Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «A»:
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Acute abdomen
Acute abdomen: The abrupt (acute) onset of
abdominal pain. A potential medical
emergency, an acute abdomen may
reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the
abdomen such as the appendix (being inflamed =
appendicitis), the gallbladder (inflamed = cholecystitis),
the intestine (an ulc...
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Acute angle-closure glaucoma
Acute angle-closure glaucoma: Increased pressure
in the front chamber
(anterior chamber) of the eye due to sudden (acute)
blockage of the normal
circulation of fluid within the eye. The block takes place
at the angle of
the anterior chamber formed by its junction of the cornea
with the iris.
Thi...
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Acute bacterial prostatitis
Acute bacterial prostatitis: Inflammation of the prostate gland of sudden (acute) onset due to bacterial infection. The symptoms include chills, fever, pain in the lower back and genital area, body aches, burning or painful urination, and the frequent and urgent need to urinate. The urinary tract is...
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Acute brain syndrome
Acute brain syndrome: See: Delirium....
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Acute bronchitis
Acute bronchitis: inflammation of the breathing tubes within the lungs (bronchial tubes or bronchi) as a result of an infection (viral or bacterial) or a chemical irritant (such as smoke or gastric acid reflux). The inflammation causes swelling of the lining of these breathing tubes, narrowing the t...
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Acute confusional state
Acute confusional state: See: Delirium....
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Acute coronary syndromes
Acute coronary syndromes: A spectrum of conditions involving chest discomfort or other symptoms caused by lack of oxygen to the heart muscle (the myocardium). The unification of these manifestations of coronary artery disease under a single term reflects the understanding that these are caused by a...
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Acute epiglottitis
Acute epiglottitis: A very rapidly progressive infection causing inflammation of the epiglottis (the flap that covers the trachea) and tissues around the epiglottis that may lead to abrupt blockage of the upper airway and death.
The infection is usually caused by bacteria (such as Hemophilus influe...
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Acute fatty liver of pregnancy
Acute fatty liver of pregnancy: Liver failure in late pregnancy, usually from unknown
cause.
Acute fatty liver of
pregnancy (AFLP) typically occurs in first-time pregnancies in the last
trimester.
AFLP causes nausea and
vomiting, abdominal pain
especially in the upper abdomen (epigastrium), j...
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Acute HIV infection
Acute HIV infection: The body's initial reaction to infection by the HIV virus. Acute HIV infection is a flu-like syndrome that occurs immediately after a person contracts HIV (the human immunodeficiency virus 1, the agent that causes AIDS). The syndrome is characterized by fever, sore throat, heada...
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Acute idiopathic polyneuritis
Acute idiopathic polyneuritis: Also known as the Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disorder characterized by progressive symmetrical paralysis and loss of reflexes, usually beginning in the leg, with in most cases nearly complete or complete recovery.
The Guillain-Barre syndrome is not associated with feve...
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Acute illness
Acute illness: A disease with an abrupt onset and usually a short
course....
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Acute kidney failure
Acute kidney failure: See: Acute renal failure....
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Acute leukemia
Acute leukemia: Cancer of
the white blood cells (leukemia) that characteristically comes on abruptly and,
if not treated, progresses rapidly. The two major types of acute leukemia are acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myelocytic leukemia (AML)....
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Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia: An acute (sudden onset), rapidly progressing form of leukemia that is characterized by the presence in the blood and bone marrow of large numbers of unusually immature white blood cells destined to become lymphocytes. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is also called acute ly...
