Flu in Adults Glossary of Terms

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Acetaminophen: A nonaspirin pain reliever or analgesic. Acetaminophen may be given alone t...

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

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

Allergic reaction: The hypersensitive response of the immune system of an allergic indiv...

Allergy: A misguided reaction to foreign substances by the immune system, the body system ...

Antiviral: An agent that kills a virus or that suppresses its ability to replicate and, he...

Aspirin: Once the Bayer trademark for acetylsalicylic acid, now the common name for this a...

Asthma: A common lung disorder in which inflammation causes the bronchi to swell and narro...

Attenuated: Weakened, diluted, thinned, reduced, weakened, diminished.

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

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

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

BMI: Body mass index.

Boil: A skin abscess that forms at a hair follicle infected with pus-forming bacteria. The...

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

Breastfeeding: Feeding a child human breast milk. According to the American Academy of Ped...

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

Bronchitis: Inflammation and swelling of the bronchi. Bronchitis can be acute or chronic.

CDC: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the US agency charged with tracking a...

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

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

Chronic illness: An illness that lasts 3 months or more.

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

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...

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

Cystic fibrosis: A common grave genetic disease that affects the exocrine glands and is ch...

Decongestant: A drug that shrinks the swollen membranes in the nose, making it easier for ...

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. ...

Discharge: 1.The flow of fluid from part of the body, such as from the nose or vag...

Ear: The hearing organ. There are three sections of the ear, according to the anatomy tex...

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

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...

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

Flu shot: The flu (influenza) vaccine is recommended annually (each year) for persons at ...

Flu vaccine: The flu vaccination (influenza) is recommended for persons at high risk for...

Ginger: Ginger, the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, has been used as medicine in...

Glaucoma: A common eye condition in which the fluid pressure inside the eyes rises becaus...

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...

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

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

Human immunodeficiency virus: HIV, the cause of AIDS. HIV has also been called the human...

Hygiene: The science of preventive medicine and the preservation of health. Also commonly ...

Ibuprofen: A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is commonly used to treat pa...

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

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

Immunity: The condition of being immune. Immunity can be innate'for example, humans are in...

Immunodeficiency: The inability to form a normal immune response. Immunodeficiency can be ...

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 ...

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

Influenza: The flu is caused by viruses that infect the respiratory tract which are divide...

Internal medicine: The medical specialty dedicated to the diagnosis and medical treatment ...

Intradermal: In the skin. For example, an intradermal injection is given into the skin. Ab...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nasal: Having to do with the nose.

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

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

Nostril: The external opening of the nose. The nostrils are also called the nares.

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

Obese: Well above ones normal weight. A person has traditionally been considered to be obe...

Obesity: The state of being well above one's normal weight.

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

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

Pandemic: An epidemic (a sudden outbreak) that becomes very widespread and affects a whol...

Paralysis: Loss of voluntary movement (motor function). Paralysis that affects only one mu...

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...

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.

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

Rehydration: The process of restoring lost water (dehydration) to the body tissues and flu...

Resistance: Opposition to something, or the ability to withstand something. For example, s...

Respiratory: Having to do with respiration.

Respiratory system: The organs that are involved in breathing, including the nose, throat,...

Reye syndrome: A sudden, sometimes fatal, disease of the brain (encephalopathy) with degen...

Runny nose: The production of extra mucus by the nose. Rhinorrhea is the medical term for ...

Saliva: a watery secretion in the mouth produced by the salivary glands that aids in the d...

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...

Sneeze: 1. As a verb, to suddenly expel air through the nose and mouth by an involu...

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

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...

Sputum: Mucous material from the lungs that is produced (brought up) by coughing.

Stage: As regards cancer, the extent of a cancer, especially whether the disease has spre...

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

Stomach flu: A gastrointestinal illness caused by a microorganism. Stomach flu is not rela...

Strain: 1. An injury to a tendon or muscle resulting from overuse or trauma. 2. A heredita...

Stuffy nose: : The presence of increased secretions and mucus in the nasal passages, most ...

Swine flu: A respiratory illness of pigs caused by infection with swine influenza A virus ...

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

Taste: A perception that results from stimulation of a gustatory nerve. Taste belongs to t...

Teaspoon: An old-fashioned but convenient household measure that is equal to about 5 cc of...

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

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

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

Tiredness: See: Tired.

Tobacco: A South American herb (Nicotiana tabacum) whose leaves contain 2 to 8 percent nic...

Tylenol: See: Acetaminophen.

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...

Vaccines: Microbial preparations of killed or modified microorganisms that can stimulate a...

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...