Neuropathy Glossary of Terms

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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.

Acetaminophen: A nonaspirin pain reliever or analgesic. Acetaminophen may be given alone t...

Acupuncture: The practice of inserting needles into the body to reduce pain or induce anes...

ALA: 1. Alpha-linolenic acid 2.Aminolevulinic acid, a naturally occurring ...

Alcohol abuse: Use of alcoholic beverages to excess, either on individual occasions (binge...

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

Amitriptyline: An antidepressant medication. In some patients with depression, abnormal l...

Amputation: Removal of part or all of a body part that is enclosed by skin. Amputation can...

Amyloidosis: A group of diseases that result from the abnormal deposition of a protein, ca...

Anesthetic: A substance that causes lack of feeling or awareness, dulling pain to permit s...

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

Antidepressants: Anything, and especially a drug, used to prevent or treat depression.

Antioxidant: A substance that reduces damage due to oxygen, such as that caused by free ra...

Arms: An appendage in anatomy and in clinical trials. See: Arm.

Arsenic: A metallic element that forms a number of poisonous compounds, arsenic is found i...

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

Ataxia: Poor coordination and unsteadiness due to the brain's failure to regulate the body...

Autoimmune: Pertaining to autoimmunity, a misdirected immune response that occurs when the...

Autonomic neuropathy: Disease of the nerves affecting mostly the internal organs such as t...

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

Biofeedback: A method of treatment that uses a monitor to measure patients' physiologic in...

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

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

Blood glucose: The main sugar that the body makes from the food in the diet. Glucose is ca...

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

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

Blurred vision: Lack of sharpness of vision with, as a result, the inability to see fine d...

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

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

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

Capsaicin: Capsaicin is an active component of chili peppers that is used to relieve muscl...

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease: A genetic disease of nerves that is characterized by progress...

Circulation: In medicine, the movement of fluid through the body in a regular or circuitou...

Clinical trials: Trials to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of medications or medical...

Complication: In medicine, an unanticipated problem that arises following, and is a result...

Compression: 1. The act of pressing together. As in a compression fracture, nerve c...

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

Cranial: 1. Pertaining to the cranium or skull. 2. Toward the head. As oppo...

Cranial nerves: The nerves of the brain, which emerge from or enter the skull (the cranium...

Cuts: Severed skin. Washing a cut or scrape with soap and water and keeping it clean and d...

Cymbalta: Brand name for duloxetine hydrochloride, a drug approved by the FDA to treat maj...

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

Diabetic neuropathy: Nerve damage caused by diabetes that leads to numbness and sometimes ...

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. ...

Dizziness: Painless head discomfort with many possible causes including disturbances of ...

Duloxetine: See: Cymbalta.

Dysfunction: Difficult function or abnormal function.

Ear: The hearing organ. There are three sections of the ear, according to the anatomy tex...

Erectile dysfunction: A consistent inability to sustain an erection sufficient for sexual ...

FDA: Food and Drug Administration.

Focal: Pertaining to a focus which in medicine may refer to:
1. The point at ...

Folate: Folic acid, one of the B vitamins that is a key factor in the synthesis (the makin...

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

Genetic: Having to do with genes and genetic
information.

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

Guillain-Barré syndrome: A disorder characterized by progressive symmetrical paraly...

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

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

Hypoglycemia: Low blood sugar (glucose). Hypoglycemia may be associated with symptoms such...

Ibuprofen: A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is commonly used to treat pa...

Idiopathic: Of unknown cause. Any disease that is of uncertain or unknown origin may be te...

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

Incontinence: The inability to control excretions, to hold urine in the bladder, or to kee...

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Injury: Harm or hurt. To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emot...

Inner ear: A highly complex structure whose essential component for hearing is the membran...

Involuntary: Done other than in accordance with the conscious will of the individual. The ...

Ischemia: Inadequate blood supply to a local area due to blockage of blood vessels leading...

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

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

Leprosy: An infectious disease of the skin, nervous system, and mucous membranes that is c...

Lipids: Another word for "fats." (Please see the various meanings of Fat.) Lipids can be m...

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

Lupus: A chronic inflammatory disease that is caused by autoimmunity. Patients with lupus ...

Lyme disease: An inflammatory disease that is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi...

Malignant: 1. Tending to be severe and become progressively worse, as in malignant ...

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

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

Motor: Something that produces or refers to motion. For example, a motor neuron is a nerve...

MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.

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...

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

Nerve conduction velocity test: An electrical test used to detect nerve conditions. In the...

Neuralgia: Pain along the course of a nerve.

Neurological: Having to do with the nerves or the nervous system as, for example, a neurol...

Neurology: The medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of disorders o...

Neuropathy: Any disease or malfunction of the nerves.

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

Onset: In medicine, the first appearance of the signs or symptoms of an illness as, for ex...

Optic: Having to do with vision.

Optic nerve: The optic nerve connects the eye to the brain. The optic nerve carries the...

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

Overweight: The term "overweight" is used in two different ways. In one sense it is a way ...

Oxycodone: Oxycodone is the active ingredient in OxyContin. Oxycodone is an opioid, a clos...

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

Palpitations: Unpleasant sensations of irregular and/or forceful beating of the heart. In ...

Paresthesia: An abnormal sensation of the body, such as numbness, tingling, or burning.

Pathologist: A physician who identifies diseases and conditions by studying abnormal cells...

Peripheral: Situated away from the center, as opposed to centrally located.

Peripheral neuropathy: A problem with the functioning of the nerves outside the spinal cor...

Perspiration: 1) The secretion of fluid by the sweat (sudoriferous) glands. These small, ...

Physical therapy: A branch of rehabilitative health that uses specially designed exercises...

Prescription: A physician's order for the preparation and administration of a drug or dev...

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

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

Proximal: Toward the beginning, the nearer of two (or more) items. For example, the proxim...

Radial: A word with diverse meanings in medicine and the biomedical sciences:

1. Pe...

Retina: The retina is the nerve layer that lines the back of the eye, senses light, and c...

Rheumatoid arthritis: An autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation of joint...

Sensation: In medicine and physiology, sensation refers to the registration of an incoming...

Sensitivity: 1. In psychology, the quality of being sensitive. As, for example, sen...

Sensory: Relating to sensation, to the perception of a stimulus, to the voyage made by inc...

Shingles: An acute infection caused by the herpes zoster virus, the same virus as causes ...

Spinal cord: The major column of nerve tissue that is connected to the brain and lies with...

Superficial: In anatomy, on the surface or shallow. As opposed to deep. The skin is superf...

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

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

Sweating: The act of secreting fluid from the skin by the sweat (sudoriferous) glands. The...

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

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

Syphilis: A sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum, a microscopic orga...

Systemic: Affecting the entire body. A systemic disease such as diabetes can affect the wh...

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

Topical: Pertaining to a particular surface area. For example, a topical agent is applied ...

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

Tylenol: See: Acetaminophen.

Ulnar: Pertaining to the ulna, the larger bone in the forearm.

Uremia: The presence of excessive amounts of urea in the blood, which may be a sign of ki...

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

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

Vitamins: The word "vitamin" was coined in 1911 by the Warsaw-born biochemist Casimir Funk...

Wrist: The part of the hand that is nearest the forearm and consists of the carpal bones a...