| D
and C |
see
Dilatation and Curettage |
| Debridement |
surgical
removal of dead, damaged, or infected tissue, or some foreign
material from a wound or burn |
Decompression
sickness |
the
formation of gas bubbles in the body's tissues as a result
of a scuba diver ascending too quickly from depth; commonly
called the bends |
Deep-vein
thrombosis |
the
formation of a blood clot inside of a deep-lying vein, usually
in the legs |
| Defecation |
the
passing of feces out of the body through the anus; a bowel
movement |
| Defibrillation |
a
short electric shock to the chest to normalize an irregular
heartbeat |
Degenerative
arthritis |
the
breakdown of the cartilage lining the bones in joints, usually
weight-bearing joints (such as the knee); causes stiffness
and pain (also called osteoarthritis) |
| Dehydration |
excessive,
dangerous loss of water from the body |
| Dementia |
a
gradual decline in mental ability usually caused by a brain
disease, such as Alzheimer disease |
| Depilatory |
a
chemical hair remover |
| Depot
injection |
injection
of a drug into a muscle; the drug is designed to absorb slowly
into the body |
| Depression |
feelings
of hopelessness, sadness, and a general disinterest in life,
which for the most part have no cause and may be the result
of a psychiatric illness |
| Dermabrasion |
removal
of the surface layer of skin with a sanding wheel to treat
scarring or to remove tattoos |
| Dermatitis |
inflammation
of the skin |
| Dermis |
the
inner skin layer |
| Desensitization |
the
process of making a person less allergic to a substance by
injecting gradually increasing amounts of the substance; sometimes
done to prevent anaphylactic shock |
| Detoxification |
treatment
given either to fight a person's dependence on alcohol or
other drugs or to rid the body of a poisonous substance and
its effects |
| Dextrocardia |
a
rare genetic condition in which the heart is located on the
right side of the body, instead of the left |
| Dextrose |
another
name for the sugar glucose |
| Diabetes
insipidus |
a
rare condition characterized by increased urine production |
| Diabetes
mellitus |
a
common form of diabetes in which the body cannot properly
store or use glucose (sugar), the body's main source of energy |
| Dialysis |
a
procedure to treat kidney failure in which artificial means
are used to filter waste, maintain acid-base balance, and
remove excess fluid from the body |
| Diaper
rash |
a
common condition in babies in which the skin in the diaper
area becomes irritated and red, usually because of exposure
to urine, feces, or heat |
| Diaphragm |
the
large, dome-shaped muscle separating the abdomen and chest
that contracts and relaxes to make breathing possible; also,
a thin, rubber dome that is used as a method of female contraception
|
| Diastolic
pressure |
the
blood pressure measured when the heart is at rest between
beats |
| Diathermy |
the
use of high-frequency currents, microwaves, or ultrasound
to produce heat in the body to increase blood flow, relieve
pain, or destroy diseased tissue |
| Dilatation
and Curettage |
a
procedure in which the vagina and cervix are widened and the
lining of the uterus is scraped away to diagnose and treat
disorders of the uterus |
| Diphtheria |
a
bacterial infection that causes a fever, headache, sore throat,
and possibly death; diphtheria is rare in developed countries |
| Disk
prolapse |
a
disorder in which one of the disks located between the vertebrae
in the spine breaks down and the pulpy interior squeezes out,
causing pressure on a nerve; commonly called a "slipped" or
"ruptured" disk |
| Dislocation |
displacement
of the two bones in a joint |
| Distention |
swelling,
enlargement, or stretching |
| Diuretic |
a
drug that increases the amount of water in the urine, removing
excess water from the body; used in treating high blood pressure
and fluid retention |
| Diverticulitis |
inflammation
of diverticula (small sacs in the intestine's inner lining);
can cause fever, pain, and tenderness |
| DNA |
deoxyribonucleic
acid; responsible for passing genetic information in nearly
all organisms |
| Dominant
gene |
a
gene that always produces its effect when it is present |
| Dopamine |
a
chemical that transmits messages in the brain and plays a
role in movement |
| Down
syndrome |
a
genetic disorder in which a person's cells have 1 too many
chromosomes, causing moderate to severe mental handicap and
a characteristic appearance |
| Duchenne
muscular dystrophy |
a
genetic condition in boys in which nerves degenerate and muscles
get progressively weaker |
| Duodenal
ulcer |
an
erosion in the inner lining of the wall of the first part
of the small intestine (called the duodenum) |
| Duodenum |
the
first part of the small intestine, immediately following the
stomach |
| Dysentery |
a
severe intestinal infection, causing abdominal pain and diarrhea
with blood or mucus |
| Dyspnea |
difficulty
breathing |
| Dystrophy |
any
disorder in which cells become damaged or do not develop properly
because they do not receive adequate nutrition |
