D-F

Debridement

Removal of necrotic tissue to promote wound healing and reduce risk of further infection.

Delayed peak response

The effects of medication take longer than expected to initiate.

Delirium

Transient brain syndrome presenting as disordered attention, cognition, psychomotor behavior, and perception.

Delirium tremens (DTs)

Symptom of alcohol withdrawal characterized by hallucinations, delirium, severe agitation, fever, elevations of blood pressure and heart rate, and possible cardiac arrhythmias.

Dematiaceous

Darkly pigmented colored spores or fungal hyphae.

Dennie-Morgan line

A line or fold below the lower eyelids; associated with atopy.

Dermatophyte

Any microscopic fungus that grows on the skin, scalp, and nails.

Desensitization

The process of giving a medication in a controlled and gradual manner, which allows the person to tolerate it temporarily without an allergic reaction.

Desquamation

Peeling or shedding of the epidermis (superficial layer of the skin) in scales or flakes.

Diabetes insipidus

An uncommon disorder that occurs when the kidneys pass an abnormally large volume of urine (3–20 quarts/day) that is dilute and odorless, unrelated to diabetes mellitus.

Diabetic ketoacidosis

A reversible but life-threatening short-term complication primarily seen in patients with type 1 diabetes caused by a lack of insulin resulting in marked ketosis and acidosis.

Dialysate

The physiologic solution used during dialysis to remove excess fluids and waste products from the blood.

Dialysis

The process of removing fluid and waste products from the blood across a semi-permeable membrane to maintain fluid, electrolyte, and acid–base balance in patients with kidney failure.

Diaphoresis

Sweating or profuse perspiration, generally as a symptom of a disease or an adverse drug effect.

Diarthrodial joint

A freely moveable joint (e.g., knee, shoulder).

Dilated cardiomyopathy

Ability of the heart to pump blood is decreased because the left ventricle is enlarged and weakened.

Diphasic dyskinesia

Motor fluctuations occur while the plasma levodopa concentrations are rising and when they are falling.

Direct current cardioversion

The process of administering a synchronized electrical shock to the chest to restore normal sinus rhythm.

Directly observed treatment

Method to increase adherence to medications when a patient is observed taking the medication by a healthcare worker.

Disease-free survival

Period of time from the end of treatment that the patient survives without signs or symptoms of the disease.

Disease progression

In cancer, at least a 20% increase in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions from baseline, including new lesions discovered during treatment.

Disseminated erythrosquamous papules

Widespread or whole body red, scaly psoriatic lesions.

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)

A thrombotic and hemorrhagic disorder marked by uncontrolled systemic coagulation resulting in thrombosis, which may lead to generalized bleeding.

DNA mismatch repair (dMMR) genes

Genes that control an intrinsic intracellular mechanism which corrects nucleotide insertion errors made during DNA replication.

Door-to-needle time

Time from arrival in hospital to drug administration in appropriate patients.

Dose density

The total amount of drug given in a fixed unit of time, usually 1 week, a function of dose and frequency of administration.

D-test

Double disk diffusion microbiological testing indicating the presence or absence of macrolide-induced resistance to clindamycin.

Ductus arteriosus

Shunt connecting the pulmonary artery to the aortic arch that allows blood from the right ventricle to bypass fetal lungs.

Duodenal enterocyte

Cells lining the duodenum, which is the first part of the small intestine.

Dysarthria

Speech disorder due to weakness or incoordination of speech muscles; speech is slow, weak, and imprecise.

Dysentery

Disorders marked by inflammation of the intestines, especially of the colon, and attended by pain in the abdomen and stools containing blood and mucus.

Dysesthesia

An unpleasant abnormal sensation.

Dyskinesia

Abnormal involuntary movements (dystonia, chorea, and akathisia).

End-stage liver disease

Liver failure that is usually accompanied by complications such as ascites or hepatic encephalopathy.

Dyslipidemia

Elevation of the total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol or triglyceride concentrations, or a decrease in high density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration.

Enthesitis

Inflammation of the sites where tendons, ligaments, or fascia attach to bone.

Enuresis

Involuntary discharge of urine.

Eosinophilic asthma

Sub-phenotype of asthma with elevated tissue and sputum eosinophils, thickening of the basement membrane zone, and corticosteroid responsiveness.

Dysmenorrhea

Crampy pelvic pain occurring with or just prior to menses.

Dyspareunia

Pain during or after sexual intercourse.

Dyspepsia

Upper abdominal symptoms that may include pain or discomfort, bloating, feeling of fullness despite little food intake.

Epilepsy

A neurological disorder characterized by recurring motor, sensory, or psychic malfunction with or without loss of consciousness or convulsive seizures.

Dysphagia

Painful or difficult swallowing, accompanied by a sensation of food being stuck in passage.

Epistaxis

Nasal hemorrhage with blood drainage through the nostrils; a nosebleed.

