Hemochromatosis 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.

Absorption: Uptake. For example, intestinal absorption is the uptake of food (or other sub...

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

Acute phase reactant: See: Acute-phase protein.

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

Arthralgia: Pain in a joint.

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

Autosomal: Pertaining to a chromosome that is not a sex chromosome. People normally have 2...

Autosomal dominant: A pattern of inheritance in which an affected individual has one copy ...

Autosomal recessive: A genetic condition that appears only in individuals who have receive...

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

Biopsy: The removal of a sample of tissue for examination under a microscope to check for ...

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...

Chromosome: A carrier of genetic information that is visible under an ordinary light micro...

Chromosomes: The microscopically visible carriers of the genetic material. They are compos...

Cirrhosis: Liver disease characterized by irreversible scarring. Alcohol and viral hepatit...

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

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

Diabetes mellitus: Better known just as "diabetes" -- a chronic disease associated with ab...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

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

Dysfunction: Difficult function or abnormal function.

Enzymes: Proteins that act as a catalysts in mediating and speeding a specific chemical re...

Excess iron: Iron overload can damage the heart, liver, gonads and other organs.

Family history: The family structure and relationships within the family, including inform...

Ferritin: The major protein concerned with iron storage. The blood ferritin level serves a...

Gastroenterology: The medical specialty devoted to the study, diagnosis and treatment of d...

Gene: The basic biological unit of heredity. A segment of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) need...

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

Genetic: Having to do with genes and genetic
information.

Genetic screening: Testing of a population to identify individuals who are at risk for a g...

Genetic testing: Tests done for clinical genetic purposes. Genetic tests may be done for ...

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

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

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

Hemochromatosis: An inherited disorder characterized by abnormally high absorption of iron...

Hepatic: Having to do with the liver.

Heterozygous: Possessing two different forms of a particular gene, one inherited from each...

Homozygote: A person who has two identical forms of a particular gene, one inherited from ...

Hypothyroid: Deficiency of thyroid hormone which is normally made by the thyroid gland wh...

Impotence: A common problem among men characterized by the consistent inability to sustai...

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 ...

Intern: In medicine, a doctor who has completed medical school and is engaged in a year of...

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

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

Iron deficiency anemia: A common form of nutritional disorder, iron deficiency results in...

Iron overload: Iron overload can damage the heart, liver, gonads and other organs.

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

Lancet: A small, pointed knife that is used to prick a finger for a blood test.

Lassitude: Weakness, weariness, listlessness, exhaustion, lethargy. For example, the patie...

Libido: 1. Sexual drive. 2. In psychoanalysis, the psychic energy from all ...

Liter: A metric measure of capacity that is equal to the volume of 1 kilogram of water at ...

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

Liver disease: Liver disease refers to any disorder of the liver. The liver is a large org...

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

Menstruation: The periodic blood that flows as a discharge from the uterus. Also called me...

Milligram: A unit of measurement of mass in the metric system equal to a thousandth of a g...

MPH: Master of public health, a degree designating successful training in analyzing past, ...

Mutation: A permanent change, a structural alteration, in the DNA or RNA. In humans and m...

Normal range: Characteristic of 95 percent of values from a normal population. The remaini...

Offspring: The progeny, or young, born to a person. In a larger sense, the offspring are c...

Organ: A relatively independent part of the body that carries out one or more special func...

Oxygen: The odorless gas that is present in the air and necessary to maintain life. Oxygen...

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...

Phlebotomy: Obtaining blood from a vein. In the old days, this was done by incising (cutt...

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

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

Protein: One of the three nutrients used as energy sources (calories) by the body. Protein...

Recessive: A condition that appears only in individuals who have received two copies of a ...

Serum: The clear liquid that can be separated from clotted blood. Serum differs from plas...

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

Standard of care: 1. A diagnostic and treatment process that a clinician should fol...

Sweat: A colorless transparent acidic fluid with a distinctive odor secreted by the small ...

Symptomatic: 1 With symptoms, as a symptomatic infection. 2 Characteristic o...

Testicles: The testicles (also called testes or gonads) are the male sex glands. They are ...

Testosterone: A "male hormone" -- a sex hormone produced by the testes that encourages th...

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

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

Thyroid gland: A gland that makes and stores hormones that help regulate the heart rate, b...

Transferrin: A plasma protein that transports iron through the blood to the liver, spleen ...

Vein: A blood vessel that carries blood that is low in oxygen content from the body back t...

Vitamin C: An essential nutrient found mainly in fruits and vegetables. The body requires ...

Weight loss: Weight loss is a decrease in body weight resulting from either voluntary (die...