Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «V»:
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Vomiting of pregnancy, pernicious
Vomiting of pregnancy, pernicious: Medically known as hyperemesis gravidarum, this is excessive vomiting in early pregnancy. By definition, hyperemesis gravidarum, leads to the loss of 5% or more of the body weight of the woman.
Hyperemesis gravidarum affects about one in every 300 pregnant women. ...
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Vomitus
Vomitus: Matter from the stomach that has come up into and may be ejected beyond the mouth, due to the act of vomiting.
When vomitus is reddish or the color of coffee grounds, it may mean there is serious internal bleeding. The reddish color may herald fresh blood and dark blood may betoken blood t...
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Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome
Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome: A genetic disease characterized by:
hemangioblastomas (benign blood vessel tumors) in the brain, spinal cord, and retina;
kidney cysts and kidney cancer (renal cell carcinoma);
pheochromocytoma (a benign tumor of adrenal-like tissue); and endolymphatic sac tumors (ben...
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von Recklinghausen disease
von Recklinghausen disease: Neurofibromatosis type 1....
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Von Willebrand disease
Von Willebrand disease: An inherited bleeding disorder in which a clotting protein called von Willebrand factor is deficient or defective. Von Willebrand factor is made by cells lining the wall of blood vessels. When vessels are damaged, platelets normally clump at the site of the injury. Von Willeb...
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Voyeurism
Voyeurism ("Peeping Tom"): Voyeurism is a disorder that involves
achieving sexual arousal by observing an unsuspecting and non-consenting person
who is undressing or unclothed, and/or engaged in sexual activity. This behavior
may conclude with masturbation by the voyeur. The voyeur does...
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Vrolik's disease
Vrolik's disease:
Osteogenesis imperfecta type II, an inherited connective tissue disorder with very severe bone fragility, the lethal form of "brittle bone disease."
It is a recessive trait with males and females affected. Two copies of the mutant gene are needed to cause the disease. Clinically t...
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VSD
VSD: A Ventricular Septal Defect, a hole in the septum (the wall) between the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles).
VSD is the most common type of heart malformation (congenital heart disease). At least 1 baby in every 500 is born with a VSD.
A VSD lets blood from the left ventricle (whe...
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Vulnerary
Vulnerary: (Plural = vulneraries). A remedy used in healing or treating wounds. Any preparation, plant or drug used in the cure of wounds.
For example, Native Americans used the herb echinacea as a vulnerary for burns, snakebites, arrow and other wounds. It was considered something of a panacea.
"V...
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Vulva
Vulva: The female external genital organs including
the labia majora, labia minora, clitoris, tiny glands called Bartolin's glands, and the entrance to the vagina (the vestibule of the
vagina)....
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Vulva cancer
Vulva cancer: See: Cancer of the vulva....
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Vulvar
Vulvar: Pertaining to the vulva, the female external genitalia including
the labia majora, labia minora, clitoris, the tiny glands called Bartolin's glands, and the entrance to the vagina (the vestibule of the
vagina)....
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Vulvar cancer
Vulvar cancer: See: Cancer of the vulva....
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Vulvar pain, chronic
Vulvar pain, chronic: Also called essential
vulvodynia (literally means "painful vulva"), pain in the vulva, the female external genitalia
including the labia, clitoris, and entrance to the vagina.
The pain usually is a chronic, diffuse, unremitting sensation of burning which may extend to the pe...
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Vulvar vestibulitis
Vulvar vestibulitis: Inflammation of small glands at the entrance to the vagina. Vulvar vestibulitis is the most common physical cause of painful intercourse in young women. In roughly half of cases, the condition appears due to a rare form of a gene (the interleukin-1 receptor antagonist gene) that...