Prostate Infections Glossary of Terms

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Abdominal: Relating to the abdomen, the belly, that part of the body that contains all of ...

Abscess: A local accumulation of pus anywhere in the body. The following are some example...

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

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

Acute bacterial prostatitis: Inflammation of the prostate gland of sudden (acute) onset du...

Anaerobic: Not requiring oxygen. Anaerobic bacteria, for example, do not require oxygen to...

Antegrade: Forward-moving. As in blood flow. Sometimes synonymous with anterograde. From t...

Antibiotic: A drug used to treat infections caused by bacteria and other microorganisms. ...

Antigen: A substance that the immune system perceives as being foreign or dangerous. The b...

Antimicrobial: A drug used to treat a microbial infection.

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

Bacteria: Single-celled microorganisms that can exist either as independent (free-living) ...

Bacterial: Of or pertaining to bacteria, as in a bacterial lung infection.

Bacterium: The singular of bacteria.

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...

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

Burning urination: See: Dysuria.

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

Catheter: A thin, flexible tube.

Chemotherapy: 1. In the original sense, a chemical that binds to and specifically k...

Chills: feelings of coldness accompanied by shivering. Chills may develop after exposure t...

Chlamydia: The agent of a sexually transmitted disease, a type of bacteria found in the ce...

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

Chronic bacterial prostatitis: Longstanding bacterial infection of the prostate gland supe...

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...

Cystoscopy: A procedure in which a lighted optical instrument called a cystoscope is inser...

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 ...

Discharge: 1.The flow of fluid from part of the body, such as from the nose or vag...

Doxycycline: Brand name: Vibramycin. A synthetic broad-spectrum antibiotic derived from te...

Drain: A device for removing fluid from a cavity or wound. A drain is typically a tube or ...

Dysfunction: Difficult function or abnormal function.

Dysuria: Pain during urination, or difficulty urinating. Dysuria is usually caused by infl...

Ejaculation: Ejection of sperm and seminal fluid during an orgasm in a male.

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

Enterococcus: Bacteria normally found in the feces. Two types, Enterococcus fecalis and En...

Epididymis: A structure within the scrotum that is attached to the back side of the testis...

Epididymitis: Inflammation of the epididymis. Epididymitis can be caused by sexually acqui...

Erythromycin: Erythromycin is a common antibiotic for treating bacterial infection. Sold...

Escherichia coli: Full term for E. coli, the colon bacillus.

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

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

Fungi: Plural of fungus.

Genetics: The scientific study of heredity. Genetics pertains to humans and all other orga...

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

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

Gonorrhea: A bacterial infection that is transmitted by sexual contact. Gonorrhea is one o...

Gram-negative: Gram-negative bacteria lose the crystal violet stain (and take the color of...

Groin: The area where the thigh meets the hip.

Herpes: A family of viruses. Herpes also refers to infection with one of the human herpesv...

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

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

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...

Infertility: Diminished or absent ability to conceive and bear offspring. A couple is cons...

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

Inflammatory bowel disease: A group of chronic intestinal diseases characterized by infla...

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

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...

Kidney stone: A stone in the kidney or a stone that originates in the kidney but has passe...

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

Malaise: A vague feeling of discomfort, one that cannot be pinned down but is often sensed...

Microscopic: So small it cannot be seen without the aid of microscope. As opposed to macro...

MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.

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

Mycoplasma: A large group of bacteria, with more than 100 types identified. Mycoplasma are...

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

Neisseria: A group of bacteria that includes the bacterium that causes gonorrhea.

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

NIH: National Institutes of Health.

Nonbacterial prostatitis: Inflammation of the prostate not due to bacterial infection. The...

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

Outpatient: A patient who is not hospitalized, but instead comes to a physician?s office, ...

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

Painful urination: See: Dysuria.

Pelvic: Having to do with the pelvis, the lower part of the abdomen, located between the h...

Pelvic pain: : Pain perceived in the area of the pelvis, the lower part of the abdomen loc...

Pelvis: The lower part of the abdomen, located between the hip bones. Structures in the fe...

Penis: The external male sex organ. The penis contains two chambers, the corpora cavernosa...

Perineum: The area between the anus and the scrotum in the male and between the anus and t...

Posture: The carriage of the body as a whole, the attitude of the body, or the position of...

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

Prostate: A gland within the male reproductive system that is located just below the blad...

Prostate cancer: A malignant tumor of the prostate, the gland that produces some of the co...

Prostate gland: A gland in the male reproductive system that is located just below the bla...

Prostate specific antigen: Widely known as PSA. See: PSA.

Prostatitis: Inflammation of the prostate gland. Prostatitis can result from infection or ...

Prostatodynia: A type of inflammation of the prostate not due to bacterial infection and i...

PSA: Prostate specific antigen. A test for PSA may be used to screen for cancer of the p...

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

Recur: To occur again; to return. For example, a symptom, sign, or disease can recur.

Recurrence: The return of a sign, symptom, or disease after a remission. The reappearance ...

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

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

Resistance: Opposition to something, or the ability to withstand something. For example, s...

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

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

Scrotum: The pouch of skin that contains the testes, epididymides, and lower portions of t...

Sore: 1. (adjective) A popular term for painful, such as a sore throat. 2. (...

Sperm: A sperm is the male "gamete" or sex cell. It combines with the female &qu...

Strain: 1. An injury to a tendon or muscle resulting from overuse or trauma. 2. A heredita...

Stress: In a medical or biological context stress is a physical, mental, or emotional fact...

Stricture: An abnormal narrowing of a body passage, especially a tube or a canal. The str...

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

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

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

Testes: Plural of testis.

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

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

Trichomonas: A single-celled protozoan parasite best known in medicine because one species...

Tylenol: See: Acetaminophen.

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

Ureaplasma: A bacterium that commonly infects the urogenital tract and can cause premature...

Urethra: The tube that leads from the bladder and transports and discharges urine outside ...

Urinalysis: A test that is done in order to analyze urine. Because toxins and excess fluid...

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...

Urography: A method for examining the structure and functionality of the urinary system. A...

Vibramycin: Brand name for doxycycline.

Viruses: Small living particles that can infect cells and change how the cells function. I...

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