Medical Terms

Medical terms of the Week
(Oct 24 - 31 2009)

cluster headache, Horton syndrome
klus'ter hed'ak, horton sindrom
Possibly due to a hypersensitivity to histamine; usually characterized by recurrent, severe, unilateral orbitotemporal headaches associated with ipsilateral photophobia, lacrimation, and nasal congestion. SYN histaminic headache, Horton headache.

tension headache, tension-type headache
ten'shun hed'ak, ten'shun-tip
That associated with nervous tension, and anxiety, often related to chronic scalp muscle contraction. SYN muscle contraction headache.

migraine
mi'gran
A symptom complex occurring periodically and characterized by pain in the head (usually unilateral), vertigo, nausea and vomiting, photophobia, and scintillating appearances of light. SYN hemicrania (1), sick headache.
[through O. Fr., fr. G. hemi- krania, pain on one side of the head, fr. hemi-, half, + kranion, skull]

vertigo
ver'ti-go
1. A sensation of spinning or whirling motion. 2. Imprecisely used as a general term to describe dizziness.
[L. vertigo (vertigin-), dizziness, fr. verto, to turn]

photophobia
fo'to-fo'be-a
Morbid dread and avoidance of light.
[photo- + G. phobos, fear]

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Medical terms of the Week

(Oct 4 - 10 2009)

epilepsy, epilepsia, grand mal

ep'i-lep'se, -lepse-a, grawn[h] mahl

A chronic disorder characterized by paroxysmal brain dysfunction due to excessive neuronal discharge; usually associated with some alteration of consciousness; clinical manifestations of the attack may vary from complex abnormalities of behavior including generalized or focal convulsions to momentary spells of impaired consciousness. SYN fit (3), seizure disorder.

 [G. epilepsia, seizure]

paroxysm

par'ok-sizm

1. A sharp spasm or convulsion. 2. A sudden onset of a symptom or disease, especially one with recurrent manifestations such as the chills and rigor of malaria.

[G. paroxysmos, fr. paroxyno, to sharpen, irritate, fr. oxys, sharp]

tinea imbricata

tin'e-a im'bri-ka'ta

Fungal eruption consisting with concentric rings of overlapping scales forming papulosquamous patches scattered over the body; seen in tropical climates; caused by Trichophyton concentricum.

papulosquamous

pap'yu-lo-skwa'mus

Denoting an eruption composed of both papules and scales.

[papulo- + L. squamosus, scaly (squamous)]

Trichophyton

tri-kof'i-ton 

A genus of pathogenic fungi causing dermatophytosis in humans and animals; species attacks the hair, skin, and nails.

[tricho- + G. phyton, plant]

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Medical terms of the Week
(Sept 21-27 2009)

Korsakoff syndrome, Korsakoff psychosis
kor'se-kawf sin'drom, si-ko'sis
An alcohol-related amnestic syndrome characterized by confusion and severe impairment of memory, especially for recent events, for which the patient compensates by confabulation; delirium tremens may precede the syndrome, and Wernicke syndrome often coexists.

Wernicke syndrome
ver'ni-ke sin' drom
A condition frequently encountered in patients with long-term alcoholism, largely due to thiamin deficiency; characterized by disturbances in ocular motility, pupillary alterations, nystagmus, and ataxia with tremors. Also referred to as Wernicke disease and Wernicke encephalopathy.

nystagmus (nyst)
 nis-tag'mus
 Involuntary rhythmic oscillation of the eyeballs, either pendular or with a slow and fast component.
 [G. nystagmos, a nodding, fr. nystazo, to be sleepy, nod]

ataxia, ataxy, autosomal recessive, with deafness and optic atrophy
 a-takse-a, a-takse, awto-somal re-sesiv, defnes optik atro-fe
 An inability to coordinate muscle activity, causing jerkiness, incoordination, and inefficiency of voluntary movement. SYN incoordination.
 [G. a- prov. + taxis, order]

thiamin
thi'a-min
A heat-labile and water-soluble vitamin contained in milk, yeast, and the germ and husk of grains; also artificially synthesized; essential for growth; a deficiency of thiamin is associated with beriberi and Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. SYN vitamin B1.