Swollen Lymph Nodes Glossary of Terms

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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...

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

Antiviral: An agent that kills a virus or that suppresses its ability to replicate and, he...

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

Aspiration: Removal of a sample of fluid and cells through a needle. Aspiration also re...

Biopsy: The removal of a sample of tissue for examination under a microscope to check for ...

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

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

Capsule: Capsule has many meanings in medicine including the following:

1. In medici...

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

Chest: The area of the body located between the neck and the abdomen. The chest contains t...

Chin: Medically, the mentum. The lower portion of the face below the lower lip including t...

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

Chyle: A fluid consisting of a mixture of lymphatic fluid (lymph) and chylomicrons that ha...

Circulation: In medicine, the movement of fluid through the body in a regular or circuitou...

Cluster: In epidemiology, an aggregation of cases of a disease or another health-related c...

Collarbone: A horizontal bone above the first rib that makes up the front part of the shou...

Common cold: A contagious viral upper respiratory tract infection. The common cold can be ...

Cough: A rapid expulsion of air from the lungs, typically in order to clear the lung airwa...

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

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

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...

Fine needle aspiration: The use of a thin needle to withdraw material from the body for an...

Fungal: Pertaining to a fungus. For example, a fungal skin infection.

Groin: The area where the thigh meets the hip.

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

HIV: Acronym for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, the cause of AIDS (acquired immunodefi...

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

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 ...

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

Limb: An arm or a leg.

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

Lymph: The almost colorless fluid that travels through the lymphatic system, carrying cell...

Lymph node: One of many small, bean-shaped organs located throughout the lymphatic system....

Lymphadenopathy: Abnormally enlarged lymph nodes. Commonly called swollen glands.

Lymphatic: Pertaining to a small, thin channel that is similar to a blood vessel and that ...

Lymphatic system: The tissues and organs, including the bone marrow, spleen, thymus, and l...

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

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

Malignant: 1. Tending to be severe and become progressively worse, as in malignant ...

Microscope: An optical instrument that augments the power of the eye to see small objects....

Mononucleosis: Infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV, human herpesvirus 4, HHV-4) in...

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

Night sweats: Severe hot flashes that occur at night and result in a drenching sweat. Nigh...

Node: Literally a knot, a node is a collection of tissue. For example a lymph node, is a ...

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

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

Parasitic: Having to do with a parasite, as in a parasitic infection; or acting like a par...

Pathologist: A physician who identifies diseases and conditions by studying abnormal cells...

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...

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

Respiratory: Having to do with respiration.

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

Runny nose: The production of extra mucus by the nose. Rhinorrhea is the medical term for ...

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

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

Sore throat: Pain in the throat. Sore throat may be caused by many different causes, inclu...

Spleen: An organ that is located in the upper-left part of the abdomen, not far from the s...

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

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

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

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

Upper respiratory infection: An infection of the upper part of the respiratory system whic...

Viral: Of or pertaining to a virus. For example, if a person has a viral rash, the rash wa...

Virus: A microorganism that is smaller than a bacterium that cannot grow or reproduce apar...

Weight loss: Weight loss is a decrease in body weight resulting from either voluntary (die...