Gastritis Glossary of Terms

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2. Digestive Disease Myths Slideshow Pictures
3. Heartburn? Foods to Eat, Foods to Avoid Slideshow

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 pain: Pain in the belly. Abdominal pain can be acute or chronic. It may reflect ...

Absorb: 1. To take something in, as through the skin or the intestine.
2....

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...

Anatomy: The study of human or animal form, by observation or examination of the living be...

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

Antibiotic: A drug used to treat infections caused by bacteria and other microorganisms. ...

Antiemetics: 1. As a noun, a drug taken to prevent or treat nausea and vomiting. As...

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

Autoimmune: Pertaining to autoimmunity, a misdirected immune response that occurs when the...

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

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

Belching: A normal process of releasing through the mouth air that accumulates in the stom...

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

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

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

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

Caffeine: A stimulant compound found naturally in coffee, tea, cocoa (chocolate), and kola...

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, ...

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...

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

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

Constipation: Infrequent and frequently incomplete bowel movements. Constipation is the op...

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. ...

Digestive system: The system of organs responsible for getting food into and out of the bo...

Dyspepsia: Indigestion. A condition characterized by upper abdominal symptoms that may inc...

ECG: Electrocardiogram.

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

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

Endoscope: A lighted optical instrument that is used to get a deep look inside the body. A...

Endoscopy: Examination of the inside of the body by using a lighted, flexible instrument c...

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

Flare: 1. an exacerbation of a chronic disease. Sometimes referred to as a flare-up, a fla...

Fungal: Pertaining to a fungus. For example, a fungal skin infection.

Gallbladder: A pear-shaped organ located below the liver that stores the bile secreted by ...

Gastritis: Inflammation of the stomach.

Gastroenterologist: A physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases...

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

Heartburn: An uncomfortable feeling of burning and warmth occurring in waves rising up be...

Helicobacter pylori: A bacterium that causes stomach inflammation (gastritis) and ulcers i...

Herbal: 1. An adjective, referring to herbs, as in an herbal tea.
2. A...

Histamine: A substance that plays a major role in many allergic reactions, dilating blood ...

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

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

Inflammation: A localized reaction that produces redness, warmth, swelling, and pain as a ...

Internal bleeding: Bleeding inside the body that is not seen from the outside. Internal bl...

Iron: An essential mineral. Iron is necessary for the transport of oxygen (via hemoglobin ...

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

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

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

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

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

NSAID: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, a medication that is commonly prescribed or pu...

Operation: In medicine, a surgical procedure. Many operations are named after persons. The...

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

Pancreas: A spongy, tube-shaped organ that is about 6 inches long and is located in the ba...

Pernicious anemia: Low red blood cell count caused by inadequate vitamin B12. Abbreviated ...

Pharmacist: A professional who fills prescriptions and, in the case of a compounding pharm...

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

Postmenopausal: After menopause, the period of time after a woman has experienced 12 conse...

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...

Prescription: A physician's order for the preparation and administration of a drug or dev...

Probe: (1) In surgery, a probe is a slender flexible rod with a blunt end used to e...

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

Radiation: 1. Rays of energy. Gamma rays and X-rays are two of the types of energy ...

Rule out: Term used in medicine, meaning to eliminate or exclude something from considera...

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

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

Stool: The solid matter that is discharged in a bowel movement.

Stress: In a medical or biological context stress is a physical, mental, or emotional fact...

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

Symptom: Any subjective evidence of disease. In contrast, a sign is objective. Blood comin...

Syphilis: A sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum, a microscopic orga...

Trigger: Something that either sets off a disease in people who are genetically predispose...

Tuberculosis: A highly contagious infection caused by the bacterium called Mycobacterium ...

Tylenol: See: Acetaminophen.

Urinalysis: A test that is done in order to analyze urine. Because toxins and excess fluid...

Viral: Of or pertaining to a virus. For example, if a person has a viral rash, the rash wa...

Vitamins: The word "vitamin" was coined in 1911 by the Warsaw-born biochemist Casimir Funk...

Vomit: Matter from the stomach that has come up into and may be ejected beyond the mouth, ...