Dictionary of Medical Terms

A degenerative autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland that ultimately results in a marked reduction in the amount of thyroid…

Allergic sensitivity to certain mold spores and pollens. Allergic reaction includes sneezing, itchy eyes, sore throat and runny nose.

The hollow, muscular organ responsible for pumping blood through the circulatory system.

A condition in which electrical impulses aren’t properly transmitted from the heart’s upper to the lower chambers.

Inability of the heart to adequately pump blood.

Indigestion. A burning sensation in the chest caused by a reflux of acid into the esophagus or too much acid…

Headache, profuse sweating, weakness, muscle cramps, nausea and vomiting caused by excessive exposure to heat.

A serious failure of the body’s heat-regulating mechanism resulting from excessive exposure to intense heat. Also called sunstroke.

A tumor or swelling that’s composed of blood vessels.

The vomiting of blood.

The branch of medicine that pertains to blood and the organs involved in forming blood.

A tumor-like mass of coagulated blood in the soft tissues. A contusion or bruise.

The presence of blood in the urine.

Paralysis (loss of feeling or movement) of one side of the body.

A disorder of iron metabolism characterized by excessive amounts of iron in the skin, liver and other tissues.

The oxygen-carrying molecule in red blood cells.

The destruction of red blood cells.

An inherited disorder, nearly always in males, in which one of the normal blood-clotting factors is deficient.

A cough that produces blood.

Severe bleeding, usually from damage to a blood vessel.

An enlarged vein inside or just outside the rectum.