The House Glossary

Dr. Cuddy: Are you being intentionally dense?
Dr. House: (in sarcastic tone) Huh?

House is prone to diagnose patients with Vasculitis right away…huh? What the heck is Vasculitis??!

Let’s not be “dense” shall we? Here’s a list that can help us with our “House Addiction”

Acid Reflux

chronic symptoms produced by the abnormal reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus

ALS [Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis]

Lou Gehrig’s disease – marked by gradual degeneration of the nerve cells in the central nervous system that control voluntarymuscle movement. The disorder causes muscle weakness and atrophy throughout the body.

ALT [Alanine transaminase]

found in serum and in various bodily tissues but is most commonly associated with the liver. Elevated levels of ALT oftensuggest the existence of other medical problems such as alcoholic or viral hepatitis, congestive heart failure, liver damage,biliary duct problems, infectious mononucleosis, or myopathy. For this reason, ALT is commonly used as a way of screening for liver problems.

ANA [Anti-nuclear antibodie]

presence of ANA is indicative of lupus erythematosus, though they also appear in some other auto-immune diseases such as Sjögren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune hepatitis, scleroderma and dermatomyositis, and various non-rheumatological conditions associated with tissue damage.

Anemia

deficiency of red blood cells and/or hemoglobin.This results in a reduced ability of blood to transfer oxygen to the tissues,causing hypoxia; since all human cells depend on oxygen for survival, varying degrees of anemia can have a wide range of clinical consequences.

Antihistamine

a drug which serves to reduce or eliminate effects mediated by histamine, an endogenous chemical mediator released during allergic reactions, through action at the histamine receptor.

Aphasia

a loss or impairment of the ability to produce and/or comprehend language, due to brain damage.

Artificial Heart Valve

a device which is implanted in the heart of patients who suffer from valvular diseases in their heart. When one or two of the four heart valves of the heart have a malfunction, the choice is normally to replace the natural valve by an artificial valve. This requires open-heart Surgery.

AST [Aspartate transaminase]

similar to alanine transaminase (ALT) in that it is another enzyme associated with liver parenchymal cells. It is raised in acute liver damage.

Auto-immune Disease

the failure of an organism to recognize its own constituent parts as “self”, which results in an immune response against its own cells and tissues.

Biopsy

a medical test involving the removal of cells or tissues for examination. The tissue is often examined under a microscope and can also be analyzed chemically.

Cataplexy

a medical condition which often affects people who have narcolepsy, a disorder whose principal signs are EDS (Excessive Daytime Sleepiness), sleep attacks, and disturbed nighttime sleep.

Cauterization

a medical term describing the burning of the body to remove or close a part of it. The main forms of cauterization used today are electrocautery and chemical cautery.

CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]

an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services based in Atlanta, Georgia. Recognized as the leading United States government agency for protecting the public health and safety of people, the CDC provides credible information to enhance health decisions and promotes health through strong partnerships with state health departments and other organizations. The CDC focuses national attention on developing and applying disease prevention and control (especially infectious diseases), environmental health, health promotion and education activities designed to improve the health of the people of the United States.

CT Scan [Computed tomography]

a medical imaging method employing tomography where digital geometry processing is used to generate a three-dimensional image of the internals of an object from a large series of two-dimensional X-ray images taken around a single axis of rotation.

Curmudgeon [Dr. House]

a crusty irascible cantankerous old person full of stubborn ideas.

Diagnostician

a physician who deas with the process of identifying a medical condition or disease by its signs, symptoms, and from the results of various diagnostic procedures. The conclusion reached through this process is called a diagnosis.

Differential Diagnosis

the systematic method physicians use to identify the disease causing a patient’s symptoms.

DNR [Do not resuscitate]

a written order from a doctor that resuscitation should not be attempted if a person suffers cardiac or respiratory arrest.This is sometimes known as a no-code order. Such an order may be instituted on the basis of an advance directive from a person, or from someone entitled to make decisions on their behalf, such as a health-care proxy; in some jurisdictions, such orders can also be instituted on the basis of a physician’s own initiative, usually when resuscitation would not alter the ultimate outcome of a disease.

Depo Provera

the U.S. brand name of a hormonal birth control product.

Dystonia

a generic term used to describe a neurological movement disorder involving involuntary, sustained muscle contractions.

Echocardiogram

an ultrasound of the heart. Using standard ultrasound techniques, two-dimensional slices of the heart can be imaged. The latest ultrasound systems now employ 3D real-time imaging.

ECMO [Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation]

an extracorporeal technique of providing both cardiac and respiratory support oxygen to patients whose heart and lungs are so severely diseased that they can no longer serve their function.

