Hepatitis B (HBV, Hep B) Glossary of Terms

1. Hepatitis Slideshow Pictures
2. Digestive Disease Myths Slideshow Pictures
3. Infectious Mononucleosis Slideshow Pictures

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 ...

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

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

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

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

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

Ascites: An abnormal accumulation of fluid within the abdomen. There are many causes of as...

B virus: An infectious agent commonly found among macaque monkeys, including rhesus macaqu...

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

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

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

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

Carcinoma: Cancer that begins in the skin or in tissues that line or cover body organs. Ex...

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

Cell: The basic structural and functional unit of any living thing. Each cell is a small c...

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

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

Coma: A state of deep, unarousable unconsciousness. A coma may occur as a result of head t...

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

CT scan: Computerized tomography scan. Pictures of structures within the body created by a...

Cure: 1. To heal, to make well, to restore to good health. 2. A time withou...

Dehydration: Excessive loss of body water. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract that ca...

Delirium: A sudden state of severe confusion and rapid changes in brain function, sometime...

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

Dialysis: The process of cleansing the blood by passing it through a special machine. Dial...

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...

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

Donor: The giver of a tissue or an organ, such as a blood donor or kidney donor.

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

Encephalopathy: Disease, damage, or malfunction of the brain. In general, encephalopathy i...

End-stage renal disease: ESRD. Chronic irreversible renal failure. Also known as Chronic...

ENGERIX-B: A vaccine against the hepatitis B virus. ENGERIX-B stimulates the body's immune...

Fatigue: A condition characterized by a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency ...

FDA: Food and Drug Administration.

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

Fingernail: A fingernail is produced by living skin cells in the finger. A fingernail cons...

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

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

Food and Drug Administration: An agency within the US Public Health Service that provides ...

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

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

Genital: Pertaining to the external and/or internal organs of reproduction.

HBV: Hepatitis B virus. A virus which primarily causes inflammation of the liver. The hepa...

Headache: A pain in the head with the pain being above the eyes or the ears, behind the he...

Hemodialysis: A medical procedure that uses a special machine (a dialysis machine) to fil...

Hemophilia: An inherited disorder in which the ability of blood to clot normally is impair...

Hepatic: Having to do with the liver.

Hepatic encephalopathy: Brain dysfunction directly due to liver dysfunction, most often re...

Hepatitis: Inflammation of the liver, irrespective of the cause. Hepatitis is caused by a ...

Hepatitis A: Inflammation of the liver caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). HAV is usua...

Hepatitis B: Inflammation of the liver due to the hepatitis B virus (HBV), once thought t...

Hepatitis C: Inflammation of the liver due to the hepatitis C virus (HCV), which is usuall...

Hepatocellular carcinoma: A cancer arising from the liver cells (hepatocytes). Liver damag...

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

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

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

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

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...

Infectious hepatitis: See Hepatitis A.

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

Interferon: A naturally occurring substance that interferes with the ability of viruses t...

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

Itching: An uncomfortable sensation in the skin that feels as if something is crawling on ...

Jaundice: Yellow staining of the skin and sclerae (the whites of the eyes) by abnormally h...

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

Lethargy: Abnormal drowsiness, stupor.

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

Liver biopsy: A procedure in which a small sample of the liver is removed for the diagnosi...

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

Liver transplant: Surgery to remove a diseased liver and replace it with a healthy liver (...

Marker: A piece of DNA that lies on a chromosome so close to a gene that the marker and t...

Membrane: A very thin layer of tissue that covers a 'surface.

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

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

Mucous: Pertaining to mucus, a thick fluid produced by the lining of some tissues of the b...

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...

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

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

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

Piercing: Using a sharp instrument, usually a needle, to make a temporary or permanent ...

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...

Rectum: The last 6 to 8 inches of the large intestine. The rectum stores solid waste until...

Relapse: The return of signs and symptoms of a disease after a remission.

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

Replication: A turning back, repetition, duplication, reproduction.

Rib: One of the 12 paired arches of bone that form the skeletal structure of the chest wal...

Rib cage: The structure formed by the thoracic vertebrae and ribs, the sternum (breastbone...

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

Safe sex: Sexual practices that do not involve the exchange of bodily fluids, including bl...

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

Scan: As a noun, the data or image obtained from the examination of organs or regions of...

Semen: The fluid that is released through the penis during orgasm. Semen is made up of flu...

Sexually transmitted disease: Any disease transmitted by sexual contact; caused by microo...

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

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

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

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

Tattoo: The permanent insertion of ink below the skin, using a sharp instrument. Humans ha...

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

Tired: A feeling of a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency of accomplishment,...

Transplant: The grafting of a tissue from one place to another, just as in botany a bu...

Ultrasound: High-frequency sound waves. Ultra-sound waves can be bounced off tissues by us...

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

Vaccination: Injection of a killed microbe in order to stimulate the immune system against...

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

Viral hepatitis: Liver inflammation caused by a virus. Specific hepatitis viruses have bee...

Virus: A microorganism that is smaller than a bacterium that cannot grow or reproduce apar...

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

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