Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «S»:
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Sweat chloride test
Sweat chloride test: A test for cystic fibrosis. See: Sweat test....
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Sweat gland
Sweat gland: The sweat (sudoriferous) glands are small tubular structures situated within and under the skin (in the subcutaneous tissue). They discharge sweat by tiny openings in the surface of the skin.
The sweat is a transparent colorless acidic fluid with a peculiar odor. It contains some fatty ...
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Sweat gland tumor
Sweat gland tumor: A benign (harmless) skin tumor called a
syringoma that derives from cells related to sweat glands. (These
particular specialized cells are scientifically referred to as
eccrine.)
The skin lesions of syringomas usually appear during puberty or
adult life and consist of small b...
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Sweat test
Sweat test: A simple test that is used to evaluate a patient who is suspected of having cystic fibrosis (CF). The goal of the test is to stimulate the patient's skin to produce a certain amount of sweat, which may then be absorbed by a special filter paper and analyzed for its chloride content. In ...
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Sweating
Sweating: The act of secreting fluid from the skin by the sweat (sudoriferous) glands. These are small tubular glands situated within and under the skin (in the subcutaneous tissue). They discharge by tiny openings in the surface of the skin.
The sweat is a transparent colorless acidic fluid with a ...
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Sweating, gustatory
Sweating, gustatory: Sweating on the forehead, face,
scalp, and neck occurring soon after ingesting food. Some gustatory
sweating is normal after eating hot, spicy foods. Otherwise,
gustatory sweating is most commonly a result of damage to a nerve
that goes to the parotid gland, the large saliv...
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Sweats, night
Sweats, night: Severe hot flashes which occur at
night and result in a
drenching sweat. Night sweats have many possible causes,
including
medications, infections, and cancers....
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Sweet wormwood
Sweet wormwood: A Chinese herb (also called qinghaosu) from which is extracted the antimalarial agent artemisinin....
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Swelling of the brain
Swelling of the brain: See: Cerebral edema....
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Swimmer's ear
Swimmer's ear: Infection of the skin covering the outer ear canal that leads in to the ear drum, usually due to bacteria such as streptococcus, staphylococcus, or pseudomonas. Swimmer's ear is usually caused by excessive water exposure. When water pools in the ear canal (frequently trapped by wax), ...
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Swimming pool granuloma
Swimming pool granuloma: Localized nodular skin
inflammation (small reddish raised areas of skin) caused by a bacterium called
mycobacterium marinum. Swimming pool granuloma is typically acquired by occupational or
recreational exposure to salt or fresh water, often resulting from minor trauma duri...
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Swine flu
Swine flu: A respiratory illness of pigs caused by infection with swine
influenza A virus (SIV). While swine flu viruses normally do not
infect humans, occasional infections of humans do occur. Human cases of swine
influenza A virus infection occur in individuals who have had a history of
recent...
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Swollen tongue
Swollen tongue: swelling, or enlargement, of the tongue. A swollen
tongue can be a symptom of glossitis, an inflammation of the tongue that can be caused by
infections, local irritation or burns, and allergic reactions. Swelling of the
tongue can also result from trauma or rare diseases, such as ...
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Sydenham chorea
Sydenham chorea: An acute neurologic
disorder that emerges several months following a streptococcal ("strep")
infection, most frequently in children between the age of 5 and 15.
There may be a history of a strep throat or a strep skin infection. There may similarly be a history of another sequel o...
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Sydenham's chorea
Sydenham's chorea: See: Sydenham chorea....
