Afflictions and Conditions

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Word Menu > Nature > The Human Body > Medical Problems > Afflictions and Conditions

acidosis - excess acidity in blood, due to kidney malfunction or diabetes
acne - inflammation of sebaceous glands in skin, esp. on face during adolescence
addiction - state of physical or psychological dependence due to habitual consumption of habit-forming substance; dependence
aeroembolism - compressed air sickness
affliction - painful or debilitating condition, esp. a chronic one
airsickness - motion sickness during air flight
alcoholism - addiction to alcoholic liquor
alkalosis - condition in which blood becomes too alkaline, due to acid loss from vomiting, kidney malfunction, or ingestion of alkalis
allergy - hypersensitivity to particular substance or antigen, such as pollens, furs, feathers, mold, dust, drugs, dyes, cosmetics, or foods, causing characteristic symptoms when encountered, ingested, or inhaled
alopecia - absence of hair from area where it normally grows, esp. progressive hair loss in men; baldness
altitude sickness - respiratory illness from lack of oxygen and reduced atmospheric pressure at high altitudes that causes nausea and exhaustion
amaurosis - partial or complete blindness
amblyopia - poor sight not caused by intrinsic eye disease
amenorrhea - absence or cessation of menstruation due to congenital defect, hormonal deficiency, hypothalamus disorder, or emotional problem
amnesia - total or partial memory loss due to disease, injury, or trauma
anaphylaxis - acute, allergic reaction to substance to which person has been previously sensitized, resulting in faintness, palpitations, loss of color, difficulty in breathing, and shock
anemia - reduced hemoglobin in blood, causing fatigue, breathlessness, and pallor
anorexia nervosa - extreme loss of appetite, esp. in adolescent females, causing severe weight loss and starvation
anoxia - condition in which body tissues receive inadequate oxygen
anxiety disorder - physiological symptoms caused by anxiety neurosis
asthma - paroxysmal attacks of bronchial spasms that cause difficulty in breathing, often hereditary; bronchial asthma
astigmatism - distortion of visual images due to failure of retina to focus light
athlete’s foot - contagious fungal infection of skin between toes; tinea
atopy - allergic reaction, esp. one separate from point of contact with antigen, such as eczema on skin due to swallowed substance
autism - severe psychiatric disorder of childhood that causes inability to speak or form abstract concepts and withdrawal from reality
backache - chronic and persistent or recurrent pain in lower back or shoulders, usu. due to tension or injury
bacteremia - blood poisoning
baldness - alopecia
Barlow’s syndrome - congenital heart murmur due to defective mitral valve, causing susceptibility to bacterial infection
bedwetting - enuresis
Bell’s palsy - paralysis of muscles on one side of face and inability to close eye, sometimes with loss of taste and excess sensitivity to noise
bends - compressed air sickness
binge-purge syndrome - bulimia
blood poisoning - prolonged invasion of bloodstream by pathogenic bacteria due to infectious disease or skin lesions; bacteremia; septicemia; toxemia
boil - tender, inflamed, pustulant area of skin, usu. due to staphylococcus infection; furuncle
bronchial asthma - asthma
bulimia - usu. psychogenic syndrome of overeating followed by vomiting, also caused by hypothalamus lesion; binge-purge syndrome
bunion - swelling of joint between big toe and first metatarsal
bursitis - inflammation of small fibrous sacs lined with synovial membrane, due to injury or infection, characterized by pain and stiffness in joints
caisson disease - compressed air sickness
calcinosis - abnormal deposit of calcium salts in tissue
cancrum - ulceration of lip or mouth; canker
canker - cancrum
carpal tunnel syndrome - compression of median nerve entering palm of hand that causes pain and numbing in middle and index fingers
carsickness - motion sickness in automobile
catalepsy - maintenance of abnormal postures or physical attitudes, esp. in catatonia
cataplexy - recurrent, sudden collapses without loss of consciousness
cataract - opacity of eye lens that causes blurred vision, esp. in elderly
catatonia - syndrome of motor abnormalities, usu. stupor and catalepsy, due to mental condition
celiac disease - hereditary intestinal disorder involving intolerance to wheat and rye
chapping - sore roughening or cracking of skin from overexposure to elements
cholelithiasis - presence of gallstones
claudication - cramping pain from inadequate blood supply to muscle
