Upper Respiratory Infection Glossary of Terms

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

Acute: Of abrupt onset, in reference to a disease. Acute often also connotes an illness th...

Acute bronchitis: inflammation of the breathing tubes within the lungs (bronchial tubes or...

Adenovirus: One of a group of viruses that can cause infections of the lung, stomach, inte...

American Academy of Pediatrics: AAP. Its member pediatricians "dedicate their efforts and ...

Anatomy: The study of human or animal form, by observation or examination of the living be...

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

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...

Bacterial: Of or pertaining to bacteria, as in a bacterial lung infection.

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

Bronchitis: Inflammation and swelling of the bronchi. Bronchitis can be acute or chronic.

Cheek: The side of the face, which forms the side wall of the mouth. The cheekbone is part...

Chills: feelings of coldness accompanied by shivering. Chills may develop after exposure t...

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

Complication: In medicine, an unanticipated problem that arises following, and is a result...

Congestion: An abnormal or excessive accumulation of a body fluid. The term is used broadl...

Coronavirus: One of a group of RNA viruses, so named because they look like a corona or ha...

Corticosteroid: Any of the steroid hormones made by the outer portion (cortex) of the adre...

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

Croup: An infection of the larynx, trachea, and bronchial tubes that occurs mainly in chil...

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

Dehydration: Excessive loss of body water. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract that ca...

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

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

Discharge: 1.The flow of fluid from part of the body, such as from the nose or vag...

Drip: Short for intravenous drip, a device for administering a fluid drop-by-drop into a v...

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

Echinacea: An herb that has been claimed to boost the body's immune system and help fight ...

Elbow: The juncture of the long bones in the middle portion of the upper extremity. The bo...

Emphysema: 1) A lung condition featuring an abnormal accumulation of air in the lung's ma...

Eustachian tube: The tube that runs from the middle ear to the pharynx. The function of th...

Fever: Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degr...

Flu: Short for influenza. The flu is caused by viruses that infect the respiratory tract w...

Frontal: In anatomy, pertaining to the forehead. As, for example, the frontal bone, fronta...

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

Humidifier: A machine that puts moisture into the air. Humidified air makes it easier to b...

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...

Indication: 1. In medicine, a condition which makes a particular treatment or proce...

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 ...

Influenza: The flu is caused by viruses that infect the respiratory tract which are divide...

Laryngitis: An inflammation of the larynx. Inflammation of the larynx is most often caused...

Larynx: A tube-shaped organ in the neck that contains the vocal cords. The larynx is about...

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

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

Malaise: A vague feeling of discomfort, one that cannot be pinned down but is often sensed...

Middle ear: A part of the ear that consists of the eardrum (tympanic membrane) and, beyond...

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

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

Nasal: Having to do with the nose.

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

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

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

Onset: In medicine, the first appearance of the signs or symptoms of an illness as, for ex...

Otitis: Inflammation of the ear. Depending upon which part of the ear is inflammed, there ...

Otitis media: Inflammation of the middle ear characterized by the accumulation of infected...

Palpitations: Unpleasant sensations of irregular and/or forceful beating of the heart. In ...

Parainfluenza: A disease due to an acute respiratory infection caused by a parainfluenza v...

Pediatrics: The field of medicine that is concerned with the health of infants, children, ...

Pharmacist: A professional who fills prescriptions and, in the case of a compounding pharm...

Pneumonia: Inflammation of one or both lungs, with dense areas of lung inflammation. Pneum...

Post-nasal drip: Mucous accumulation in the back of the nose and throat leading to or givi...

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

Rapid strep test: A diagnostic test commonly used to demonstrate whether streptococcus bac...

Respiratory: Having to do with respiration.

Respiratory syncytial virus: A virus that causes mild respiratory infections, colds, and c...

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

Saline: Relating to salt. As an adjective, "saline" means "salty, containing salt." As a n...

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

Shortness of breath: Difficulty in breathing. Medically referred to as dyspnea. Shortness ...

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

Sinusitis: Inflammation of the lining membrane in any of the hollow areas (sinuses) of the...

Sneeze: 1. As a verb, to suddenly expel air through the nose and mouth by an involu...

Sputum: Mucous material from the lungs that is produced (brought up) by coughing.

Stethoscope: An instrument that is used to transmit low-volume sounds such as a heartbeat ...

Strep: Very commonly used shortened form of Streptococcus, a very common and import...

Strep throat: Strep throat is an infection caused by a type of bacteria called streptococc...

Stress: In a medical or biological context stress is a physical, mental, or emotional fact...

Symptom: Any subjective evidence of disease. In contrast, a sign is objective. Blood comin...

Syndrome: A combination of symptoms and signs that together represent a disease process.

Syringe: A medical device that is used to inject fluid into, or withdraw fluid from, the b...

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

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

Tubes: The "tubes" are medically known as the Fallopian tubes. There are two Fallopian tub...

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

URI: Upper respiratory infection. Infection of the air passages of the nose, the throat, a...

Vaccines: Microbial preparations of killed or modified microorganisms that can stimulate a...

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...

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

Viruses: Small living particles that can infect cells and change how the cells function. I...

Vitamin C: An essential nutrient found mainly in fruits and vegetables. The body requires ...

Wheezing: A whistling noise in the chest during breathing. Wheezing occurs when the airway...

Windpipe: The trachea, a tube-like portion of the respiratory (breathing) tract that conn...

Zinc: A mineral that is essential to the body and is a constituent of many enzymes that pe...