Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «W»:
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Water on the brain
Water on the brain: Known medically as "hydrocephalus", this is an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles of the brain. The fluid is often under increased pressure and can compress and damage the brain.
Hydrocephalus can arise before birth or any time afterward. It may be ...
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Water pore
Water pore: See: Aquaporin....
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Water requirements, infant
Water requirements, infant: Water is an important part of a baby's diet because water makes up a large proportion of the baby's body.
When properly prepared, all infant formulas are approximately 85% water. Infant formulas are available in three forms: liquid ready-to-use, liquid concentrate, and po...
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Water retention
Water retention: A nonspecific term meaning the accumulation of excess fluids in body tissues, medically known as edema. Edema can result from many different
disease processes, including but not limited to diseases of the heart and
circulation and kidney
disease.
Water retention is also used t...
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Waterborne bacterial disease
Waterborne bacterial disease:
An illness due to infection with bacteria contaminating the water supply.
Waterborne bacterial diseases cause a wide range of syndromes including: acute dehydrating diarrhea (cholera), prolonged febrile illness with abdominal symptoms (typhoid fever), acute bloody diar...
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Watermelon
Watermelon: A fruit of African origin that is, in reality, a vegetable related to cucumbers and squash. Watermelon is 92% water and 8% sugar. It is rich in lypocene, an antioxidant that gives it its characteristic color. It is fat free....
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Watermelon stomach
Watermelon stomach: Parallel red sores in the stomach that look like the stripes on a watermelon. Frequently seen with cirrhosis of the liver....
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Watson
Watson: See: Watson, James....
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Watson, James
Watson, James: American biologist (1928-) who, with Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins, shared the 1962 Nobel prize in Medicine and Physiology, "for their discoveries concerning the molecular structure of nucleic acids and its significance for information transfer in living material." The discovery o...
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Wax dip
Wax dip: A treatment for the symptoms of joint and muscle conditions, such as arthritis, that consists of melted mineral wax derived from petroleum applied to a body area. Wax dips can be especially helpful in relieving the pain and stiffness of arthritis involving the small joints of the hands whe...
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Wax, ear
Wax, ear:
The ear canal is shaped somewhat like an hourglass. The skin on the outer part of the canal
has special glands that produce earwax. The purpose of this natural wax is to repel water
and to trap dust and sand particles. Usually a small amount of wax accumulates, and then
dries up and falls ...
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WBC
WBC: Commonly used abbreviation for a white blood cell.
WBC also stands for the white blood cell count which is the number
of white blood cells in a volume of blood. Normal range varies
slightly between laboratories
but is generally between 4,300 and 10,800 cells per cubic millimeter
(cmm). Thi...
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WBS
WBS: Wiedemann-Beckwith syndrome. See: Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome....
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WDWN
WDWN: Abbreviation for "well developed, well nourished"
used by doctors as shorthand when jotting down the results of their
physical examination.
For example, a WDWNWF = well developed, well nourished white
female; WDWNBF = well developed, well nourished black female; WDWNWM
= well developed, we...
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Weasand
Weasand: 1. The windpipe (trachea).
2. More loosely, the throat. "Cut his weasand with thy knife." The Tempest, Shakespeare.
Weasand is from the Middle English wesand and the Old High German weisunt meaning windpipe. Sometimes written wesand or wezand....