compressed air sickness - formation of nitrogen bubbles in bloodstream after experiencing high pressure at great ocean depths or high altitudes, characterized by pain and blockage of circulation; aeroembolism; bends; caisson disease; decompression sickness
condition - state of ill health, esp. recurrent or chronic, caused by illness, injury, or heredity
convergence insufficiency - difficulty in focusing eyes upon a nearby point or object
corn - area of hard or thickened skin on or between toes
cyst - any of various abnormal, liquid-filled sacs lined with epithelium, due to blocked duct, tumor, or congenital problem
dandruff - small flakes of dead skin on scalp; scurf
decompression sickness - compressed air sickness
dehydration - deficiency or loss of water in body tissues marked by thirst, nausea, and exhaustion
delirium - acute mental disorder due to organic brain disease, causing hallucinations, disorientation, and extreme excitation
delirium tremens - dt’s; psychosis due to alcoholic withdrawal, causing tremors, anxiety, sweating, and vivid hallucinations
dependence - physical or psychological compulsion to consume certain drugs; addiction
diaper rash - painful, reddened, raw area of skin around anus, buttocks, and genitals due to irritant stools, urine-soaked diapers, or candidiasis infection
diplegia - paralysis involving both sides of body, esp. legs
disorder - malfunction of normal metabolic or physiological process or part
dropsy - former term for edema
dysmenorrhea - painful, difficult menstruation
ectopic pregnancy - state in which fertilized egg implants at site other than uterus
eczema - superficial inflammation of skin characterized by itching, red rash, and scaling, due to various causes
edema - excessive accumulation of fluid in tissues; dropsy
enuresis - involuntary urination, esp. at night, usu. functional in nature; bedwetting
fibrosis - thickening and scarring of connective tissue due to injury or inflammation
furuncle - boil
gallstone - hard mass of bile pigments, cholesterol, and calcium salts in gallbladder that causes pain or passes into and obstructs bile duct
gangrene - decay and death of body tissue due to insufficient or absent blood supply, caused by disease or injury
goiter - swollen neck due to enlarged thyroid gland
hangnail - sliver of cuticle separated along edge of fingernail
hay fever - common, usu. seasonal allergy to plant pollen that causes sneezing, runny nose, and watery eyes
heat exhaustion - heat prostration
heat prostration - fatigue and collapse from low blood pressure due to loss of body fluids after prolonged exposure to heat; heat exhaustion
heatstroke - increased body temperature and eventual loss of consciousness without sweating, due to failure of body’s heat regulating mechanism after prolonged exposure to heat; sunstroke
hemophilia - hereditary deficiency of one blood coagulant that causes slowness in clotting and prolonged or spontaneous bleeding
hemorrhoids - enlarged veins in anus walls, esp. due to prolonged constipation or diarrhea, characterized by fissure, painful swelling, and bleeding; piles
hives - round, red itching wheals up to several inches across on skin, caused by acute or chronic allergic reaction; urticaria
housemaid’s knee - fluid-filled swelling of bursa in front of kneecap, often caused by prolonged kneeling
hydrocephalus - excess of cerebrospinal fluid in brain ventricles that causes enlargement of head in children and pressure and drowsiness in adults
hyperinsulinism - overproduction of insulin, due to glandular disturbances or poor nutrition, producing symptoms of hypoglycemia
incontinence - involuntary passage or leakage of urine
ingrown toenail - condition in which toenail grows into surrounding tissue
intestinal obstruction - blockage that prevents passage of feces through intestine, due to hernia, tumor, or inflammation, causing pain and sometimes vomiting
irritable bowel syndrome - recurrent chronic abdominal pain with constipation and/or diarrhea caused by abnormal contractions of colon muscles; spastic colon
jet lag - disruption of biological and psychological rhythms by lengthy jet travel, causing mood alterations, sleep disturbance, and stress
kidney stone - hard, pebblelike mass in kidney that causes pain and blood in urine; nephrolithiasis; renal calculus
lentigo - liver spot
liver spot - brown, roundish flat spot on skin that results from excess melanin, usu. in elderly; lentigo
malnutrition - insufficient food consumption to satisfy bodily needs over prolonged period
menorrhagia - excessive or prolonged menstrual bleeding
