Archive for February, 2009

Bell’s Palsy medical terminology definition

If you have Bell’s palsy, the muscles in your face become temporarily paralyzed. It usually affects just one side of the face. Symptoms appear suddenly – you can’t shut your eye and your mouth droops. Symptoms are usually worst about 48 hours after they start.

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Diabetes Complications medical terminology definition

If you have diabetes, your blood sugar levels are too high. Over time, this can cause problems with other body functions, such as your kidneys, nerves, feet, and eyes. Having diabetes can also put you at a higher risk for heart disease and bone and joint disorders. Other long-term complications of diabetes include skin problems, digestive problems, sexual dysfunction, and problems with your teeth and gums.

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Kidney Transplantation medical terminology definition

Also called: Renal transplantation
A kidney transplant is an operation that places a healthy kidney in your body. The transplanted kidney takes over the work of the two kidneys that failed, and you no longer need dialysis.

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Liver Diseases medical terminology definition

Also called: Hepatic disease
Your liver is the largest organ inside your body. It is also one of the most important. The liver has many jobs, including changing food into energy and cleaning alcohol and poisons from the blood. Your liver also makes bile, a yellowish-green liquid that helps with digestion.

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Chagas Disease medical terminology definition

Also called: American trypanosomiasis, South American trypanosomiasis
Chagas disease is caused by a parasite. It is common in Latin America but not in the United States. Infected blood-sucking bugs, sometimes called kissing bugs, spread it. When an infected bug bites you, usually on your face, it leaves behind infected waste. You can get the infection if you rub it in your eyes or nose, the bite wound or a cut. The disease can also spread through contaminated food, a blood transfusion, a donated organ or from mother to baby during pregnancy.

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Food Safety medical terminology definition

It is upsetting to think about, but the foods you eat to stay healthy can make you sick. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to protect yourself and your family from foodborne illness. There are things you can do in the grocery store, like avoiding cans that are bulging or jars that have cracks or loose lids. At home, you should

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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder medical terminology definition

Also called: PTSD
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a real illness. You can get PTSD after living through or seeing a traumatic event, such as war, a hurricane, rape, physical abuse or a bad accident. PTSD makes you feel stressed and afraid after the danger is over. It affects your life and the people around you.

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Gas medical terminology definition

Also called: Belch, Burp, Eructation, Flatulence, Flatus
Everyone has gas. Most people produce about 1 to 4 pints a day and pass gas about 14 times a day. Passing gas through the mouth is called belching or burping. Passing gas through the rectum is called flatulence. Most of the time gas does not have an odor. The odor comes from bacteria in the large intestine that release small amounts of gases that contain sulfur.

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Diabetes and Pregnancy medical terminology definition

Also called: Gestational diabetes
Diabetes is a disease in which your blood glucose, or sugar, levels are too high. When you are pregnant, too much glucose is not good for your baby. Out of every 100 pregnant women in the United States, between three and eight get gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is diabetes that happens for the first time when a woman is pregnant. Gestational diabetes goes away when you have your baby, but it does increase your risk for having diabetes later.

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Kidney Stones medical terminology definition

Also called: Nephrolithiasis
A kidney stone is a solid piece of material that forms in the kidney from substances in the urine. It may be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a pearl. Most kidney stones pass out of the body without help from a doctor. But sometimes a stone will not go away. It may get stuck in the urinary tract, block the flow of urine and cause great pain.

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