Poisoning Glossary of Terms

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

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

Activated charcoal: Charcoal that has been heated to increase its ability to absorb molecu...

American Academy of Pediatrics: AAP. Its member pediatricians "dedicate their efforts and ...

Angina: Chest pain due to an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle. The pain is ...

Anticholinergic: Opposing the actions of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Anticholinerg...

Antidote: A drug that counteracts a poison.

Appendicitis: Inflammation of the appendix, usually associated with infection of the appen...

Aspirin: Once the Bayer trademark for acetylsalicylic acid, now the common name for this a...

Atropine: A drug, made from the belladonna plant, that is administered via injection, eye ...

Benzodiazepines: A class of drugs that act as tranquilizers and are commonly used in the t...

Blood clots: Blood that has been converted from a liquid to a solid state. Also called a t...

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.

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

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

Breathing: The process of respiration, during which air is inhaled into the lungs through ...

Cocaine: A substance derived from the leaves of the coca plant that is a bitter, addictive...

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

Contraction: The tightening and shortening of a muscle.

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

Cyanide: Poisoning with cyanide, a rapidly acting, potentially deadly chemical that can ex...

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

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

ECG: Electrocardiogram.

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

Gallbladder: A pear-shaped organ located below the liver that stores the bile secreted by ...

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

Gastrointestinal tract: The stomach and intestines. Abbreviated GI tract.

Hallucinogenic: 1. As an adjective: Producing hallucinations. From hallucino- + -ge...

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

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

Heart attack: The death of heart muscle due to the loss of blood supply. The loss of bloo...

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

Heart rate: The number of heartbeats per unit of time, usually per minute. The heart rate ...

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

Heroin: Semisynthetic drug derived from morphine. Discovered in 1874, it was introduced co...

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

Hyperactivity: A higher than normal level of activity. An organ can be described as hyper...

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

Infant: A young baby, from birth to 12 months of age.

Injure: To harm, hurt, or wound. The word injure may be in physical or emotional sense. Fr...

Insulin: A natural hormone made by the pancreas that controls the level of the sugar gluco...

Intestine: The long, tubelike organ in the abdomen that completes the process of digestion...

Intubation: The process of putting a tube into a hollow organ or passageway, often into th...

Ipecac: A naturally occurring substance with multiple properties including the ability to ...

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

Lithium: A naturally occurring salt that, in purified form, is used to treat certain psych...

Lithobid: See: Lithium.

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

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

Marijuana: A common street and recreational drug that comes from the marijuana plant: the ...

Migraine: Usually, periodic attacks of headaches on one or both sides of the head. These ...

Migraine headache: The most common type of vascular headache involving abnormal sensitivit...

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

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...

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

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

Pediatrics: The field of medicine that is concerned with the health of infants, children, ...

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

Phobia: An unreasonable sort of fear that can cause avoidance and panic. Phobias are a rel...

Poison: Any substance that can cause severe organ damage or death if ingested, breathed in...

Poison control center: A special information center set up to inform people about how to r...

Poisoning: Taking a substance that is injurious to health or can cause death. Poisoning i...

Potassium: The major positive ion (cation) found inside cells. The chemical notation for p...

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

Psychiatric: Pertaining to or within the purview of psychiatry, the medical specialty conc...

Radiation: 1. Rays of energy. Gamma rays and X-rays are two of the types of energy ...

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

Sedative: A drug that calms a patient, easing agitation and permitting sleep. Sedatives ge...

Seizure: Uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain, which may produce a physical conv...

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

Snake bites: A bite of a venomous snake, such as a rattlesnake, copperhead, cottonmouth wa...

Social phobia: A paralyzing fear of interacting with others. Symptoms include excessive bl...

Sodium: The major positive ion (cation) in the fluid surrounding cells in the body. The ch...

Stomach: The digestive organ that is located in the upper abdomen, under the ribs. The upp...

Stroke: The sudden death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen, caused by blockage of blood...

Substance: 1. Material with particular features.
2. The material that...

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.

Toddler: A young child who is learning to walk with short unsteady steps. The word toddle ...

Toxicity: The degree to which a substance (a toxin or poison) can harm humans or animals. ...

Toxicology: The study of the nature, effects, and detection of poisons (toxins) and the tr...

Toxin: A poison produced by certain animals, plants, or bacteria.

Tylenol: See: Acetaminophen.

Unconscious: 1. Interruption of awareness of oneself and one's surroundings, lack ...

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

Venom: A poison, particularly one secreted by an animal. Examples are bee venom, snake ven...

Ventilator: A machine that mechanically assists a patient in the exchange of oxygen and ca...

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

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

Warfarin: An anticoagulant drug (brand names: Coumarin, Panwarfin, Sofarin) taken to prev...

Windpipe: The trachea, a tube-like portion of the respiratory (breathing) tract that conn...