Diarrhea 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 ...

Acupressure: The application of pressure on specific points on the body to control symptom...

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...

Aromatherapy: A form of alternative medicine in which essential oils or other scents are i...

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

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

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

Celiac disease: A disorder resulting from an immune reaction to gluten, a protein found in...

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The US agency charged with tracking and invest...

Chamomile: An herb often used in the form of a tea as a sedative.

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 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...

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

Common cold: A contagious viral upper respiratory tract infection. The common cold can be ...

Cryptosporidium: See: Cryptosporidiosis.

Cure: 1. To heal, to make well, to restore to good health. 2. A time withou...

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

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. ...

Digestive system: The system of organs responsible for getting food into and out of the bo...

Diverticulitis: Inflammation of the diverticula (small outpouchings) along the wall of th...

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

Dysentery: Inflammation of the intestine, with pain, diarrhea, bloody stools, and often a ...

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

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

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

Entamoeba histolytica: The agent of amebic dysentery, a disorder with inflammation of th...

Escherichia coli: Full term for E. coli, the colon bacillus.

Feces: The excrement discharged from the 'intestines.

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

Flu: Short for influenza. The flu is caused by viruses that infect the respiratory tract w...

Food poisoning: A common flu-like illness typically characterized by nausea, vomiting and...

Gastroenteritis: Inflammation of the stomach and the intestines. Gastroenteritis can cause...

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

Giardia: A genus of protozoa that infect the gastrointestinal tract of some animals, incl...

Giardia lamblia: A parasite responsible for a contagious form of diarrhea. The parasite i...

Gout: Condition characterized by abnormally elevated levels of uric acid in the blood, rec...

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

HIV: Acronym for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, the cause of AIDS (acquired immunodefi...

Homeopathy: Founded in the 19th century, a practice that is based on the concept that dise...

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

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 ...

Inflammatory bowel disease: A group of chronic intestinal diseases characterized by infla...

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...

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

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

Lactose: The sugar found in milk. Lactose is a large sugar molecule that is made up of two...

Listeria: A group of bacteria capable of causing illness including potentially fata...

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

Liver disease: Liver disease refers to any disorder of the liver. The liver is a large org...

Magnesium: A mineral involved in many processes in the body including nerve signaling, the...

Microscopic: So small it cannot be seen without the aid of microscope. As opposed to macro...

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

Mucous: Pertaining to mucus, a thick fluid produced by the lining of some tissues of the b...

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

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

Norovirus: A group of viruses that are a common cause of food poisoning and acute gastroen...

Norwalk virus: A family of small round viruses that are an important cause of viral gastro...

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

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

Parasitic: Having to do with a parasite, as in a parasitic infection; or acting like a par...

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

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.

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...

Pus: A thick, whitish-yellow fluid that results from the accumulation of white blood cells...

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

Rehydrate: To restore lost water to the body tissues and fluids. Prompt rehydration is imp...

Remedy: Something that consistently helps treat or cure a disease.

Rotavirus: A virus that is a leading cause of severe diarrhea and dehydration in young chi...

Rule out: Term used in medicine, meaning to eliminate or exclude something from considera...

Salmonella: A group of bacteria that cause typhoid fever and a number of other illnesses...

Shigella: A group of bacteria that can cause infantile gastroenteritis, summer diarrhea of...

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.

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

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

Toddler: A young child who is learning to walk with short unsteady steps. The word toddle ...

Traveler's diarrhea: Diarrhea that results from infections acquired while traveling to ano...

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

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

Viruses: Small living particles that can infect cells and change how the cells function. I...

Vitamins: The word "vitamin" was coined in 1911 by the Warsaw-born biochemist Casimir Funk...

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

Yersinia: A group of bacteria that appear rod-like under the microscope and include Yersin...