Medications

Blackhead: A familiar term for what is medically called an open comedo. A comedo, the primary sign of acne, consists of a dilated (widened) hair follicle filled with keratin squamae (skin debris), bacteria, and sebum (oil). An open comedo has a ...

Black plague - Medical

Black plague: In 14th-century Europe, the victims of the "black plague" had bleeding below the skin (subcutaneous hemorrhage) which made darkened ("blackened") their bodies. Black plague can lead to "black death" characterized by gangrene of the f...

Black lung disease - Medical

Black lung disease: A chronic occupational lung disease contracted by the prolonged breathing of coal mine dust. The silica and carbon in the coal dust cause black lung disease. About one of every 20 miners studied in the US has X-ray evidence of bl...

Black eye - Medical

Black eye: Bruising of the eyelid and/or under- eye area as a result of trauma to the eye. Colloquially called a shiner.Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PM Medical Author: John P. Cunha, DO, FACOEP...

Black Death - Medical

Black Death: The Medieval black plague that ravaged Europe and killed a third of its population. It was due to the plague which is caused by a bacterium ( Yersinia pestis) transmitted to humans from infected rats by the oriental rat flea. In 14t...

Black American - Medical

Black American: See: African American.Last Editorial Review: 8/28/2004 African American: An American of black African descent. The term may also be written with a hyphen as African-American. The term entered into usage largely starting in 1988, wh...

BKA - Medical

BKA: Acronym standing for "below knee amputation." A nurse scrubbing for a BKA is preparing to assist in a below-knee amputation. BKA is as opposed to AKA (above knee amputation). Last Editorial Review: 4/27/2011 5:27:15 PM...

Biventricular assist device - Medical

Biventricular assist device: A ventricular assist device that helps both ventricles of the heart. It helps the right ventricle of the heart to pump blood to the lungs and the left ventricle to pump blood to the body. The Berlin Heart is an example of...

Bisphosphonate - Medical

Bisphosphonate: A class of drugs used to strengthen bone. Bone is in a constant state of remodeling, whereby new bone is laid down by cells called osteoblasts while old bone is removed by cells called osteoclasts. Bisphosphonates inhibit bone removal...

Bisexual - Medical

Bisexual: An individual who engages in both heterosexual and homosexual sexual relations. Bisexual can also refer to the corresponding lifestyle. In physical biology, the term "bisexual" refers to an individual who was born with gonadal tissue of bo...

bis in die (on prescription) - Medical

bis in die (on prescription): Seen on a prescription, bid means twice (two times) a day. It is an abbreviation for "bis in die" which in Latin means twice a day. The abbreviation bid is sometimes written without a period either in lower-case...

Birthmark - Medical

Birthmark: A persistent visible mark on the skin that is evident at birth or shortly thereafter. A birthmark is often due to a nevus (a mole) or an hemangioma (a localized collection of small blood vessels). Birthmarks that are pink or red are commo...

Birth rate - Medical

Birth rate: The birth rate is usually given as the number of live births divided by the average population (or the population at midyear). This is termed the crude birth rate. In 1995, for example, the crude birth rate per 1,000 population was 14 ...

Birth defects, study of - Medical

Birth defects, study of: The study of birth defects is now usually called dysmorphology. Dysmorphology is a term coined by Dr. David W. Smith in the 1960's to describe the study of human congenital malformations (birth defects), particularly those a...

Birth defect - Medical

Birth defect: Any defect present in a baby at birth, irrespective of whether the defect is caused by a genetic factor or by prenatal events that are not genetic. Birth defects may involve many different organs including the brain, heart, lungs, li...

Birth control, emergency - Medical

Birth control, emergency: See: Emergency contraception. Last Editorial Review: 11/6/2003Emergency contraception: The prevention of pregnancy after unprotected vaginal intercourse. Emergency contraception may use drugs related to the female hormone...

Birth control - Medical

Birth control: Birth control is the use of any practices, methods, or devices to prevent pregnancy from occurring in a sexually active woman. Also referred to as family planning, pregnancy prevention, fertility control, or contraception; birth contro...

Birth companion - Medical

Birth companion: See: Doula (the first meaning). Last Editorial Review: 1/25/2004 Doula: 1. A non-medical assistant in childbirth. A doula is not the father but is usually a woman who is experienced in childbirth. The role of the doula is to ...

Birth cohort - Medical

Birth cohort: A group of people born during a particular period or year.Last Editorial Review: 8/2/2004...

Birth assistant - Medical

Birth assistant: See: Doula (the first meaning). Last Editorial Review: 1/25/2004 Doula: 1. A non-medical assistant in childbirth. A doula is not the father but is usually a woman who is experienced in childbirth. The role of the doula ...

Birt Hogg Dube syndrome - Medical

Birt Hogg Dube syndrome: See: Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome. Last Editorial Review: 3/7/2004 Birt-Hogg-Dube syndrome: An inherited condition in which benign tumors develop in hair follicles on the head, chest, back, and arms. These tumors are called f...

Bird flu - Medical

Bird flu: See: Avian influenza.Last Editorial Review: 1/28/2004 Avian influenza: Also called fowl plague, avian flu, and bird flu. A highly contagious viral disease with up to 100% mortality in domestic fowl. Caused by influenza A virus subtypes...

Bipolar II disorder - Medical

Bipolar II disorder: Bipolar disorder in someone who has experienced depression and at least one episode of hypomania but not severe mania. Hypomanic episodes characteristically do not cause significant distress or greatly impair one's work, family,...

Bipolar I disorder - Medical

Bipolar I disorder: Bipolar disorder in someone who has experienced depression and at least one episode of severe mania. Severe mania characteristically causes significant distress or greatly impairs one's work, family, or social life. Bipolar I dis...

Bipolar disorder - Medical

Bipolar disorder: A mood disorder sometimes called manic-depressive illness or manic-depression that characteristically involves cycles of depression and elation or mania. Sometimes the mood switches from high to low and back again are dramatic and...

Bipolar disease - Medical

Bipolar disease: Manic-depressive disease. See: Bipolar disorder. Last Editorial Review: 2/18/2004 Bipolar disorder: A mood disorder sometimes called manic-depressive illness or manic-depression that characteristically involves cycles of depressio...

Biotin - Medical

Biotin: A water-soluble B-complex vitamin involved in carbon dioxide transfer and therefore essential to the metabolism of carbohydrate and fat. A balanced diet usually contains enough biotin. Foods with high biotin levels include nuts, cereals, gree...

Biotherapy - Medical

Biotherapy: Treatment to stimulate or restore the ability of the immune (defense) system to fight infection and disease. Biological therapy is thus any form of treatment that uses the body's natural abilities that constitute the immune system to fig...

Bioterrorism - Medical

Bioterrorism: Terrorism using biologic agents that are harmful to humans. Biological diseases and the agents that might be used for terrorism have been listed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These agents include viru...

Biotechnology - Medical

Biotechnology: The fusion of biology and technology. Biotechnology is the application of biological techniques to product research and development. In particular, biotechnology involves the use by industry of recombinant DNA, cell fusion, and new ...