Health Glossary

Demystifying medical language. Browse or search for clear, human-centered explanations of common medical terms.

Stressor

A stressor is an internal or external stimulus, condition, or event that challenges or disrupts an organism‘s normal state of…
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Stroke

Sudden neurological dysfunction caused by interruption of blood flow to part of the brain or bleeding within or around the…
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Surgery

Medical treatment that uses operative procedures to alter, remove, repair, reconstruct, or examine tissues or organs. Surgery can be used…
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Surveillance

The systematic and ongoing collection, analysis, interpretation, and use of health information to detect and monitor diseases, health events, or…
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Sweat

A watery fluid produced primarily by sweat glands and released onto the skin, where it contributes to cooling and other…
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Symptom

A subjective experience or change in health that a person notices and reports. Examples include pain, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, shortness…
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Syndrome

A recognizable pattern of signs, symptoms, or other clinical findings that occur together and characterize a particular health condition or…
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Tapeworm

A tapeworm is a long, flat, segmented parasitic worm belonging to the group known as cestodes. Tapeworms can infect humans…
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Thymus

A lymphoid organ in the chest where immature T lymphocytes develop and undergo selection before becoming functional T cells. The…
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Tinnitus

Tinnitus is the perception of ringing, buzzing, humming, hissing, or another sound when there is no corresponding external sound source.…
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