Wegener Granulomatosis Glossary of Terms

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

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

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

Alveolar: Pertaining to the alveoli, the tiny air sacs in the lungs. The exchange of oxyge...

Angiitis: Inflammation of the walls of small blood vessels. Also known as vasculitis.

Antibiotic: A drug used to treat infections caused by bacteria and other microorganisms. ...

Antibody: An immunoglobulin, a specialized immune protein, produced because of the introdu...

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...

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

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

Bladder: A hollow organ in the lower abdomen that stores urine. The kidneys filter waste f...

Blood glucose: The main sugar that the body makes from the food in the diet. Glucose is ca...

Blood in the urine: Blood that appears in the urine. Also known as hematuria. Gross hematu...

Bloody nose: Bleeding from the blood vessels of the nose. The nose is rich in blood vessel...

Bronchoscope: A thin, flexible instrument with a lighted viewing tube that is used to visu...

Cartilage: Firm, rubbery tissue that cushions bones at joints. A flexible kind of cartilag...

Cavities: Holes or structural damage in the two outer layers of a tooth called the enamel...

Cell: The basic structural and functional unit of any living thing. Each cell is a small c...

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

Chest pain: Pain in the chest that can be a result of many things, including angina, heart...

Chest X-ray: A type of X-ray commonly used to detect abnormalities in the lungs. A chest X...

Clinical trials: Trials to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of medications or medical...

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

Conjunctivitis: Inflammation of the membrane covering the surface of the eyeball. It can b...

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...

Coughing up blood: see hemoptysis.

Critical care: The specialized care of patients whose conditions are life-threatening and ...

Cystitis: Inflammation of the bladder. Cystitis can be due for example to infection from ...

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

Dialysis: The process of cleansing the blood by passing it through a special machine. Dial...

Drain: A device for removing fluid from a cavity or wound. A drain is typically a tube or ...

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

Ear tubes: Formally known as tympanostomy tubes, ear tubes are small tubes, made of severa...

Eardrum: The tympanic membrane of the ear, or tympanum. The eardrum separates the middle e...

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

Gastrointestinal: Adjective referring collectively to the stomach and small and large inte...

Glaucoma: A common eye condition in which the fluid pressure inside the eyes rises becaus...

Glucose: The simple sugar that is the chief source of energy. Glucose is found in the bloo...

Hemorrhagic: Pertaining to bleeding or the abnormal flow of blood.

Hoarseness: Hoarseness is a term referring to abnormal voice changes. Hoarseness may be ma...

Immune: Protected against infection, usually by the presence of antibodies.

Immune response: Any reaction by the immune system. For example, poison ivy can cause an i...

Immune system: A complex system that is responsible for distinguishing a person from every...

Immunosuppressive: 1. Pertaining to immunosuppression, the suppression of the immun...

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 ...

Internal medicine: The medical specialty dedicated to the diagnosis and medical treatment ...

Joint: The area where two bones are attached for the purpose of permitting body parts to m...

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

Kidney transplant: Replacement of a diseased, damaged, or missing kidney with a donor ki...

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

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

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

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.

Necrosis: The death of living cells or tissues. Necrosis can be due, for example, to ische...

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

Nodular: Bumpy.

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

Nosebleed: Bleeding from the blood vessels of the nose. The nose is rich in blood vessels ...

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

Osteoporosis: Thinning of the bones, with reduction in bone mass, due to depletion of calc...

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

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

Progressive: Increasing in scope or severity, advancing, or going forward. For example, a ...

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

Puberty: Adolescence, the period in which the human body first becomes capable of reproduc...

Pulmonary: Having to do with the lungs.

Pulse: The rhythmic dilation of an artery that results from beating of the heart. Pulse is...

Red blood cell: The blood cell that carries oxygen. Red cells contain hemoglobin and it is...

Red blood cells: The blood cells that carry oxygen. Red cells contain hemoglobin and it is...

Relapse: The return of signs and symptoms of a disease after a remission.

Remission: Disappearance of the signs and symptoms of cancer or other disease. A remission...

Renal: Having to do with the kidney. For example, renal cancer is cancer of the kidneys.

Respiratory: Having to do with respiration.

Rheumatology: A subspecialty of internal medicine that involves the nonsurgical evaluation...

Rule out: Term used in medicine, meaning to eliminate or exclude something from considera...

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

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...

Snip: A single base change, a change in which a single base in the DNA differs from the us...

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

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

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

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...

Transplant: The grafting of a tissue from one place to another, just as in botany a bu...

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

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

Vasculitis: A general term for a group of uncommon diseases that feature inflammation of t...

Wegener's granulomatosis: An uncommon type of inflammation of small arteries and veins (va...

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

White blood cell: One of the cells the body makes to help fight infections. There are seve...

White blood cell count (leukocyte count): The number of white blood cells (WBCs) in the b...

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

X-ray: High-energy radiation with waves shorter than those of visible light. X-ray is used...