Electrolytes 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....

Absorption: Uptake. For example, intestinal absorption is the uptake of food (or other sub...

Acid-base balance: Acid-base balance refers to the mechanisms the body uses to keep its fl...

Acidosis: Too much acid in the body, a distinctly abnormal condition resulting from the ac...

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

Alcoholism: Physical dependence on alcohol to the extent that stopping alcohol use would b...

Aldosterone: A hormone produced by the outer portion (cortex) of the adrenal gland. Aldost...

Angiotensin: A family of peptides that constrict blood vessels. Narrowing the diameter of ...

Bicarbonate: In medicine, bicarbonate usually refers to bicarbonate of soda (sodium bicarb...

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

Breast cancer: Breast cancer is diagnosed with self- and physician-examination of the brea...

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

Calcitonin: A hormone produced by the thyroid gland that lowers the levels of calcium and ...

Calcium: A mineral found mainly in the hard part of bones, where it is stored. Calcium is ...

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

Carbon dioxide: A gas which is the byproduct of cellular metabolism and which collects in ...

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

Chloride: The major anion (negatively charged substance) in the blood and extracellular fl...

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

Coma: A state of deep, unarousable unconsciousness. A coma may occur as a result of head t...

Contraction: The tightening and shortening of a muscle.

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...

Diabetic ketoacidosis: High blood glucose with the presence of ketones in the urine and bl...

Dialysis: The process of cleansing the blood by passing it through a special machine. Dial...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hydrogen: The most plentiful element in the universe and one present in all organic compou...

Hypercalcemia: A higher-than-normal level of calcium in the blood. Hypercalcemia can be a ...

Hyperkalemia: Elevated potassium in the blood. Hyperkalemia can be caused by taking excess...

Hypermagnesemia: Excess magnesium in the blood. Kidney disease is one of the main causes o...

Hypernatremia: Elevated blood sodium.

Hyperparathyroidism: Too much parathyroid hormone resulting in abnormally high levels of ...

Hypocalcemia: Lower-than-normal level of calcium in the blood, which makes the nervous sys...

Hypokalemia: Low blood potassium.

Hypomagnesemia: Low magnesium in the blood, which can occur due to inadequate intake or im...

Hyponatremia: Low sodium in the blood. Hyponatremia can be caused by many conditions and w...

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

Ketoacidosis: A feature of uncontrolled diabetes mellitus characterized by a combination o...

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

Lethargy: Abnormal drowsiness, stupor.

Lungs: The lungs are a pair of breathing organs located with the chest which remove carbon...

Magnesia: Named after a town in present day Turkey where an ore containing magnesium carbo...

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

Malnutrition: A term used to refer to any condition in which the body does not receive eno...

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

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

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

Myriad: A great number, a very large number, a huge number of something.

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

Nutrition: 1) The science or practice of taking in and utilizing foods. 2) A nourishing ...

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

Parathyroid hormone: See Parathormone.

Pituitary: 1. As an adjective, pertaining to the pituitary gland or its hormonal se...

Plasma: The liquid part of the blood and lymphatic fluid, which makes up about half of the...

Pneumonia: Inflammation of one or both lungs, with dense areas of lung inflammation. Pneum...

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

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

Renal: Having to do with the kidney. For example, renal cancer is cancer of the kidneys.

Skeletal: Pertaining to the skeleton, the bones of the body that collectively provide the ...

Skeletal muscle: Along with smooth and cardiac muscle, one of the types of muscle tissue i...

Sodium: The major positive ion (cation) in the fluid surrounding cells in the body. The ch...

Sweating: The act of secreting fluid from the skin by the sweat (sudoriferous) glands. The...

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

Thyroid: 1. The thyroid gland. Also, pertaining to the thyroid gland. 2. A p...

Tubes: The "tubes" are medically known as the Fallopian tubes. There are two Fallopian tub...

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

Vitamin A: Vitamin A is retinol. Carotene compounds (found, for example, in egg yolk, butt...

Water intoxication: A lowered blood concentration of sodium (see hyponatremia). The term "...