Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «H»:
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Hypoglossal neuropathy
Hypoglossal neuropathy: Disease of the hypoglossal nerve, the twelfth cranial nerve. The twelve cranial nerves, the hypoglossal nerve included, emerge from the skull, as opposed to the spinal nerves which emerge from the vertebral column. The hypoglossal nerve supplies the muscles of the tongue. Pa...
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Hypoglycemia
Hypoglycemia: Low blood sugar (glucose). When symptoms of hypoglycemia occur together with a documented blood glucose under 45 mg/dl, and the symptoms promptly resolve with the administration of glucose, the diagnosis of hypoglycemia can be made with some certainty. Hypoglycemia is only significant ...
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Hypoglycemia unawareness
Hypoglycemia unawareness: A complication of diabetes in which the patient is unaware of a deep drop in blood sugar because it fails to trigger the secretion of epinephrine which generates the characteristic symptoms of hypoglycemia (such as palpitations, sweating, anxiety) that serve to warn the pat...
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Hypoglycemic
Hypoglycemic: Relating to hypoglycemia, an abnormally low level of the sugar glucose in the blood, usually a complication of diabetes, in which the body does not produce enough
insulin to fully metabolize glucose.
Hypoglycemic symptoms include tiredness, dizziness, confusion, increased
heart ra...
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Hypogonadism
Hypogonadism: A condition in which decreased production of gonadal hormones leads to below-normal function of the gonads and to retardation of sexual growth and development. (The gonads are the ovaries and testes and the hormones they normally produce include estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone...
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Hypohidrosis
Hypohidrosis: Subnormal sweating, less sweating than usual. Hidrosis meaning sweating, so hypohidrosis is literally undersweating....
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Hypohidrotic
Hypohidrotic: Pertaining to hypohidrosis, too little sweating....
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Hypokalemia
Hypokalemia: Low blood potassium.
Potassium is the major positive ion (cation) found inside of
cells. The chemical notation for potassium is K+.
The proper level of potassium is essential for normal cell
function. An abnormal decrease (or increase) of potassium can
profoundly affect the nervou...
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Hypomagnesemia
Hypomagnesemia: Too little magnesium. Magnesium
deficiency can occur due to inadequate intake or impaired intestinal absorption of
magnesium. Low magnesium (hypomagnesemia) is often associated with low calcium
(hypocalcemia) and low potassium (hypokalemia). Deficiency of magnesium causes increased
i...
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Hypomania
Hypomania: A condition similar to mania but less severe. The symptoms are similar with elevated mood, increased activity, decreased need for sleep, grandiosity, racing thoughts, and the like. However, hypomanic episodes differ in that they do not cause significant distress or impair one's work, fami...
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Hypomanic
Hypomanic: Affected by hypomania, a condition similar to mania but less severe. Hypomanic episodes may resemble manic episodes in symptoms. But hypomanic episodes do not cause significant distress or greatly impair one's work, family, or social life while manic episodes do....
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Hypomnesia
Hypomnesia: Abnormally poor memory of the past. As compared to hypermnesia and amnesia. From hypo- + the Greek mneme, memory....
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Hyponatremia
Hyponatremia: An abnormally low concentration of
sodium in the blood. Too little sodium can cause cells to
malfunction, and extremely low sodium can be fatal. Hyponatremia has many causes including medications such as diuretics and antidepressants, hypothyroidism, cortisone deficiency (such as in...
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Hypoosmolar
Hypoosmolar: In biochemistry, referring to hypoosmolarity, an abnormal decrease in the osmolarity of the body fluids....
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Hypoosmolarity
Hypoosmolarity: In biochemistry, an abnormal decrease in the osmolarity of the body fluids....