Gout Glossary of Terms

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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 ...

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

Achilles tendon: One of the longest tendons in the body, a tough sinew that attaches the c...

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

Acute pain: Pain that comes on quickly, can be severe, but lasts a relatively shorter peri...

Alcoholism: Physical dependence on alcohol to the extent that stopping alcohol use would b...

Ankle: The ankle joint is complex. It is made up of two joints: the true ankle joint and ...

Anti-: Prefix generally meaning "against, opposite or opposing, and contrary." In medicine...

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

Aspiration: Removal of a sample of fluid and cells through a needle. Aspiration also re...

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

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

Biochemical: Relating to biochemistry, the application of the tools and concepts of chemis...

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

Bone marrow: The soft blood-forming tissue that fills the cavities of bones and contains f...

Calcium: A mineral found mainly in the hard part of bones, where it is stored. Calcium is ...

Cartilage: Firm, rubbery tissue that cushions bones at joints. A flexible kind of cartilag...

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...

Cholesterol: The most common type of steroid in the body. Cholesterol has a reputation for...

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

Colchicine: A substance found in a plant that is used in clinical medicine for the treatme...

Colic: A cause of crampy abdominal pain in early infancy. Colic is a common condition, occ...

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

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. ...

Elbow: The juncture of the long bones in the middle portion of the upper extremity. The bo...

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

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...

Fructose: A sugar that occurs naturally in fruits and honey. Fructose has 4 calories per g...

Genes: The basic biological units of heredity. Segments of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) nee...

Genetics: The scientific study of heredity. Genetics pertains to humans and all other orga...

Glucose: The simple sugar that is the chief source of energy. Glucose is found in the bloo...

Gout: Condition characterized by abnormally elevated levels of uric acid in the blood, rec...

Gouty arthritis: An attack that is usually extremely painful of joint inflammation due to ...

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 ...

Hypertensive: Having abnormally high blood pressure (hypertension). See also: Hypotensive;...

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

Joint: The area where two bones are attached for the purpose of permitting body parts to m...

Joint aspiration: A procedure whereby a sterile needle and syringe are used to drain joint...

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

Knee: The knee is a joint which has three parts. The thigh bone (the femur) meets the lar...

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

Maintenance therapy: Treatment designed to help the original primary treatment to succeed....

Marrow: The bone marrow.

Menopause: The time in a woman's life when menstrual periods permanently stop; it is also...

Metabolism: The whole range of biochemical processes that occur within a living organism. ...

Microscope: An optical instrument that augments the power of the eye to see small objects....

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

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

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

Niacin: Nicotinic acid, one of the B-complex B vitamins. Deficiency of niacin in the diet...

Nicotinic acid: Deficiency of nicotinic acid (also known as niacin), one of the B-complex ...

Nutrition: 1) The science or practice of taking in and utilizing foods. 2) A nourishing ...

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...

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

Peptic ulcer: An ulcer in the lining of the stomach, duodenum, or esophagus. Peptic ulcers...

Pharmacy: A location where prescription medications are sold. A pharmacy is constantly sup...

Prevalence: The proportion of individuals in a population having a disease or characterist...

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 ...

Pseudogout: Inflammation of the joints that is caused by deposits of calcium pyrophosphate...

Puberty: Adolescence, the period in which the human body first becomes capable of reproduc...

Rash: Breaking out (eruption) of the skin. A rash can be caused by an underlying medical c...

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

Regimen: A plan or a regulated course, such as a diet, exercise, or treatment, that is des...

Renal: Having to do with the kidney. For example, renal cancer is cancer of the kidneys.

Rheumatologist: A specialist in the non-surgical treatment of rheumatic illnesses, espec...

Rheumatology: A subspecialty of internal medicine that involves the nonsurgical evaluation...

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...

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

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

Tendon: The soft tissue by which muscle attaches to bone. Tendons are somewhat flexible, b...

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

Tophi: Plural of tophus.

Tophus: A nodular mass of uric acid crystals. Tophi are characteristically deposited in di...

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

Ulcer: A lesion that is eroding away the skin or mucous membrane. Ulcers can have various ...

Urate: A salt derived from uric acid. When the body cannot metabolize uric acid properly,...

Uric acid: A breakdown product of purines that are part of many foods. In gout, there are ...

Urine: Liquid waste produced by the kidneys. Urine is a clear, transparent fluid that norm...

Warfarin: An anticoagulant drug (brand names: Coumarin, Panwarfin, Sofarin) taken to prev...

Yogurt: A common dish made of milk curdled and fermented with a culture of Lactobacillus (...