the definition of fat.

Fertile: Able to conceive and bear offspring. Also known as fecund.

Fetus: An unborn offspring, from the embryo stage (the end of the eighth week after concep...

Fungal: Pertaining to a fungus. For example, a fungal skin infection.

Galactorrhea: The spontaneous flow of milk from the nipple at any time other than during n...

Gastrointestinal: Adjective referring collectively to the stomach and small and large inte...

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...

Gynecomastia: Excessive development of the male breasts. Temporary enlargement of the brea...

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. ...

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

Hirsutism: Having excessive facial and bodily hair. Hirsutism can be a side effect of cert...

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

Hypogonadism: A condition in which decreased production of gonadal hormones leads to below...

Hypothalamus: The area of the brain that secretes substances that influence pituitary and ...

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

Immune: Protected against infection, usually by the presence of antibodies.

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

Infant: A young baby, from birth to 12 months of age.

Infertility: Diminished or absent ability to conceive and bear offspring. A couple is cons...

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

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

Intestine: The long, tubelike organ in the abdomen that completes the process of digestion...

Intraoperative: During surgery.

Irradiation: The use of high-energy radiation from x-rays, gamma rays, neutrons, and other...

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

Lability: The state or quality of being labile: susceptible to change, error or instabili...

Leukopenia: A shortage of white blood cells.

Libido: 1. Sexual drive. 2. In psychoanalysis, the psychic energy from all ...

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

Lupus: A chronic inflammatory disease that is caused by autoimmunity. Patients with lupus ...

Magnetic resonance imaging: A procedure that uses magnetism, radio waves, and a computer t...

Mammary gland: One of the two half-moon-shaped glands on either side of the adult female ...

Marrow: The bone marrow.

Medical school: A school with a curriculum leading to a medical degree. The mission of eve...

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

Morbidity: Illness, disease.

Mortality: A fatal outcome or, in one word, death. The word "mortality" is derived from "m...

MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.

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

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

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

Neurological: Having to do with the nerves or the nervous system as, for example, a neurol...

Neurosurgeon: A physician who specializes in surgery on the brain and other parts of the n...

NINDS: Stands for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, one of the ...

Nocturia: Excessive urinating at night. Nocturia can be normal and more common with aging....

Obesity: The state of being well above one's normal weight.

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

Osteoporosis: Thinning of the bones, with reduction in bone mass, due to depletion of calc...

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

Palliation: To palliate a disease is to treat it partially and insofar as possible, but n...

Pediatrics: The field of medicine that is concerned with the health of infants, children, ...

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 adenoma: A benign tumor of the pituitary, the master gland that controls other g...

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

Polydipsia: Constant, excessive drinking as a result of thirst. Polydipsia occurs in untre...

Polyuria: The excessive passage of urine (at least 2.5 liters per day for an adult) result...

Postoperative: After surgery. As opposed to preoperative, before surgery.

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

Pregnant: The state of carrying a developing fetus within the body.

Proteins: Large molecules composed of one or more chains of amino acids in a specific orde...

Proximal: Toward the beginning, the nearer of two (or more) items. For example, the proxim...

Psychosis: In the general sense, a mental illness that markedly interferes with a person'...

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

Rash: Breaking out (eruption) of the skin. A rash can be caused by an underlying medical c...

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

Serum: The clear liquid that can be separated from clotted blood. Serum differs from plas...

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

Small intestine: The part of the digestive tract that extends from the stomach to the larg...

Sphenoid: 1. Shaped like a wedge. 2. Relating to the sphenoid bone (which is...

Sphenoid bone: A prominent, irregular, wedge-shaped bone at the base of the skull. The sph...

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

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

Stress: In a medical or biological context stress is a physical, mental, or emotional fact...

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

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

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

Synthesis: Putting together different entities to make a whole which is new and different....

Teratogen: Any agent that can disturb the development of an embryo or fetus. Teratogens m...

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...

Thyroid hormone: A chemical substance made by the thyroid gland for export into the bloods...

Toxicity: The degree to which a substance (a toxin or poison) can harm humans or animals. ...

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

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

Vein: A blood vessel that carries blood that is low in oxygen content from the body back t...

Viscera: The internal organs of the body, specifically those within the chest (as the hear...

Vital: Necessary to maintain life. For example, breathing is a vital function.

Voluntary: Done in accordance with the conscious will of the individual. The opposite of i...