Pustular Psoriasis Glossary of Terms

1. Moderate to Severe Psoriasis Slideshow
2. Psoriasis Quiz: Test Your Medical IQ
3. How Much Is Psoriasis Affecting Your Life?

Abdomen: The belly, that part of the body that contains all of the structures between the...

Absorb: 1. To take something in, as through the skin or the intestine.
2....

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

Albumin: The main protein in human blood and the key to regulating the osmotic pressure of...

Allergy: A misguided reaction to foreign substances by the immune system, the body system ...

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

Antibody: An immunoglobulin, a specialized immune protein, produced because of the introdu...

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

Antimalarial: A drug directed against malaria. The original antimalarial agent was quinin...

Antipsoriatic: Directed against psoriasis. Sunlight is antipsoriatic, as are a number of d...

Antiseptic: Something that discourages the growth microorganisms. By contrast, aseptic ref...

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

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

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

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

Bile: Bile is a yellow-green fluid that is made by the liver, stored in the gallbladder a...

Blood count: The calculated number of white or red blood cells (WBCs or RBCs) in a cubic m...

Blood culture: A test designed to detect if microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi are ...

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

Blood urea nitrogen: A measure of the urea level in blood. Abbreviated BUN. Diseases that ...

Bumps: The raised area of a bump or bruise results from blood leaking from these injured b...

Calcipotriene: A synthetic form of vitamin D3 that can be applied to the skin to treat pso...

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

CBC: A commonly used abbreviation in medicine that stands for complete blood count, a set...

Cell: The basic structural and functional unit of any living thing. Each cell is a small c...

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

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

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

Complete blood count: A set values of the cellular (formed elements) of blood. These meas...

Creatinine: A chemical waste molecule that is generated from muscle metabolism. Creatinine...

Curable: Amenable to a cure, capable of being cured, to being healed and made well. From ...

Cutaneous: Related to the skin.

Dermatology: 1. The branch of medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment, and...

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

Dry skin: Abnormally dry skin. Can be caused by a dry climate, winter weather, deficiency...

Erythrocyte: A cell that contains hemoglobin and can carry oxygen to the body. Also called...

Erythrodermic psoriasis: A particularly inflammatory form of psoriasis that often affects ...

FDA: Food and Drug Administration.

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

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

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

Generic: 1. The chemical name of a drug. 2. A term referring to the chemical...

Generic drug: The term "generic" has several meanings as regards drugs:

1. The chemi...

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.

Guttate psoriasis: A type of psoriasis characterized by red, scaly plaques of inflamed ski...

Hair loss: Hair loss is the thinning of hair on the scalp. The medical term for hair loss ...

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 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...

Hypoalbuminemia: An abnormally low blood level of albumin. Normally, albumin is the most p...

Hypocalcemia: Lower-than-normal level of calcium in the blood, which makes the nervous sys...

Immune: Protected against infection, usually by the presence of antibodies.

Immune system: A complex system that is responsible for distinguishing a person from every...

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

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

Interferon: A naturally occurring substance that interferes with the ability of viruses t...

Iodine: An element in the diet that is essential for the manufacture of hormones by the th...

Itching: An uncomfortable sensation in the skin that feels as if something is crawling on ...

Jaundice: Yellow staining of the skin and sclerae (the whites of the eyes) by abnormally h...

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

Juvenile: Between infantile and adult. Used in medicine to indicate onset in childhood, as...

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

Leukocytosis: A condition in which the number of white blood cells is higher than normal.

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

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

Lungs: The lungs are a pair of breathing organs located with the chest which remove carbon...

Lymphoma: A tumor of the lymphoid tissue. The major types of lymphoma are Hodgkin's diseas...

Malabsorption: Poor intestinal absorption of nutrients. Malabsorption can occur from disea...

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

Malnutrition: A term used to refer to any condition in which the body does not receive eno...

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

Nail: In medicine, there are two types of nails. One is just a plain old metal nail used t...

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

Necrosis: The death of living cells or tissues. Necrosis can be due, for example, to ische...

Nitrogen: Element number 7, a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that is biologically impo...

Occlusion: The act of occluding. See: Occlude.

Ointment: An oil-based preparation that is applied to the skin. Whereas an ointment has an...

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

Penicillin: The most famous of all antibiotics, named for the fungal mold Penicillium n...

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

Phototherapy: Treatment with light. For example, a newborn with jaundice may be put under ...

Plaque: 1. An semi-hardened accumulation of substances from fluids that bathe an a...

Plaque psoriasis: The most common form of psoriasis -- about 80% of people with psoriasis ...

Plasma: The liquid part of the blood and lymphatic fluid, which makes up about half of the...

Pregnancy: The state of carrying a developing embryo or fetus within the female body. Thi...

Pregnant: The state of carrying a developing fetus within the body.

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...

Psoriasis: A reddish, scaly rash often located over the surfaces of the elbows, knees, sca...

Psoriatic arthritis: Joint inflammation that is associated with psoriasis. Psoriatic arthr...

Pus: A thick, whitish-yellow fluid that results from the accumulation of white blood cells...

Pustular psoriasis: A type of recurring psoriasis characterized by the appearance of pus-...

Pustulosis: A highly inflammatory skin condition that results in large, fluid-filled, blis...

PUVA: PUVA stands for psoralen (P) and ultraviolet A (UVA) therapy in which the patient is...

Rash: Breaking out (eruption) of the skin. A rash can be caused by an underlying medical c...

Recombinant: A person with a new combination of genes, a combination not present in either...

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

Red blood cells: The blood cells that carry oxygen. Red cells contain hemoglobin and it is...

Registry: A collection of information. A registry is usually organized so that the data in...

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

Respiratory: Having to do with respiration.

Retinoid: 1. Vitamin A (retinol) or a naturally occurring or synthetic substance ch...

Risk factor: Something that increases a person's chances of developing a disease. For exam...

Salicylic acid: A substance obtained from plants (white willow back and wintergreen leaves...

Saline: Relating to salt. As an adjective, "saline" means "salty, containing salt." As a n...

Sedimentation rate: A blood test that detects and monitors inflammation in the body. Abbre...

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

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

Steroid: One of a large group of chemical substances classified by a specific carbon struc...

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...

Subacute: Rather recent onset or somewhat rapid change. In contrast, acute indicates very ...

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

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...

Systemic therapy: Treatment that reaches cells throughout the body by traveling through th...

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

Thigh: The thick, muscular portion of the leg that extends from the hip to the knee. The t...

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

Tongue: A strong muscle that is anchored to the floor of the mouth. The tongue is covered ...

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

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

Trigger: Something that either sets off a disease in people who are genetically predispose...

Tzanck test: The examination of fluid from a bulla (a blister) in search of Tzanck cells c...

Urea: A nitrogen-containing substance normally cleared from the blood by the kidney into t...

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...

Vitamin A: Vitamin A is retinol. Carotene compounds (found, for example, in egg yolk, butt...

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

White blood cell: One of the cells the body makes to help fight infections. There are seve...

Zinc: A mineral that is essential to the body and is a constituent of many enzymes that pe...