Sedimentation Rate Glossary of Terms

1. Rheumatoid Arthritis Slideshow Pictures
2. Take the RA Quiz
3. Understanding Lupus Slideshow Pictures

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

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

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

Leukemia: Cancer of the blood cells. Strictly speaking, leukemia should refer only to canc...

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

Polycythemia: Too many red blood cells. The opposite of anemia. polycythemia formally exis...

Polymyalgia: Pain in multiple muscles, as in polymyalgia rheumatica.

Polymyositis: An autoimmune inflammatory disease of muscle that begins when white blood ce...

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

RBC: Short for red blood cells, the cells that carry oxygen and carbon dioxide through the...

Reactive arthritis: A chronic form of arthritis featuring the following three conditions: ...

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

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

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

Septic: Infected, or denoting infection. For example, septic shock is shock that is caused...

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

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

Systemic lupus erythematosus: A chronic inflammatory condition caused by an autoimmune di...

Vasculitis: A general term for a group of uncommon diseases that feature inflammation of t...