Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «P»:
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Paralysis, laryngeal nerve
Paralysis, laryngeal nerve: Paralysis of the recurrent laryngeal nerve, a branch of the vagus nerve (a long and important nerve that originates in the brainstem and runs down to the colon). After the recurrent laryngeal nerve leaves the vagus nerve, it goes down into the chest and then loops back u...
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Paralysis, sleep
Paralysis, sleep: A frightening form of paralysis that occurs when a person
suddenly finds himself or herself unable to move for a few minutes, most often
upon falling asleep or waking up. Sleep paralysis is due to an irregularity in
passing between the stages of sleep and wakefulness.
The sympto...
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Paralysis, stomach
Paralysis, stomach: Formally called gastroparesis, this is a medical condition in which the muscle of the stomach is paralyzed by a disease of either the stomach muscle itself or the nerves controlling the muscle. As a consequence, food and secretions do not empty normally from the stomach, and the...
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Paralysis, vocal cord
Paralysis, vocal cord: Inability of one or both vocal folds (vocal cords) to move. The paralysis is usually due to damage to the nerves going to the vocal cords or due to damage to the brain itself.
In more technical terms, vocal cord paralysis may result from lesions in the nucleus ambiguus or its ...
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Paralytic ileus
Paralytic ileus: Obstruction of the intestine due to
paralysis of the intestinal muscles. The paralysis does not need to be complete to cause ileus, but the intestinal muscles must be so inactive that it prevents the passage of food and leads to a functional blockage of the intestine. Ileus common...
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Paramyxovirus
Paramyxovirus: One of a group of RNA viruses that are responsible predominantly for acute respiratory diseases and are usually transmitted in an airborne manner. The paramyxoviruses include the agents of mumps, measles (rubeola), RSV (respiratory syncytial virus, which mainly afflicts children), New...
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Paraneoplastic syndrome
Paraneoplastic syndrome: The collective signs and
symptoms caused by a substance emanating from a tumor or in reaction to a tumor. Paraneoplastic syndromes can be due to a number of causes
including hormones or other biologically active products made by the
tumor, blockade of the effect of a horm...
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Paranychia
Paranychia: A frequent misspelling of Paronychia....
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Paraoxonase
Paraoxonase: An enzyme associated with high-density lipoprotein (HDL) that is believed to protect against the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and hence to affect the risk of coronary artery disease. There are 3 paraoxonase genes (PON1, PON2 and PON3) all of which are clustered in the same...
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Paraparesis
Paraparesis: Weakness of the lower extremities....
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Paraphilia
Paraphilia: One of several complex psychiatric
disorders that are manifested as deviant sexual behavior. For
example, in men the most common forms are pedophilia (sexual behavior
or attraction toward children) and exhibitionism (exposing one's body
in public setting). Other paraphilias include c...
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Paraphimosis
Paraphimosis: A condition in which the foreskin of the
penis, once retracted, cannot return to its original location. The
foreskin remains trapped behind the groove of the coronal sulcus
between the shaft and the glans. This causes blood to pool in the
veins behind the entrapment, leading to swe...
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Paraplegia
Paraplegia: Paralysis of the lower part of the body including the legs. As in flaccid or spastic paraplegia. The suffix plegia means paralysis....
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Paraplegic
Paraplegic: Pertaining to paraplegia (paralysis of the lower part of the body including the legs)....
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Paraquat
Paraquat: A toxic chemical widely used as an herbicide (plant killer), primarily for weed and grass control. Paraquat is highly poisonous. It was first produced for commercial purposes in 1961.
The most likely route of exposure to paraquat leading to poisoning is ingestion (swallowing). Paraquat ca...