migraine - recurrent, intense headache, often accompanied by blurred vision and vomiting, caused by contraction and dilation of arteries in brain
mole - flat or raised area of brown pigment in skin
motion sickness - nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and headache caused by motion
myxedema - dry, firm, waxy swelling of skin and subcutaneous tissue, also characterized by labored speech and blunted senses
narcolepsy - extreme tendency to fall asleep in quiet circumstances or during monotonous activities
nephrolithiasis - presence of kidney stones
nephrosis - syndrome characterized by edema, excess albumin in urine, and cholesterol in blood
obesity - accumulation of excess fat, esp. in subcutaneous tissues, usu. due to overeating or nutritional imbalance
pica - abnormal craving for unnatural foods due to nutritional deficiencies
piles - hemorrhoids
plantar wart - deep wart on sole of foot
pneumonitis - inflammation of walls of air sacs in lungs due to virus or unknown causes
premature birth - birth of baby before full term of pregnancy
priapism - persistent erection of penis due to blood clottage
psilosis - falling out of hair; sprue
psoriasis - condition characterized by chronic, itchy, scaly silvery patches of skin, esp. on elbows, forearms, knees, and scalp, of unknown cause but sometimes due to anxiety
pulmonary embolism - obstruction by blood clot of artery that conveys blood from heart to lungs
Raynaud’s disease - disorder, esp. in women, in which spasms of arteries to extremities cause fingertips and toes to turn pale, blue, and numb
renal calculus - kidney stone
retinitis pigmentosa - hereditary condition that causes progressive degeneration of retina of eye
ringworm - highly contagious fungal infection of skin, esp. scalp and feet or under beard
rosacea - chronic acne characterized by red, pustular lesions about nose, cheeks, and forehead
sciatica - condition marked by pain down back of thigh, due to disintegration of intervertebral disk, accompanied by numbness and stiff back
sclerosis - hardening of tissue after inflammation due to scarring, esp. in spinal cord or brain, causing progressive paralysis
scurf - dandruff
seasickness - motion sickness on ship or boat
sebaceous cyst - cyst in oil-secreting gland of skin, filled with sebum; wen
seborrhea - excessive secretion by sebaceous glands in face, esp. at puberty
septicemia - tissue destruction by disease-causing bacteria or toxins absorbed from bloodstream; blood poisoning
spastic colon - irritable bowel syndrome
spondylosis - degeneration of intervertebral disks in backbone, causing pain and restricting movement
sprue - deficient absorption of food due to intestinal disease that causes diarrhea, anemia, and inflamed tongue; psilosis
stretch marks - whitish streaks, usu. on abdomen or thighs, due to short-term stretching of skin, as during pregnancy
sunstroke - heatstroke
surfer’s knot - fluid-filled swelling of bursa in front of kneecap due to prolonged kneeling on surfboard
tendonitis - inflammation of bands of connective tissue that join muscle to bones and joints, due to physical trauma or hereditary disease
tennis elbow - painful inflammation of tendon on outer side of elbow due to overuse
thalassemia - genetic, anemic condition characterized by deficiency of hemoglobin in blood
thrombocytosis - condition marked by increase in number of platelets in blood
thromboembolism - condition in which blood clot forms at one point in circulation, dislodges, and moves to another point
thrombosis - formation of clots in blood, potentially causing obstruction of blood vessels
tinea - athlete’s foot
tolerance - lessening of normal response to drug or other substance taken over a prolonged period, requiring increased dosages for normal reaction
toxemia - blood poisoning caused by toxins formed by bacteria at site of infection
tubal pregnancy - pregnancy in which fertilized egg implants in fallopian tube
ulcer - open, inflamed, nonhealing sore in skin or mucous membrane, esp. in lining of alimentary canal
urticaria - hives
varicose veins - bulging, distended, sometimes painful veins in legs, rectum, or scrotum due to obstruction of blood flow
vegetative state - severe brain damage and deep, persistent coma that cannot be reversed, necessitating maintenance of life functions by machines
verruca - wart
vertigo - feeling that one’s surroundings are in motion, esp. spinning or tilting, due to disease of inner ear or vestibular nerve
wart - small, hard, benign growth in skin, caused by virus; verucca
wen - sebaceous cyst
withdrawal - syndrome of sweating, vomiting, and tremors at cessation of consumption of substance to which one is addicted