Epidural

part of the human spine inside the spinal canal separated from the spinal cord and its surrounding cerebrospinal fluid by the dura mater.The term epidural is often short for epidural anesthesia, a form of regional anesthesia involving injection of drugs through a catheter placed into the epidural space. The injection can cause both a loss of sensation (anaesthesia) and a loss of pain (analgesia), by blocking the transmission of pain signals through nerves in or near the spinal cord.

Euphoria

An excited state of joy, a good feeling, a state of intense happiness.

Fibromyalgia [FM or FMS]

a debilitating chronic syndrome characterized by diffuse or specific muscle, joint, or bone pain, fatigue, and a wide range of other symptoms.

GGT [Gamma glutamyl transpeptidase]

a liver enzyme.It is involved in the transfer of amino acids across the cellular membrane and in glutathione metabolism. GGT is found in high concentrations in the liver, bile ducts and kidney. The enzyme is also present in other tissues, such as the epididymis. Its level in the blood may be tested for, as an elevated level may indicate an abnormality in the liver, though this can be caused by a number of conditions including: congestive heart failure, cholestasis (congestion of the bile ducts),cirrhosis of the liver, Restricted blood flow to the liver, Necrosis of the liver, Liver tumors , hepatitis, and hepatotoxic drugs.

Hp [Haptoglobin]

 protein in the blood plasma that binds free hemoglobin released from erythrocytes with high affinity and thereby inhibits its oxidative activity. prevents bacteria from using the iron present in hemoglobin to grow, regulates the activity of many cell types of the immune system.

HT/HCT [Hematocrit]

usually considered an important consideration when looking at a person’s full blood count results as most people are more concerned with the hemoglobin concentration and mean cell volume.

Hodgkin’s lymphoma [Hodgkin's disease]

a type of lymphoma first described by Thomas Hodgkin in 1832. Hodgkin’s lymphoma is characterized clinically by the orderly spread of disease from one lymph node group to another and by the development of B symptoms with advanced disease.Pathologically, the disease is characterized by the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells. Hodgkin’s lymphoma was one of the first cancers to be rendered curable by combination chemotherapy.
Hypochondria the unfounded belief that he or she is suffering from a serious illness. Hypochondria is often characterized by irrational fears of being diseased/dying, obsessions over minor bodily symptoms or imperfections, doubt and disbelief in doctors’ diagnosis, constant self-examination and self-diagnosis and preoccupation with one’s body. Hypochondriacs often require constant reassurance, sometimes from multiple doctors, family and friends.

Hypovolemic Shock [Hypovolemia]

shock caused by severe blood or fluid loss,  a state of decreased blood volume. Decrease in volume of blood plasma.

Immunologist [Dr. Cameron]

broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. It deals with, among other things, the physiological functioning of the immune system in states of both health and disease; malfunctions of the immune system in immunological disorders (autoimmune diseases, hypersensitivities, immune deficiency, allograft rejection); the physical, chemical and physiological characteristics of the components of the immune system in vitro, in situ, and in vivo. Immunology has various applications in several disciplines of science, and as such is further divided.

Infarction

Tissue death due to lack of oxygen-rich blood, necrosis of tissue due to upstream obstruction of its arterial blood supply.

Infectious Disease

disease caused by a biological agent (e.g. virus, bacterium or parasite), as opposed to physical (e.g. burns) or chemical(e.g. intoxication) causes.

INR [International Normalized Ratio]

used to determine the clotting tendency of blood, in the measure of warfarin dosage, liver damage and vitamin K status.

Intensivist [Dr. Chase]

A physician with special training to work with critically ill patients.

Interferon

natural proteins produced by the cells of the immune systems of most animals in response to challenges by foreign agents such as viruses, bacteria, parasites and tumour cells. Interferons belong to the large class of glycoproteins known as cytokines.

Jaundice

yellowing of the skin and eyes that is caused by too much bilirubin in the blood.

LP [Lumbar Puncture]

colloquially known as a spinal tap) is a diagnostic procedure that is done to collect a sample of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)for biochemical, microbiological and cytological analysis, or rarely to relieve increased CSF pressure.

Lupus

widespread and chronic (lifelong) autoimmune disease that, for unknown reasons, causes the immune system to attack the body’s own tissue and organs, including the joints, kidneys, heart, lungs, brain, blood, or skin. The immune system normally protects the body against viruses, bacteria, and other foreign materials.

Meningitis

inflammation of the membranes (meninges) covering the brain and the spinal cord. Although the most common causes are infection (either bacterial or viral), chemical agents and even tumor cells may cause meningitis. Encephalitis and brain abscess can complicate infective meningitis.

Misanthrope [Dr. House]

a general dislike of the human race. It is not dislike of individual human beings, but rather dislike of the features shared by all humanity throughout place and time, including oneself. A misanthrope is thus a person who exhibits a general dislike of humankind.

