Fainting Glossary of Terms

1. Balance Disorders Slideshow
2. Take the Vertigo Quiz
3. Tinnitus Slideshow: Why Are My Ears Ringing?

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 ...

Ablation: Removal or excision. Ablation is usually carried out surgically. For example, su...

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

Angioplasty: Procedure with a balloon-tipped catheter to enlarge a narrowing in a coronary...

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

Anxiety disorder: A chronic condition characterized by an excessive and persistent sense o...

Aortic: Pertaining to the aorta, the largest artery in the body.

Aortic dissection: A progressive tear in the aorta. The inner lining (intima) of the aorta...

Arms: An appendage in anatomy and in clinical trials. See: Arm.

Arrhythmia: An abnormal heart rhythm.

Back pain: Pain felt in the low or upper back. Causes of pain in the low and upper back in...

Bladder: A hollow organ in the lower abdomen that stores urine. The kidneys filter waste f...

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

Blurred vision: Lack of sharpness of vision with, as a result, the inability to see fine d...

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

Bypass: An operation in which a new pathway is created for the transport of substances in ...

Calf: The belly or fleshy hind part of the back of the leg below the knee. The calf is mad...

Cardiac: Having to do with the heart.

Cardiac tamponade: A life-threatening situation in which there is such a large amount of f...

Cardiomyopathy: Disease of the heart muscle (myocardium).

Cardiovascular: Relating to the circulatory system, which comprises the heart and blood ve...

Carotid: Pertaining to the carotid artery and the area near that key artery, which is loca...

Catheter: A thin, flexible tube.

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

Chest pain: Pain in the chest that can be a result of many things, including angina, heart...

Circulatory: Having to do with circulation, the movement of fluid in a regular or circuito...

Congenital: A condition that is present at birth, whether or not it is inherited.

Cough: A rapid expulsion of air from the lungs, typically in order to clear the lung airwa...

CPR: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

CT scan: Computerized tomography scan. Pictures of structures within the body created by a...

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

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. ...

Dissection: The process of cutting apart or separating tissue as, for example, in the stud...

ECG: Electrocardiogram.

Electrocardiogram: A recording of the electrical activity of the heart. Abbreviated ECG an...

Embolism: The obstruction of a blood vessel by a foreign substance or a blood clot that tr...

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

Esophagus: The tube that connects the pharynx (throat) with the stomach. The esophagus lie...

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...

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. ...

Heart disease: Any disorder that affects the heart. Sometimes the term "heart disease" is ...

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

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

Heart valves: There are four heart valves. All are one-way valves. Blood entering the ...

Heat exhaustion: A warning that the body is getting too hot. The person may be thirsty, gi...

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

Hypertension: High blood pressure, defined as a repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceedi...

Hyperventilation: Overbreathing. Hyperventilation causes dizziness, lightheadedness, a sen...

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

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

Involuntary: Done other than in accordance with the conscious will of the individual. The ...

Lips: Aside from the lips of the mouth, there are two pairs of lips at the entrance to the...

Low blood pressure: Any blood pressure that is below the normal expected for an individua...

Medical history: 1. In clinical medicine, the patient's past and present which may ...

Menstrual: Pertaining to menstruation (the menses), as in last menstrual period, menstrua...

Micturition: Urination; the act of urinating.

Micturition syncope: The temporary loss of consciousness upon urinating. (Syncope is the ...

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

Neurologist: A physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of th...

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

Pacemaker: A system that sends electrical impulses to the heart in order to set the hear...

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

Palpitations: Unpleasant sensations of irregular and/or forceful beating of the heart. In ...

Postprandial: After mealtime. A postprandial rise in the blood glucose level is one that o...

Postural: Pertaining to the posture or position of the body, the attitude or carriage of t...

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

Psychogenic: Caused by the mind or emotions.

Pulmonary: Having to do with the lungs.

Pulmonary embolism: Sudden closure of a pulmonary artery or one of its branches, caused by...

Pulmonary hypertension: High blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries. This elevated blood...

Pulse: The rhythmic dilation of an artery that results from beating of the heart. Pulse is...

Recurrent: Appearing or occurring again. For example, a recurrent fever is a fever that ha...

Reflex: An involuntary reaction. For example, the corneal reflex is the blink that occurs ...

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

Seizure: Uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain, which may produce a physical conv...

Sensation: In medicine and physiology, sensation refers to the registration of an incoming...

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

Sinus: 1. An air-filled cavity in a dense portion of a skull bone. The sinuses decr...

Situational syncope: The temporary loss of consciousness in a particular kind of situati...

Skin color: The color of skin which is complexly determined. Skin color depends on many fa...

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...

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

Syncope: Partial or complete loss of consciousness with interruption of awareness of one...

Temporary loss of consciousness: A partial or complete loss of consciousness with interru...

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

TIA: Transient ischemic attack.

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

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

Unconscious: 1. Interruption of awareness of oneself and one's surroundings, lack ...

Vasovagal syncope: The temporary loss of consciousness in a particular kind of situation ...

Vertigo: Aside from being the name of a classic 1958 Alfred Hitchcock film (with Jimmy St...