Growth Hormone Deficiency Medications Glossary of Terms

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

Acquired: Not inherited, or present at birth (congenital), but developing after birth. For...

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

Bioinformatics: The sum of the computational approaches to analyze, manage, and store biol...

Blood sugar: Blood glucose. See also: High blood sugar; Low blood sugar.

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

Brain cancer: Cancer of the central information processing center of the body. Tumors in t...

Cancer: An abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, ...

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

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

Diabetes: Refers to diabetes mellitus or, less often, to diabetes insipidus. Diabetes mell...

DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid. One of two types of molecules that encode genetic information...

Gland: A group of cells that secrete a substance for use in the body. For example, the thy...

Growth hormone: A hormone made in the pituitary gland that stimulates the release of anoth...

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 ...

Hormone: A chemical substance produced in the body that controls and regulates the activit...

Human growth: See: Normal growth.

Hypothalamus: The area of the brain that secretes substances that influence pituitary and ...

Informatics: The application of computers and statistics to the management of information....

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

Lean body mass: The mass of the body minus the fat (storage lipid). There are a number of ...

Low blood sugar: A low blood level of the sugar glucose. Also called hypoglycemia.

Nasal: Having to do with the nose.

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

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

Pituitary: 1. As an adjective, pertaining to the pituitary gland or its hormonal se...

Pituitary gland: The main endocrine gland. It is a small structure in the head. It is ca...

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

Recombinant: A person with a new combination of genes, a combination not present in either...

Recombinant DNA technology: A series of procedures that are used to join together (recombi...

Respiratory: Having to do with respiration.

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

Somatropin: Growth hormone made by the pituitary gland or a synthetic version of that horm...

Subcutaneous: Under the skin. For example, a subcutaneous injection is an injection in whi...

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

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

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.