Medical Glossary D

discontinue(d)

Drug Enforcement Agency, of the Department of Justice

to perform the action of débridement, the removal of foreign material and dead or damaged tissue, especially in a wound

prefix used in the metric system to denote one-tenth (1 /1 0)

numeric system using numbers from 0 to 9

agent that reduces congestion, especially nasal

action occurring a considerable time after a stimulus

triangular muscle on the upper arm

false belief brought about without appropriate external stimulation and inconsistent with the individual’s own knowledge and experience

a progressive, irreversible decline in mental function, marked by memory impairment and, often, deficits in reasoning, judgment, abstract thought, registration, comprehension, learning, task execution, and use of language

number on lower part of a fraction; used to divide into the numerator

supported, nurtured, or relying on another person or variable

mood disorder marked by loss of interest or pleasure in living

dose of medication ordered by the prescriber

causing injury or death

glucose, sugar

excessive urination caused by inadequate amounts of antidiuretic hormone (ADH) in the body or by failur of the kidney to respond to ADH

chronic metabolic disorder marked by hyperglycemia

pertaining to the disease or syndrome a person has or is believed to have

passage of a solute through a membrane

calculating dosages using the measurement, such as milligrams or milliliters, to set up the calculation

dividing and spreading of a medication to a target organ

number being divided in a division problem

to separate into smaller parts

number doing the division in a division problem

disease-modifying antirheumatic drug

injection site in the gluteus maximus on the dorsal (back) side

neither the patient nor the researcher in the clinical trial knows who has the placebo and who has the drug being tested

part of an intravenous line where the medication drips into the chamber at a regulated rate

is updated monthly; compares and evaluates medications, so it is frequently used by pharmacists to compare drugs; drugs are grouped by their classification, so similar drugs are indexed together

of the American Health-System Formulary Service; a volume published annually for the Health-System Pharmacists in Bethesda, MD; concise and more general that the PDR but contains no photographs

book that contains both over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription drugs and their prices

deep vein thrombosis

condition of being abnormally small

difficult breathing

abnormal heart rhythms

prolonged involuntary muscular contractions that may cause twisting of body parts, repetitive movements, and increased muscular tone