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Children's Health Glossary
Terms used to explain Children's Health can sometimes be confusing. To help you fully understand the articles and features related to this very important health topic, we have compiled a glossary of terms that can help.
ADHD
Function: abbreviation
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
Function: noun
: a disorder of the skin caused by inflammation of the skin glands and hair follicles; specif: a form found chiefly in adolescents and marked by pimples esp. on the face
pl -gies
1: altered bodily reactivity (as hypersensitivity) to an antigen in response to a first exposure <his bee-venom allergy may render a second sting fatal>
2: exaggerated or pathological reaction (as by sneezing, respiratory embarrassment, itching, or skin rashes) to substances, situations, or physical states that are without comparable effect on the average individual
3: medical practice concerned with allergies
: inflammation of the vermiform appendix —called also epityphlitis
Function: noun
1: a developmental disorder that appears by age three and that is variable in expression but is recognized and diagnosed by impairment of the ability to form normal social relationships, by impairment of the ability to communicate with others, and by stereotyped behavior patterns esp. as exhibited by a preoccupation with repetitive activities of restricted focus rather than with flexible and imaginative ones
bed–wet*ting
Pronunciation: \-ˌwet-iŋ\
: enuresis esp. when occurring in bed during sleep
cradle cap
Function: noun
: a seborrheic condition in infants that usu. affects the scalp and is characterized by greasy gray or dark brown adherent scaly crusts
diaper rash
Function: noun
: skin irritation of the diaper-covered area and usu. the buttocks of an infant esp. from exposure to feces and urinary ammonia
: a variable often familial learning disability involving difficulties in acquiring and processing language that is typically manifested by a lack of proficiency in reading, spelling, and writing
1: a compound of fluorine with a more electropositive element or radical
2: the monovalent anion of fluorine
learning disability
Function: noun
: any of various disorders (as dyslexia or dysgraphia) that interfere with an individual's ability to learn resulting in impaired functioning in verbal language, reasoning, or academic skills (as reading, writing, and mathematics) and are thought to be caused by difficulties in processing and integrating information
1: a branch of dentistry dealing with irregularities of the teeth and their correction (as by means of braces)
2: the treatment provided by an orthodontist
pe*di*a*tri*cian
Function: noun
: a specialist in pediatrics —called also pediatrist
pl -ties
1: the condition of being or the period of becoming first capable of reproducing sexually marked by maturing of the genital organs, development of secondary sex characteristics, and in humans and the higher primates by the first occurrence of menstruation in the female
2: the age at which puberty occurs being typically between 13 and 16 years in boys and 11 and 14 in girls and often construed legally as 14 in boys and 12 in girls
pl -nit*i*des
Pronunciation: \-ˈnit-ə-ˌdēz\
: inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose marked esp. by rhinorrhea, nasal congestion and itching, and sneezing; also: any of various conditions characterized by rhinitis see allergic rhinitis rhinitis medicamentosa rhinitis sicca vasomotor rhinitis
SIDS
Function: abbreviation
sudden infant death syndrome
1 a: an acute infectious disease characterized by tonic spasm of voluntary muscles and esp. of the muscles of the jaw and caused by the specific toxin produced by a bacterium of the genus Clostridium (C. tetani) which is usu. introduced through a wound compare lockjaw
b: see: tetanus bacillus
2: prolonged contraction of a muscle resulting from a series of motor impulses following one another too rapidly to permit intervening relaxation of the muscle
umbilical hernia
Function: noun
: a hernia of abdominal viscera at the navel —called also exomphalos
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