MRI [Magnetic Resonance Imaging]

also called magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) – is a method of creating images of the inside of opaque organs in living organisms as well as detecting the amount of bound water in geological structures.

MS [Multiple Sclerosis]

A chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system in which gradual destruction of myelin occurs in patches throughout the brain or spinal cord (or both), interfering with the nerve pathways and causing muscular weakness, loss of coordination and speech and visual disturbances. It occurs chiefly in young adults and is thought to be a defect in the immune system that may be of genetic or viral origin.

Munchausen Syndrome

a form of psychological disorder known as a factitious disorder (the term “Munchausen syndrome” is sometimes used, incorrectly, to refer to any form of factitious disorder). Sufferers mimic real diseases, presenting a great problem to themselves and their healthcare professionals. The disorder is named after a literary figure, Baron Munchausen, a real person who was portrayed in fiction as a famous teller of tall tales.

Napthalene

(also known as naphthalin, naphthaline, tar camphor, white tar, albocarbon, or naphthene) is a crystalline white solid hydrocarbon with a typical mothball odor. Naphthalene is volatile, forming a flammable vapor. Its molecules consist of two fused benzene rings. It is manufactured from coal tar, and converted to phthalic anhydride for the manufacture of plastics, dyes and solvents. It is also used as an antiseptic and insecticide, especially in mothballs.

Necrosis

name given to unprogrammed death of cells/living tissue (compare with apoptosis – programmed cell death). There are many causes of necrosis including injury, infection, cancer, infarction, inflammation and so on.

Nephrologist [Dr. House]

physician who has been trained in the diagnosis and management of kidney disease, kidney transplantation, therapy of high blood pressure, and dialysis. Nephrology is a subspecialty of internal medicine. After medical school, nephrologists complete a three year residency in internal medicine followed by a two year (or longer) fellowship in nephrology.

Neurologist [Dr. Foreman]

Neurology is the branch of medicine dealing with the nervous system and its disorders. Physicians specializing in the field of neurology are called neurologists. Surgical operations on the nervous system are performed by physicians with specialized training – neurosurgeons, and in some cases, interventional neuroradiologists.

Oncologist [Dr. Wilson]

A physician who specializes in cancer.

PET Scan [Positron Emission Tomography]

a nuclear medicine medical imaging technique which produces a three dimensional image or map of functional processes in the body.

Placebo

medical treatment (operation, therapy, chemical solution, pill, etc.), which is administered as if it were a therapy, but which has no therapeutic value other than the placebo effect.

Placebo Effect

the phenomenon that a patient’s symptoms can be alleviated by an otherwise ineffective treatment, since the individual expects or believes that it will work. Some people consider this to be a remarkable aspect of human physiology; others consider it to be an illusion arising from the way medical experiments were conducted.

Psittacosis

also known as parrot disease, parrot fever, and ornithosis — is a zoonotic infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Chlamydia psittaci and contracted from parrots, macaws, cockatiels, and parakeets. The incidence of infection in canaries and finches is believed to be lower than in psittacine birds.

Radioimmunoassay

a scientific method used to test hormone levels in the blood without the need to use a bioassay. It involves mixing a radioactive antigen (frequently labelled with isotopes of iodine attached to tyrosine) with antibody to that antigen, then adding unlabeled or “cold” antigen in known quantities and measuring the amount of labeled antigen displaced.

Steve McQueen (March 24, 1930 – November 7, 1980)

an American movie actor and one of the most popular and highly-successful box-office superstars of the 1960s and 1970s. With penetrating slate-blue eyes, unconventional and craggy good-looks, he had a rugged machismo presence. Sometimes flashing an insolent smirk, he projected a tenaciously undaunted and captivating on-screen persona that also extended into his off-screen life.

Tachycardia

an abnormally rapid beating of the heart, defined as a resting heart rate of over 100 beats per minute 

Teaching Hospital

a hospital which provides medical training. Medical students typically spend two or three years in a teaching hospital doing clinical training, after completing their preclinical training in a university. Because of this, many teaching hospitals have strong links with a nearby university.

Toxicology Tests

examines blood, urine, or hair for the presence of drugs.

Vasculitis

a group of diseases featuring inflammation of the wall of blood vessels. Its main causes are autoimmune disorders and (occasionally) infections. Treatment depends on the cause. While most vasculitides are rare diseases, they generally affect several organ systems and can cause severe disability.

Vicodin

most commonly prescribed for persons experiencing pain after surgery or intense pain. It helps calm a person down and increases their ability to relax and forget about painful ailments (which speeds up recovery).

White Count [White Blood Cell Count]

The white blood cell count in the blood usually becomes elevated with infection.

 source: http://wikipedia.org

List