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May 24, 2013


Snoring Glossary of Terms

The following are health and medical definitions of terms that appear in the Snoring article.

Adenoidectomy: The surgical removal of the adenoids.

Adenoids: A lump of lymphoid tissue of varying size, located behind the nose in a space ca...

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Aging: The process of becoming older, a process that is genetically determined and environ...

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Airway: The path that air follows to get into and out of the lungs. The mouth and nose are...

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Airway obstruction: Partial or complete blockage of the breathing passages to the lungs. C...

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Anesthetic: A substance that causes lack of feeling or awareness, dulling pain to permit s...

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Anxiety: A feeling of apprehension and fear, characterized by physical symptoms such as pa...

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Apnea: The absence of breathing (respiration).

Artery: A vessel that carries blood high in oxygen content away from the heart to the far...

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

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

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Consultant: An individual to whom one refers for expert advice or services. The use of con...

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Continuous positive airway pressure: See: CPAP.

Coronary artery disease: Impedance or blockage of one or more arteries that supply blood t...

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CPAP: Continuous positive airway pressure. CPAP is an effective treatment for obstructive ...

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Depression: An illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and that affects the way...

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

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

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Excessive daytime sleepiness: A neurological disorder in which there is a sudden recurrent...

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Family history: The family structure and relationships within the family, including inform...

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

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

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

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

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

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Hypertension: High blood pressure, defined as a repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceedi...

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Hypothyroid: Deficiency of thyroid hormone which is normally made by the thyroid gland wh...

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

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Incidence: The frequency with which something, such as a disease or trait, appears in a pa...

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

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

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Memory: 1. The ability to recover information about past events or knowledge. ...

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

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

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Muscular: Having to do with the muscles. Also, endowed with above average muscle developme...

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Muscular dystrophy: One of a group of genetic diseases characterized by progressive weakne...

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Narcotic: 1. A drug that causes insensibility or stupor. A narcotic induces narcosi...

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Nasal: Having to do with the nose.

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

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Nose: The external midline projection from the face. The purpose of the nose is to warm, c...

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Obese: Well above ones normal weight. A person has traditionally been considered to be obe...

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Obstruction: Blockage of a passageway. See, for example: Airway obstruction; Intestinal o...

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Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder characterized by brief ...

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Otolaryngologist: A physician specialized in diagnosing and treating diseases of the head ...

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

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Palate: The roof of the mouth. The front portion is bony (hard palate), and the back porti...

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

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Polio: Abbreviation for poliomyelitis, an acute and sometimes devastating disease caused ...

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Postmenopausal: After menopause, the period of time after a woman has experienced 12 conse...

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Prevalence: The proportion of individuals in a population having a disease or characterist...

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

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Pulmonary: Having to do with the lungs.

Pulmonary hypertension: High blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries. This elevated blood...

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Sinus: 1. An air-filled cavity in a dense portion of a skull bone. The sinuses decr...

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Sleep: The body's rest cycle.

Sleep apnea: The temporary stoppage of breathing during sleep, often resulting in daytime ...

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Snoring: A rough rattling noise made on inspiration during sleep by vibration of the soft ...

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Snort: Take in a drug by nasal inhalation. For example, snorting cocaine is inhaling cocai...

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Soft palate: The muscular part of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is directly behin...

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Somnoplasty: A surgical treatment to stop snoring.

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

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

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Tension: 1) The pressure within a vessel, such as blood pressure: the pressure within t...

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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...

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Thyroid: 1. The thyroid gland. Also, pertaining to the thyroid gland. 2. A p...

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Thyroid gland: A gland that makes and stores hormones that help regulate the heart rate, b...

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

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Tonsillectomy: The surgical removal of both 'tonsils.

Tonsils: Small masses of lymphoid tissue at the back and on both sides of the throat.

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