Thyroid Facts Glossary of Terms

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Ablate: To remove. A tumor may be ablated. To ablate the thyroid gland is to remove it. ...

Adam's apple: The familiar feature on the front of the neck that is the forward protrusion...

Adenoma: A benign tumor that arises in or resembles glandular tissue. If an adenoma become...

Anemia: The condition of having a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells or quantity ...

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

Autoimmune: Pertaining to autoimmunity, a misdirected immune response that occurs when the...

Autoimmune disease: An illness that occurs when the body tissues are attacked by its own i...

Benign: Not malignant. A benign tumor is one that does not invade surrounding tissue or sp...

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

Brain: The portion of the central nervous system that is located within the skull. It func...

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, ...

Carbohydrates: Mainly sugars and starches, together constituting one of the three principa...

Diabetes: Refers to diabetes mellitus or, less often, to diabetes insipidus. Diabetes mell...

Diabetes mellitus: Better known just as "diabetes" -- a chronic disease associated with ab...

Endocrine: Pertaining to hormones and the glands that make and secrete them into the blood...

Endocrinology: The study of the medical aspects of hormones, including diseases and condit...

Enlarged thyroid: see goiter.

Fats: Plural of the word "fat". See the definition of fat.

Fertility: The ability to conceive and bear children, the ability to become pregnant throu...

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

Goiter: A noncancerous enlargement of the thyroid gland. With a goiter, the levels of thyr...

Hormone: A chemical substance produced in the body that controls and regulates the activit...

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

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

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 ...

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

Metabolic: Relating to metabolism, the whole range of biochemical processes that occur wit...

Metabolism: The whole range of biochemical processes that occur within a living organism. ...

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

Nodule: A small collection of tissue that is palpable (can be felt) at any level of the sk...

Organ: A relatively independent part of the body that carries out one or more special func...

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

Pediatric: Pertaining to children.

Pernicious anemia: Low red blood cell count caused by inadequate vitamin B12. Abbreviated ...

Pituitary: 1. As an adjective, pertaining to the pituitary gland or its hormonal se...

Pituitary gland: The main endocrine gland. It is a small structure in the head. It is ca...

Postpartum: The period just after delivery, as with postpartum depression. Postpartum refe...

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

Proteins: Large molecules composed of one or more chains of amino acids in a specific orde...

Radioactive: Emitting energy waves due to decaying atomic nuclei. Radioactive substances a...

Radioactive iodine: An isotope of the chemical element iodine that is radioactive. Radioa...

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

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

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

Thermostat: A device that monitors temperature and automatically maintains it at certain l...

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

Thyroid cancer: Cancer of the gland in front of the neck that normally produces thyroid ho...

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

Thyroid hormone: A chemical substance made by the thyroid gland for export into the bloods...

Thyroid hormones: Chemical substances made by the thyroid gland, which is located in the...

Thyroiditis: Inflammation of the thyroid gland which is located in front of the neck:

Thyroxine: A hormone that is made by the thyroid gland and is one of the most important th...

Toxic multinodular goiter: A condition in which the thyroid gland contains multiple lumps ...

Trachea: A tube-like portion of the respiratory tract that connects the larynx with the br...

TSH: Thyroid stimulating hormone.

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

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

Viral infection: Infection caused by the presence of a virus in the body. Depending on...