Medical Vocabulary #18

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

The body's small blood vessels.

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

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

An adjective describing a condition or disease of unknown origin.

“Good cholesterol.”

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

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

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.

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

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

The fluid in which blood cells are suspended.

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

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

The internal organs, especially those found in the abdomen.

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

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

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

A protein that captures and stores iron.

A mass of hardened feces blocking the rectum or colon.

The ability of the digestive tract to move its contents.

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

Pertaining to or caused by a virus.

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