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lesion

 
('zhən) pronunciation
n.
  1. A wound or injury.
  2. A localized pathological change in a bodily organ or tissue.
  3. An infected or diseased patch of skin.
tr.v., -sioned, -sion·ing, -sions.
To cause a lesion to form on or in.

[Middle English lesioun, from Old French lesion, from Latin laesiō, laesiōn-, from laesus, past participle of laedere, to injure.]


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A structural abnormality of any type in some part of the body. A lesion may be congenital (present from birth) or subsequently acquired. Within the acquired category a lesion may be traumatic (wound, burn, fracture), inflammatory (infective or toxic) degenerative (e.g. osteoarthritis, arteriosclerosis), or neoplastic (benign or malignant growth).

— Stuart Judge

Any discontinuity in a tissue or loss of function of a body part, occurring as a result of damage by disease or wounding. Lesions range from sores and ulcers to tumours.

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lesion

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pronunciation

IN BRIEF: A sore or wound on some part of the body.

pronunciation The lesion on the cat's leg healed nicely after the visit to the veterinarian.

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  1. (in pathology) a zone of tissue with impaired function resulting from damage by disease or wounding.
  2. (in biochemistry) any deleterious disturbance of a metabolic pathway resulting from chemical interference or genetic abnormality.

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Any pathological or traumatic discontinuity of tissue or loss of function of a part. Lesion is a broad term, including wounds, sores, ulcers, tumors, cataracts and any other tissue damage. They range from the skin sores associated with eczema to the changes in lung tissue that occur in tuberculosis.

Terms describing distribution of lesions. By permission from Slauson DO, Cooper BJ, Mechanisms of Disease: A Textbook of Comparative General Pathology, Mosby, 2001

  • target l. — see target lesion.
(lē'zhən)
n

Any pathologic disturbance of a tissue, with loss of continuity, enlargement, and/or function.

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categories related to 'lesion'

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Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to lesion, see:
  • Signs and Symptoms - lesion: any localized, abnormal structural change in tissue or body part resulting in impaired function, including abscess, ulcer, or tumor


  See crossword solutions for the clue Lesion.

A lesion is any abnormality in the tissue of an organism (in layman's terms, "damage"), usually caused by disease or trauma. Lesion is derived from the Latin word laesio which means injury.

Contents

Types

Because the definition of a lesion is so broad, the varieties of lesions are virtually endless. Lesions can occur anywhere in the body that consists of soft tissue or matter, though most frequently found in the mouth, skin, and the brain.[1] They are subsequently classified by their features. If a lesion is caused by a tumor it will be classified as malignant or benign. Lesions may be classified by the shape they form, as is the case with many ulcers, which can have a bullseye or 'target' appearance. Their size may be specified as gross or histologic depending on whether they are visible to the unaided eye or require a microscope to see.

An additional classification that is sometimes used is based on whether or not a lesion occupies space. A space-occupying lesion, as the name suggests, has a recognizable volume and may impinge on nearby structures, whereas a non space-occupying lesion is simply a hole in the tissue, e.g. a small area of the brain that has turned to fluid following a stroke.

Some lesions have specialized names, such as Ghon lesions in the lungs of tuberculosis victims. The characteristic skin lesions of a varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection are called chickenpox. Lesions of the teeth are usually called dental caries.

Finally, lesions are often classified by their location. For example, a 'skin lesion' or a 'brain lesion'.

Causes

Lesions are caused by any process that damages tissues. Lesions can also be caused by metabolic processes, like an ulcer or autoimmune activity, as in the case with many forms of arthritis.

Lesions are sometimes intentionally inflicted during neurosurgery, such as the carefully placed brain lesion used to treat epilepsy and other brain disorders. (See Ablative brain surgery.)

Note that lesions are not limited to animals or humans; damaged plants are said to have lesions.

See also

References

  1. ^ "What are Lesions?". WiseGeek. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-lesions.htm. Retrieved 4 December 2011. 

External links


Translations:

Lesion

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Dansk (Danish)
n. - læsion, kvæstelse, lædering, skade

Nederlands (Dutch)
verwonding, kwetsuur, beschadiging, stoornis, laesie, benadeling (juridisch)

Français (French)
n. - blessure

Deutsch (German)
n. - (Med.) Läsion, Verletzung, krankhafte Veränderung

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - κάκωση, βλάβη, πληγή, χτύπημα

Italiano (Italian)
ferita

Português (Portuguese)
n. - lesão (f), dano (m)

Русский (Russian)
поражение, лезия, ущерб

Español (Spanish)
n. - lesión

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - skada, förfång, organskada, sjuklig förändring

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
损害, 身体上的伤害

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 損害, 身體上的傷害

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 손상 , 외상, 정신적 장애

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 障害, 病変, 精神的傷害, 損害, 傷害
v. - 障害を起こさせる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) أذى, ضرر, آفه‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮פצע, פגיעה, נזק, שינוי חולני בתיפקוד או במבנה של איבר‬


 
 

 

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American Heritage Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Oxford Companion to the Body. The Oxford Companion to the Body. Copyright © 2001, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine. The Oxford Dictionary of Sports Science & Medicine. Copyright © Michael Kent 1998, 2006, 2007. All rights reserved.  Read more
Word Tutor. Copyright © 2004-present by eSpindle Learning, a 501(c) nonprofit organization. All rights reserved.
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 Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry. Oxford University Press. Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology © 1997, 2000, 2006 All rights reserved.  Read more
Saunders Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved.  Read more
Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Mosby's Dental Dictionary. Copyright © 2004 by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
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