Paget Disease Glossary of Terms

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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...

Alkaline phosphatase: An enzyme that liberates phosphate under alkaline conditions and is ...

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

Back pain: Pain felt in the low or upper back. Causes of pain in the low and upper back in...

Bisphosphonate: A class of drugs used to strengthen bone. Bisphosphonates are used to trea...

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

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

Calcitonin: A hormone produced by the thyroid gland that lowers the levels of calcium and ...

Calcium: A mineral found mainly in the hard part of bones, where it is stored. Calcium is ...

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

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

Deafness: Partial or complete hearing loss. Levels of hearing impairment vary from a mild ...

Decompression: 1. In general, the removal of pressure.
2. In surgery, ...

Degenerative joint disease: Also known as osteoarthritis, this type of arthritis is cause...

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

Dysfunction: Difficult function or abnormal function.

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

Erosion: An erosion is an eating away of a surface. ("Erodere" in Latin means to eat out.)...

Esophagus: The tube that connects the pharynx (throat) with the stomach. The esophagus lie...

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

Fracture: A break in bone or cartilage. Although usually a result of trauma, a fracture ca...

Genetic: Having to do with genes and genetic
information.

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...

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

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

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

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

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

Knee: The knee is a joint which has three parts. The thigh bone (the femur) meets the lar...

Laboratory: A place for doing tests and research procedures, and for preparing chemicals a...

Magnetic resonance imaging: A procedure that uses magnetism, radio waves, and a computer t...

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

Measles: An acute and highly contagious viral disease characterized by fever, runny nose,...

MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.

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

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

Osteitis: Inflammation of the bone.

Osteitis deformans: Better known today as Paget disease, this is a chronic bone disorder t...

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

Pagetic: Pertaining to Paget disease, a chronic disorder that typically results in enlarge...

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

Paramyxovirus: One of a group of RNA viruses that are predominantly responsible for acute ...

Parathyroid hormone: See Parathormone.

Pathologic: 1. Indicative of or caused by disease, as in a pathologic fracture, pat...

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

Phosphate: A form of phosphoric acid. Calcium phosphate makes bones and teeth hard.

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

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

Respiratory: Having to do with respiration.

Rheumatology: A subspecialty of internal medicine that involves the nonsurgical evaluation...

Sarcoma: One of a group of tumors usually arising from connective tissue. Most sarcomas ar...

Sclerosis: Localized hardening of skin. Sclerosis is generally caused by underlying diseas...

Skeleton: The skeleton is composed of bones and is the framework of the body.

Skull: The skull is a collection of bones which encase the brain and give form to the hea...

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

Spinal stenosis: Narrowing of the spinal canal. Spinal stenosis is most commonly caused by...

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

Stenosis: A narrowing. For example, aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the aortic valve in ...

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

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

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

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

Throat: The throat is the anterior (front) portion of the neck beginning at the back of th...

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

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

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

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

X-ray: High-energy radiation with waves shorter than those of visible light. X-ray is used...