Hyperparathyroidism 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 ...

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

Adenoma: A benign tumor that arises in or resembles glandular tissue. If an adenoma become...

Anterior: The front, as opposed to the posterior. The anterior surface of the heart is tow...

Asymptomatic: Without symptoms. For example, an asymptomatic infection is an infection wit...

Benign: Not malignant. A benign tumor is one that does not invade surrounding tissue or sp...

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

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

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

Calcification: The process of suffusing tissues with calcium salts.

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, ...

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

Chondrocalcinosis: Calcium deposition in cartilage. Chondrocalcinosis can be associated wi...

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

Chronic renal failure: Now more commonly classified as chronic kidney disease and is liste...

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

Congestive heart failure: Inability of the heart to keep up with the demands on it, with f...

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

Contraction: The tightening and shortening of a muscle.

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

Dementia: Significant loss of intellectual abilities, such as memory capacity, that is sev...

Depression: An illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and that affects the way...

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

Diuretic: Something that promotes the formation of urine by the kidney. All diuretics caus...

Endocrine: Pertaining to hormones and the glands that make and secrete them into the blood...

Familial: A condition that tends to occur more often in family members than is expected by...

FDA: Food and Drug Administration.

Gastrointestinal: Adjective referring collectively to the stomach and small and large inte...

Genetic: Having to do with genes and genetic
information.

GI tract: Short for gastrointestinal tract. See: Gastrointestinal tract.

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

Goiter: A noncancerous enlargement of the thyroid gland. With a goiter, the levels of thyr...

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...

High blood pressure: A repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceeding 140 over 90 mmHg. Chro...

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

Hypercalcemia: A higher-than-normal level of calcium in the blood. Hypercalcemia can be a ...

Hypercalciuria: Excess calcium in the urine.

Hyperchloremia: Elevated blood levels of chloride.

Hyperparathyroidism: Too much parathyroid hormone resulting in abnormally high levels of ...

Hyperplasia: An increase in the number of normal cells in a tissue or an organ. Hyperplasi...

Hypertension: High blood pressure, defined as a repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceedi...

Hypophosphatemia: A lower-than-normal level of phosphate in the blood. Hypophosphatemia ca...

Incidence: The frequency with which something, such as a disease or trait, appears in a pa...

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

Malignancy: A tumor that is malignant (cancerous), that can invade and destroy nearby tiss...

Memory: 1. The ability to recover information about past events or knowledge. ...

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

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

Neck: The part of the body joining the head to the shoulders. Also, any narrow or constric...

Neoplasia: Abnormal new growth of cells.

Nephrocalcinosis: The deposition of calcium (in the form of calcium phosphate and calcium ...

Nephrolithiasis: The process of forming a kidney stone, a stone in the kidney (or lower ...

Nerve: A bundle of fibers that uses electrical and chemical signals to transmit sensory an...

Nodular: Bumpy.

Osteitis: Inflammation of the bone.

Osteitis fibrosa cystica: A condition that is associated with excessive parathyroid hormon...

Osteopenia: Mild thinning of the bone mass. Osteopenia represents a low bone mass and is n...

Osteoporosis: Thinning of the bones, with reduction in bone mass, due to depletion of calc...

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

Pancreatic: Having to do with the pancreas.

Pancreatitis: Inflammation of the pancreas. Of the many causes of pancreatitis, the most c...

Parathyroid gland: A gland that regulates calcium, located behind the thyroid gland in the...

Parathyroid hormone: See Parathormone.

Parathyroid insufficiency: See: Hypoparathyroidism.

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

Phosphorus: An essential element in the diet and a major component of bone.

Preoperative: Before surgery. As opposed to postoperative, after surgery.

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

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

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

Renal stone: A stone in the kidney (or lower down in the urinary tract). Also called a kid...

Resorption: The process of losing substance. For example, when bone is surgically reshaped...

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

Spine: 1) The column of bone known as the vertebral column, which surrounds and protects ...

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

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

Syndrome: A combination of symptoms and signs that together represent a disease process.

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

Tumor: An abnormal mass of tissue. Tumors are a classic sign of inflammation, and can be ...

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

Urinary: Having to do with the function or anatomy of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, or ur...

Urinary tract: The organs of the body that produce, store, and discharge urine. These orga...

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

Vitamin D: A steroid vitamin which promotes the intestinal absorption and metabolism of ca...