Alzheimer's Disease Medications Glossary of Terms

1. Dementia Slideshow Pictures
2. Alzheimer's Disease Slideshow Pictures
3. Take the Alzheimer's Quiz

Abdominal: Relating to the abdomen, the belly, that part of the body that contains all of ...

Abdominal pain: Pain in the belly. Abdominal pain can be acute or chronic. It may reflect ...

Abnormal: Outside the expected norm, or uncharacteristic of a particular patient.

Acetaminophen: A nonaspirin pain reliever or analgesic. Acetaminophen may be given alone t...

Acetylcholine: A neurotransmitter released by nerves that is essential for communication b...

Acetylcholinesterase: An enzyme that breaks down the neurotransmitter acetylcholine at the...

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

Allergic reaction: The hypersensitive response of the immune system of an allergic indiv...

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

Alzheimer's disease: A progressive degenerative disease of the brain that leads to dementi...

Anesthesia: Loss of feeling or awareness, as when an anesthetic is administered before sur...

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...

Asthma: A common lung disorder in which inflammation causes the bronchi to swell and narro...

ATP: 1. Adenosine triphosphate. 2. Acute thrombocytopenic purpura.

Bicarbonate: In medicine, bicarbonate usually refers to bicarbonate of soda (sodium bicarb...

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

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

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

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: COPD. Any disorder that persistently obstructs bron...

Cognitive: Having to do with thought, judgment, or knowledge.

Constipation: Infrequent and frequently incomplete bowel movements. Constipation is the op...

COPD: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Any disorder that persistently obstructs bron...

Cure: 1. To heal, to make well, to restore to good health. 2. A time withou...

Dementia: Significant loss of intellectual abilities, such as memory capacity, that is sev...

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

Dextromethorphan: An oral cough suppressant available in the US without a prescription but...

Diarrhea: A common condition that involves unusually frequent and liquid bowel movements. ...

Dinucleotide: A sequence of 2 base pairs. A trinucleotide (a triplet of base pairs) may be...

Dizziness: Painless head discomfort with many possible causes including disturbances of ...

Enzyme: A protein (or protein-based molecule) that speeds up a chemical reaction in a livi...

Epilepsy (seizure disorder): When nerve cells in the brain fire electrical impulses...

Essential: In medicine, of unknown cause, as in essential hypertension (high blood pressur...

Estrogen: A female steroid hormone that is produced by the ovaries and, in lesser amounts,...

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

FDA: Food and Drug Administration.

Folic acid: One of the B vitamins that is a key factor in the synthesis (the making) of nu...

Food and Drug Administration: An agency within the US Public Health Service that provides ...

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

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 disease: Any disorder that affects the heart. Sometimes the term "heart disease" is ...

Heart rate: The number of heartbeats per unit of time, usually per minute. The heart rate ...

Herbal: 1. An adjective, referring to herbs, as in an herbal tea.
2. A...

Hives: A raised, itchy area of skin that may be a sign of an allergic reaction. It can be ...

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

Hormone therapy: Treatment of disease or symptoms with synthetic or naturally derived horm...

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

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

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

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

Liver disease: Liver disease refers to any disorder of the liver. The liver is a large org...

Low blood pressure: Any blood pressure that is below the normal expected for an individua...

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

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

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

Neurology: The medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of disorders o...

Nicotine: An alkaloid (a nitrogen-containing chemical) made by the tobacco plant or produc...

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

Parkinson's disease: A slowly progressive neurologic disease that is characterized by a fi...

Peptic ulcer: An ulcer in the lining of the stomach, duodenum, or esophagus. Peptic ulcers...

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

Progesterone: A female hormone, the principal hormone that prepares the uterus to receive ...

Psychosis: In the general sense, a mental illness that markedly interferes with a person'...

Pulmonary: Having to do with the lungs.

Receptor: 1. In cell biology, a structure on the surface of a cell (or inside a cel...

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

Scopolamine: A naturally occurring member of a large chemical class of compounds called a...

Sodium: The major positive ion (cation) in the fluid surrounding cells in the body. The ch...

Stomach: The digestive organ that is located in the upper abdomen, under the ribs. The upp...

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...

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...

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

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

Ulcer: A lesion that is eroding away the skin or mucous membrane. Ulcers can have various ...

Urine: Liquid waste produced by the kidneys. Urine is a clear, transparent fluid that norm...

Urine pH: A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of urine. Checking urine pH is part of th...

Vitamin E: Alpha-tocopherol, an antioxidant vitamin which binds oxygen free radicals that ...

Vitamins: The word "vitamin" was coined in 1911 by the Warsaw-born biochemist Casimir Funk...