Medical Vocabulary #18

“Good cholesterol.”

The internal organs, especially those found in the abdomen.

A metric unit of weight equivalent to one-thousandth of a kilogram.

An abnormal growth of bone or calcium on the heel bone.

Pertaining to or caused by a virus.

A penile erection that lasts longer than three hours, requiring emergency medical treatment to prevent permanent damage to the penis.

A tiny organism such as a virus, bacterium, or parasite that can invade the body and produce disease.

An operation in which bone is cut to change its alignment or shorten or lengthen it.

The use of a hollow needle to remove a small sample of tissue for examination.

Cells that can ingest other cells, bacteria, and foreign particles.

Inflammation of the joints that connect the lower spine to the pelvis.

The process of removing an organ or other donated body part from one person and implanting it in another.

An allergic reaction to the proteins found in natural rubber.

An organism or microorganism, such as a yeast or a mold, that can live as a parasite on plants and animals.

The body's small blood vessels.

A hormone produced by fat cells that acts on the brain to suppress appetite and burn stored fat.

The fluid in which blood cells are suspended.

A protein that captures and stores iron.

A mass of hardened feces blocking the rectum or colon.

The process of removing harmful substances from a person’s body.

An enzyme that breaks down milk sugar (lactose) in the body.

The process by which gases enter the body, including external component (breathing), and an internal component, in which oxygen taken in by the lungs is carried by the blood to tissues and carbon dioxide is removed.

The ability of a pathogen to withstand drugs previously effective against it. Usually the result of genetic mutation.

The ability of the digestive tract to move its contents.