Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «D»:
-
Diaphragmatic hernia
Diaphragmatic hernia: Passage of a loop of bowel through the
diaphragm muscle. This type of hernia occurs as the bowel from the abdomen
"herniates" upward through the diaphragm into the chest (thoracic) cavity.
Diaphragmatic hernias may be congenital or acquired. Congenital diaphragmatic hernias are...
-
Diaphragmatic pacing
Diaphragmatic pacing: See: Diaphragm pacing....
-
Diarrhea
Diarrhea: A familiar phenomenon with
unusually frequent or unusually liquid bowel movements, excessive
watery evacuations of fecal material. The opposite of constipation.
The word "diarrhea" with its odd spelling is a near steal from the
Greek "diarrhoia" meaning "a flowing through." Plato and A...
-
Diarrhea and dermatitis, zinc deficiency
Diarrhea and dermatitis, zinc deficiency: Among the
consequences of zinc deficiency, dermatitis (skin inflammation) and
diarrhea are particularly prominent features.
A genetic disease called acrodermatitis enteropathica in which
there is impaired zinc uptake from the intestine is, in fact,
chara...
-
Diarrhea, antibiotic-induced
Diarrhea, antibiotic-induced: A bacterium called
Clostridium difficile (C.difficile), one of the most common causes of infection of the
large bowel (colon). Patients taking antibiotics are at particular risk of becoming
infected with C. difficile. Antibiotics disrupt the normal bacteria of the bowel...
-
Diarrhea, Brainerd
Diarrhea, Brainerd: A syndrome characterized by the acute onset of watery nonbloody diarrhea (3 or more loose stools per day), lasting 4 weeks or more, and resolving spontaneously. The disease is of unknown causation and appears in outbreaks or as sporadic cases. It is named after Brainerd, Minnesot...
-
Diarrhea, E. coli hemorrhagic
Diarrhea, E. coli hemorrhagic: Bloody colitis (inflammation of the bowel) caused by E. coli, usually by the strain E. coli 0157:H7.
The diarrhea is severe with painful abdominal cramps, gross blood in the stool, and lasts for 6 to 8 days.
Most commonly, E. coli 01257:H7 comes from eating raw
or un...
-
Diarrhea, rotavirus
Diarrhea, rotavirus: A leading cause of severe
winter diarrhea in infants and young children.
Each year, rotavirus (RV) causes an estimated 500,000 doctor
visits and 50,000 hospital admissions in the United
States. Almost every child catches RV before entering school but,
with rehydration (and g...
-
Diarrhea, traveler's
Diarrhea, traveler's: Diarrhea illness associated
with travel to a foreign
country. Among the causes of traveler's diarrhea are
viruses and
enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC). E.coli is a particular type
of bacteria that
normally lives in the intestines of people (and animals).
Most strains of E
co...
-
Diastole
Diastole: The time period when the heart is in a state of relaxation and dilatation (expansion).
The final letter in "diastole" is pronounced as a long "e" as in "lee." The adjective for diastole is diastolic.
The diastolic pressure is specifically the minimum arterial pressure during relaxation...
-
Diastolic
Diastolic: Referring to the time when the heart is in a period of relaxation and dilatation (expansion).
The noun for diastolic is diastole. (The final letter in "diastole" is pronounced as a long "e" as in "lee.")
The diastolic pressure is specifically the minimum arterial pressure during relax...
-
Diastrophic dysplasia
Diastrophic dysplasia: An inherited skeletal disorder involving significantly short stature (dwarfism). Characteristic features at birth include short birth length with short limbs (short-limbed dwarfism), "hitchhiker thumb", and clubfeet. Palatal malformations such as cleft palate or submucous clef...
-
Diathermy
Diathermy: The use of heat to destroy abnormal cells. Also called
cauterization or electrodiathermy. ...
-
Diathesis
Diathesis: In medicine, a "diathesis" is an
elegant term for a predisposition or tendency. Thus, a hemorrhagic diathesis is nothing
more than a bleeding tendency. The word "diathesis" is Greek....
-
Dibenzoxazepine
Dibenzoxazepine: A riot control agent or "tear gas." See: Riot control agent poisoning....
