Epiglottitis Glossary of Terms

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Abscess: A local accumulation of pus anywhere in the body. The following are some example...

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

Acute epiglottitis: A rapidly progressive infection causing inflammation of the epiglottis...

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

Airway obstruction: Partial or complete blockage of the breathing passages to the lungs. C...

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

Anxiety: A feeling of apprehension and fear, characterized by physical symptoms such as pa...

Bacteremia: The presence of live bacteria in the bloodstream. Bacteremia is analogous to ...

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

Belly: That part of the body that contains all of the structures between the chest and t...

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

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

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

Cocaine: A substance derived from the leaves of the coca plant that is a bitter, addictive...

Contrast: Short for "contrast media." Contrast media are X-ray dyes used to provide contra...

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...

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...

Edema: The swelling of soft tissues as a result of excess fluid accumulation. Edema is oft...

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

Epiglottis: The flap that covers the trachea during swallowing, so that food does not ente...

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...

Fungi: Plural of fungus.

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. ...

Heart rate: The number of heartbeats per unit of time, usually per minute. The heart rate ...

Hematoma: A localized swelling that is filled with blood caused by a break in the wall of ...

Herpes: A family of viruses. Herpes also refers to infection with one of the human herpesv...

HIB: Haemophilus influenzae type B.

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

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

Incidence: The frequency with which something, such as a disease or trait, appears in a pa...

Indicate: In medicine, to make a treatment or procedure advisable because of a particular ...

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

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

Infectious mononucleosis: A specific viral infection (with the Epstein-Barr virus) in whic...

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...

Injure: To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emotional sense. Fr...

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

Intervention: The act of intervening, interfering or interceding with the intent of modify...

Intubation: The process of putting a tube into a hollow organ or passageway, often into th...

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

Laryngeal: Having to do with the larynx (voice box).

Laryngoscopy: Examination of the larynx (voice box), either with a mirror (indirect laryng...

Marijuana: A common street and recreational drug that comes from the marijuana plant: the ...

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

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

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

Nose: The external midline projection from the face. The purpose of the nose is to warm, c...

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

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

Operating room: A facility that is equipped for performing surgery. Abbreviated OR.

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

Oxygenation: The addition of oxygen to any system, including the human body. Oxygenation m...

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

Peritonsillar abscess: A collection of pus behind the tonsils that pushes one of the tonsi...

Pharynx: The hollow tube that is about 5 inches long and starts behind the nose and ends a...

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

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

Progressive: Increasing in scope or severity, advancing, or going forward. For example, a ...

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

Quinsy: Not a TV detective but an old word for a peritonsillar abscess.

Respiratory: Having to do with respiration.

Respiratory failure: Inability of the lungs to perform their basic task of gas exchange, t...

Sepsis: The presence of bacteria (bacteremia), other infectious organisms, or toxins creat...

Shingles: An acute infection caused by the herpes zoster virus, the same virus as causes ...

Shock: In medicine, a critical condition that is brought on by a sudden drop in blood flow...

Shortness of breath: Difficulty in breathing. Medically referred to as dyspnea. Shortness ...

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

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...

Splenectomy: An operation to remove the spleen.

Staphylococcus: A group of bacteria that cause a multitude of diseases. Under a microscope...

Strep: Very commonly used shortened form of Streptococcus, a very common and import...

Strep throat: Strep throat is an infection caused by a type of bacteria called streptococc...

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

Throat: The throat is the anterior (front) portion of the neck beginning at the back of th...

Tongue: A strong muscle that is anchored to the floor of the mouth. The tongue is covered ...

Tonsils: Small masses of lymphoid tissue at the back and on both sides of the throat.

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

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

Upper respiratory infection: An infection of the upper part of the respiratory system whic...

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

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...

Windpipe: The trachea, a tube-like portion of the respiratory (breathing) tract that conn...