Dysphonia

Impairment of the voice or difficulty speaking.

Dyspnea

Difficult or labored breathing.

Erosive esophagitis

A severe form of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in which the mucous membrane lining the esophagus is inflamed with areas of erosion.

Dystonia

A type of dyskinesia. The movement is slow and twisting, associated with painful muscle contractions or spasms.

Ebstein anomaly

Congenital heart defect in which the opening of the tricuspid valve is displaced towards the apex of the right ventricle.

Erythema nodosum

Inflammation of the fat cells under the skin resulting in tender red nodules or lumps.

Erythematous

Flushing of the skin caused by dilation of capillaries.

Eburnation

A condition in which bone or cartilage becomes hardened and denser.

Erythrodermic psoriasis

Generalized erythema covering nearly the entire body surface area.

Ecchymosis

Passage of blood from ruptured blood vessels into subcutaneous tissue causing purple discoloration of the skin.

Eclampsia

Seizures associated with high blood pressure.

Ectopic pregnancy

Presence of a fertilized ovum outside of the uterine cavity.

Erythropoiesis stimulating agents

Agents developed by recombinant DNA technology to stimulate red blood cell production in the bone marrow.

Effector cells

Cells that become active in response to initiation of the immune response.

Ejection fraction

The fraction of the volume present at the end of diastole that is pushed into the aorta during systole.

Electroconvulsive therapy

Administration of electric current to the brain through electrodes placed on the head to induce seizure activity in the brain.

Electroencephalography

The recording of brain waves via electrodes placed on the scalp or cortex.

Embolism

The sudden blockage of a vessel caused by a blood clot or foreign material brought to the site by the flow of blood.

Embolization

The process by which a blood clot or foreign material dislodges from its site of origin and blocks a distant vessel.

Empiric

A strategy or treatment administered without definitive evidence of the cause.

Endometritis

Inflammation of the endometrium.

Endophthalmitis

Inflammation of intraocular fluid, usually due to infection.

Endoscopy

Visual inspection of the inside of hollow organs with an endoscope for diagnostic purposes.

Endothelial cell

A single layer of cells surrounding the lumen of arteries.

Endovascular

Procedures involving insertion of a catheter containing medications or instruments into a blood vessel for the treatment of vascular disease.

Erythropoietin

A hormone primarily produced by the progenitor cells of the kidney that stimulates red blood cell production.

Esophageal manometry

Measurement of pressures and muscle contractions in the esophagus.

Esophageal stricture

Narrowing of the esophageal lumen resulting from chronic inflammation and formation of scar tissue.

Esophageal varices

Dilated blood vessels in the esophagus.

Essential fatty acid deficiency

Deficiency characterized by hair loss, thinning of skin, and skin desquamation.

Exanthem

Eruption of the skin.

Excess body weight

Calculated as the difference between actual and ideal body weight.

Exfoliative dermatitis

Severe inflammation and peeling of the entire skin surface due to a reaction to certain drugs.

Exploratory laparotomy

Surgical incision into the abdominal cavity to examine the abdominal organs.

External beam radiotherapy (EBRT)

An external source of radiation is pointed at a particular part of the body.

Extraabdominal

Outside of the abdominal cavity.

Extraction ratio

Fraction of the drug entering the liver in the blood which is irreversibly removed.

Focal seizures

Seizures that start in a small area of the brain.

Extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS)

Adverse drug effects of medications such as phenothiazines.

Forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1)

The volume of air that a patient can forcibly exhale in the first second of forced exhalation.

Forced vital capacity

The maximum volume of air that can be forcibly exhaled after taking a maximal breath.

Extravasation

Movement of fluid from inside a blood vessel into surrounding tissues.

Fraction of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO)

A noninvasive test that, when elevated, is an indicator of inflammation in the airways.

Facultative

An optional biological condition, not required for growth or survival.

Felty syndrome

An extra-articular manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis associated with splenomegaly and neutropenia.

Fragility fracture

A fracture resulting from a fall from standing height or less amount of trauma.

Ferritin

A protein in the body that binds to iron; most of the iron stored in the body is bound to ferritin.

Frailty

Excess demand imposed upon reduced capacity; a common biological syndrome in the elderly.

Festination

Walking with short, rapid, shuffling steps.

Frank-Starling mechanism

Increase in stroke volume in response to an increase in volume of blood filling the heart.

Fibrin

An insoluble protein that is one of the principal ingredients of a blood clot.

Freezing

A sudden but temporary inability to move.

Fremitus

Vibrations through the chest wall that may be detected through touch or heard through a stethoscope.

Fibrinolysis

A normal ongoing process that dissolves fibrin and results in removal of small blood clots.

Fibroadenoma

A benign neoplasm commonly occurring in breast tissue and derived from glandular epithelium.

French scale

Scale used to measure external diameter of a feeding tube.