Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «P»:
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Pneumocystis carinii
Pneumocystis carinii: Now called Pneumocystis jiroveci. See: Pneumocystis....
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Pneumocystis jiroveci
Pneumocystis jiroveci: See: Pneumocystis....
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Pneumocystis pneumonia
Pneumocystis pneumonia: A fungal infection of the lungs that is particularly common and life-threatening in premature or malnourished infants and in immunosuppressed persons. Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) is the most common opportunistic infection in people infected with HIV (human immunodeficiency v...
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Pneumocyte
Pneumocyte: One of the cells lining the alveoli (the air sacs) in the lung.
The alveoli are, in fact, lined with two types of cells termed the type 1 and type 2 pneumocytes:
Type 1 pneumocyte: The cell responsible for the gas (oxygen and carbon dioxide) exchange that takes place in the alveoli. It...
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Pneumomediastinum
Pneumomediastinum: Free air in the mediastinum (space betweens
the lungs) which may give rise to pneumothorax or pneumopericardium and compromise the
lungs or heart. ...
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Pneumonectomy
Pneumonectomy: An operation to remove an entire lung or part of a lung....
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Pneumonia
Pneumonia: Inflammation of one or both lungs with consolidation. Pneumonia is frequently but not always due to infection. The infection may be bacterial, viral, fungal or parasitic. Symptoms may include fever, chills, cough with sputum production, chest pain, and shortness of breath....
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Pneumonia, aspiration
Pneumonia, aspiration: Inflammation of the lungs due to
aspiration (the sucking in of food particles or fluids into the lungs). ...
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Pneumonia, bilateral
Pneumonia, bilateral: Pneumonia in both lungs. Bilateral pulmonary inflammation. Familiarly known as double pneumonia....
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Pneumonia, giant cell
Pneumonia, giant cell: Also known as Hecht's pneumonia, this is a deadly but fortunately rare complication of measles. It tends to strike children who are immunodeficient as from leukemia or HIV/AIDS. The postmortem examination (autopsy) shows multinucleated giant cells lining the alveoli (air sac...
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Pneumonia, Hecht's
Pneumonia, Hecht's: Also known as giant cell pneumonia, this is a deadly but fortunately rare complication of measles. It tends to strike children who are immunodeficient as from leukemia or HIV/AIDS. The postmortem examination (autopsy) shows multinucleated giant cells lining the alveoli (air sac...
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Pneumonic plague
Pneumonic plague: Infection of the lungs by Yersina pestis, the bacterial agent that causes the plague, a disease of animals (rodents and their fleas) and humans.
The first signs of the pneumonic plague are fever, headache, weakness, and cough productive of bloody or watery sputum. The pneumonia pr...
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Pneumonitis, radiation
Pneumonitis, radiation: Inflammation of the lungs as a result of radiation. Although the radiation can be from various sources including accidents, today it is usually from radiation therapy.
Radiation pneumonitis typically occurs after radiation treatments for cancers within the chest or breas...
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Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanosconiosis
Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanosconiosis: Allegedly, "a lung disease caused by the inhalation of very fine silicate or quartz dust." The word was invented by compounding pneumo-(lung) + ultramicroscopic + silicon + volcano + coniosis, from the Greek konis (dust). In fact, pneumonoultramicrosco...
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Pneumopericardium
Pneumopericardium: Air or gas in the space between the heart and the pericardium, the membrane surrounding the heart. ...
