Enlarged Spleen (Splenomegaly) Glossary of Terms

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Abdomen: The belly, that part of the body that contains all of the structures between the...

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

Abdominal cavity: The cavity within the abdomen, the space between the abdominal wall and...

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.

Alcohol abuse: Use of alcoholic beverages to excess, either on individual occasions (binge...

Analysis: In psychology, a term for conversation-based therapeutic processes used to gain ...

Anemia: The condition of having a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells or quantity ...

Angiography: A procedure performed to view blood vessels after injecting them with a radio...

Anorexia: An eating disorder characterized by markedly reduced appetite or total aversion...

Arthritis: Inflammation of a joint. When joints are inflamed they can develop stiffness, w...

Asplenia: The absence of a spleen or one that functions. (The spleen can be functionally d...

Bacteria: Single-celled microorganisms that can exist either as independent (free-living) ...

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

Biopsy: The removal of a sample of tissue for examination under a microscope to check for ...

Blood count: The calculated number of white or red blood cells (WBCs or RBCs) in a cubic m...

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

CBC: A commonly used abbreviation in medicine that stands for complete blood count, a set...

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

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

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

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

Circulation: In medicine, the movement of fluid through the body in a regular or circuitou...

Cirrhosis: Liver disease characterized by irreversible scarring. Alcohol and viral hepatit...

Complete blood count: A set values of the cellular (formed elements) of blood. These meas...

Complication: In medicine, an unanticipated problem that arises following, and is a result...

Congestion: An abnormal or excessive accumulation of a body fluid. The term is used broadl...

Congestive heart failure: Inability of the heart to keep up with the demands on it, with f...

Endemic: Present in a community at all times but in relatively low frequency. Something t...

Endocarditis: an inflammation of one or more of the heart valves and lining tissues of the...

Enlarged spleen: Splenomegaly, or an enlargement of the spleen. This condition can occur w...

Fatigue: A condition characterized by a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency ...

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

Gastric: Having to do with the stomach.

Gaucher disease: A series of disorders that are due to deficient activity of the enzyme gl...

Hairy cell leukemia: A rare type of chronic leukemia in which the abnormal white blood cel...

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

Heart failure: Inability of the heart to keep up with the demands on it and, specifically...

Hemorrhage: Bleeding or the abnormal flow of blood.

Hepatitis: Inflammation of the liver, irrespective of the cause. Hepatitis is caused by a ...

Hepatitis B: Inflammation of the liver due to the hepatitis B virus (HBV), once thought t...

Hepatitis C: Inflammation of the liver due to the hepatitis C virus (HCV), which is usuall...

Idiopathic: Of unknown cause. Any disease that is of uncertain or unknown origin may be te...

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

Immune system: A complex system that is responsible for distinguishing a person from every...

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Injury: Harm or hurt. To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emot...

ITP: Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. A condition characterized by the sudden, abnorma...

Leishmania: A group of parasites causing a disease called leishmaniasis. For a fuller defi...

Leukemia: Cancer of the blood cells. Strictly speaking, leukemia should refer only to canc...

Lipid: Another word for "fat." (Please see the various meanings of Fat.) A lipid is more f...

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...

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

Lymph: The almost colorless fluid that travels through the lymphatic system, carrying cell...

Lymph node: One of many small, bean-shaped organs located throughout the lymphatic system....

Lymphoma: A tumor of the lymphoid tissue. The major types of lymphoma are Hodgkin's diseas...

Malaria: An infectious disease caused by protozoan parasites from the Plasmodium family th...

Malignancy: A tumor that is malignant (cancerous), that can invade and destroy nearby tiss...

Marrow: The bone marrow.

Meningococcal vaccine: A vaccine to prevent meningococcal infection, including meningococc...

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

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

Mononucleosis: Infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV, human herpesvirus 4, HHV-4) in...

MPH: Master of public health, a degree designating successful training in analyzing past, ...

Mycobacterium: A large family of bacteria that have unusually waxy cell walls that are res...

Neisseria: A group of bacteria that includes the bacterium that causes gonorrhea.

Night sweats: Severe hot flashes that occur at night and result in a drenching sweat. Nigh...

Node: Literally a knot, a node is a collection of tissue. For example a lymph node, is a ...

Objective: In a microscope, the objective (also called the objective lens) is the lens nea...

Obstruction: Blockage of a passageway. See, for example: Airway obstruction; Intestinal o...

Organ: A relatively independent part of the body that carries out one or more special func...

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

Palpable: Something that can be felt. For example, a palpable growth is one that can be de...

Palpate: To touch or feel. For example, a physician may palpate the liver's edge when exam...

Physiologic: Something that is normal, that is due neither to anything pathologic nor sign...

Polycythemia: Too many red blood cells. The opposite of anemia. polycythemia formally exis...

Portal vein: A large vein formed by the union of the splenic and superior mesenteric veins...

Prophylaxis: The prevention of disease.

Purpura: Hemorrhage (bleeding) into the surface of the skin. The area of skin with purpura...

Red blood cells: The blood cells that carry oxygen. Red cells contain hemoglobin and it is...

Reflux: The term used when liquid backs up into the esophagus from the stomach.

Rheumatoid arthritis: An autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation of joint...

Rupture: A break or tear in any organ (such as the spleen) or soft tissue (such as the ach...

Ruptured spleen: Rupture of the capsule of the spleen that is a potential catastrophe and ...

Sickle cell anemia: A genetic blood disease due to the presence of an abnormal form of hem...

Spleen: An organ that is located in the upper-left part of the abdomen, not far from the s...

Splenectomy: An operation to remove the spleen.

Splenic vein: A vein formed by the union of several small veins that return blood from the...

Splenomegaly: Abnormal enlargement of the spleen. Splenomegaly is a sign of an underlying ...

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

Streptococcus: A group of bacteria that causes a multitude of diseases. Under a microscope...

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

Thalassemia: A group of genetic disorders that involve underproduction of hemoglobin, the ...

Thalassemia major: The dire disease also known as beta thalassemia. The clinical picture o...

Thrombosis: The formation or presence of a blood clot in a blood vessel. The vessel may be...

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

Ultrasound: High-frequency sound waves. Ultra-sound waves can be bounced off tissues by us...

Vaccination: Injection of a killed microbe in order to stimulate the immune system against...

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

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