Signs

A sign is an observed feature or finding of a disease, or disorder as observed on a physical examination.

Glossary of signs

• abasia -  inability to walk

• acanthosis nigricans -  a skin disease characterized by dark wartlike patches in the body folds; can be benign or malignant

• acholia -  a condition in which little or no bile is secreted or the flow of bile into the digestive tract is obstructed

• acrocyanosis -  cyanosis of the extremities; can occur when a spasm of the blood vessels is caused by exposure to cold or by strong emotion

• adynamia -  lack of strength or vigor (especially from illness)

• anasarca -  generalized edema with accumulation of serum in subcutaneous connective tissue

• anticoagulant -  medicine that prevents or retards the clotting of blood

• auditory hallucination -  illusory auditory perception of strange nonal sounds

• aura -  an indication of radiant light drawn around the head of a saint; a sensation (as of a cold breeze or bright light) that precedes the onset of certain disorders such as a migraine attack or epileptic seizure; a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing

• auscultation -  listening to sounds within the body (usually with a stethoscope)

• bruise -  an injury that doesn't break the skin but results in some discoloration;  damage (plant tissue) by abrasion of pressure; break up into small pieces for food preparation; injure the underlying soft tissue of bone of; hurt the feelings of

• bruit -  tell or spread rumors

• cabot -  Italian explorer who led the English expedition in 1497 that discovered the mainland of North America and explored the coast from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland (ca. 1450-1498); son of John Cabot who was born in Italy and who led an English expedition in search of the Northwest Passage and a Spanish expedition that explored the La Plata region of Brazil; in 1544 he published a map of the world (1476-1557)

• chancre -  a small hard painless nodule at the site of entry of a pathogen (as syphilis)

• chignon -  a roll of hair worn at the nape of the neck

• chorditis -  inflammation of the vocal cords; inflammation of the spermatic cord

• clanging -  having a loud resonant metallic sound

• clonus -  convulsion characterized by alternating contractions and relaxations

• cyanosis -  a bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes; a sign that oxygen in the blood is dangerously diminished (as in carbon monoxide poisoning)

• defecation -  the elimination of fecal waste through the anus

• derailment -  an accident in which a train runs off its track

• edema -  swelling from excessive accumulation of serous fluid in tissue

• embryology -  the branch of biology that studies the formation and early development of living organisms

• flatulence -  a state of excessive gas in the alimentary canal; pompously embellished language

• folie -  (psychiatry) a psychological disorder of thought or emotion; a more neutral term than mental illness

• formication -  hallucinated sensation that insects or snakes are crawling over the skin; a common side-effect of extensive use of cocaine or amphetamines

• fungi -  (pun) the one who buys the drinks; the taxonomic kingdom of lower plants

• glossoptosis -  abnormal downward or back placement of the tongue

• hallucination -  an object perceived during a hallucinatory episode; illusory perception; a common symptom of severe mental disorder; a mistaken or unfounded opinion or idea

• hallucinogen -  a psychoactive drug that induces hallucinations or altered sensory experiences

• heart rate -  the rate at which the heart beats; usually measured to obtain a quick evaluation of a person's health

• hematochezia -  passage of stools containing blood (as from diverticulosis or colon cancer or peptic ulcer)

• hydrothorax -  accumulation of fluid in the pleural cavity (the space between the lungs and the walls of the chest) often resulting from disease of the heart or kidneys

• hypercalciuria -  the presence of abnormally high levels of calcium in the urine; usually the result of excessive bone resorption in hyperparathyroidism or osteoporosis

• hyperpigmentation -  unusual darkening of the skin

• jactitation -  (pathology) extremely restless tossing and twitching usually by a person with a severe illness; (law) a false boast that can harm others; especially a false claim to be married to someone (formerly actionable at law); speaking of yourself in superlatives

• kernig's sign -  symptom of meningitis; patient cannot extend the leg at the knee when the thigh is flexed because of stiffness in the hamstrings

• lesion -  any visible abnormal structural change in a bodily part; any break in the skin or an organ caused by violence or surgical incision

• marche -  a region in central Italy

• mcburney's point -  a point one third of the way along a line drawn from the hip to the umbilicus; the point of maximum sensitivity in acute appendicitis

• means -  how a result is obtained or an end is achieved; an instrumentality for accomplishing some end; considerable capital (wealth or income)

• medical -  requiring or amenable to treatment by medicine especially as opposed to surgery; relating to the study or practice of medicine; of or belonging to Aesculapius or the healing art;  a thorough physical examination; includes a variety of tests depending on the age and sex and health of the person

• medicine -  the learned profession that is mastered by graduate training in a medical school and that is devoted to preventing or alleviating or curing diseases and injuries; (medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease; the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques; punishment for one's actions;  treat medicinally, treat with medicine

• miosis -  reflex contraction of the sphincter muscle of the iris in response to a bright light (or certain drugs) causing the pupil to become smaller; (genetics) cell division that produces reproductive cells in sexually reproducing organisms; the nucleus divides into four nuclei each containing half the chromosome number (leading to gametes in animals and spores in plants)

• monocytosis -  increase in the number of monocytes in the blood; symptom of monocytic leukemia

• mydriasis -  reflex pupillary dilation as a muscle pulls the iris outward; occurs in response to a decrease in light or certain drugs

• myoclonus -  a clonic spasm of a muscle or muscle group

• neoplasm -  an abnormal new mass of tissue that serves no purpose

• nystagmus -  involuntary movements of the eyeballs; its presence or absence is used to diagnose a variety of neurological and visual disorders

• pallor -  unnatural lack of color in the skin (as from bruising or sickness or emotional distress)

• parasitemia -  a condition in which parasites are present in the blood

• paresthesia -  abnormal skin sensations (as tingling or tickling or itching or burning) usually associated with peripheral nerve damage

• parks -  United States civil rights leader who refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man in Montgomery (Alabama) and so triggered the national civil rights movement (born in 1913)

• percussion -  the act of exploding a percussion cap; the act of playing a percussion instrument; tapping a part of the body for diagnostic purposes; the section of a band or orchestra that plays percussion instruments

• perseveration -  the tendency for a memory or idea to persist or recur without any apparent stimulus for it; the act of persisting or persevering; continuing or repeating behavior

• phantom limb -  the illusion that a limb still exists after it has been amputated

• prostate specific antigen -  a protein manufactured exclusively by the prostate gland; PSA is produced for the ejaculate where it liquifies the semen and allows sperm cells to swim freely; elevated levels of PSA in blood serum are associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer

• pseudohallucination -  an image vivid enough to be a hallucination but recognized as unreal

• psychedelic drug -  a psychoactive drug that induces hallucinations or altered sensory experiences

• psychotic depression -  a state of depression so severe that the person loses contact with reality and suffers a variety of functional impairments

• purpura -  any of several blood diseases causing subcutaneous bleeding

• pyuria -  presence of white blood cells in the urine; symptom of urinary tract infection

• radiology -  the branch of medical science dealing with the medical use of X-rays or other penetrating radiation; (radiology) examination of the inner structure of opaque objects using X rays or other penetrating radiation

• sensory deprivation -  a form of psychological torture inflicted by depriving the victim of all sensory input

• souffle -  light fluffy dish of egg yolks and stiffly beaten egg whites mixed with e.g. cheese or fish or fruit

• spirituality -  concern with things of the spirit; property or income owned by a church

• stertor -  the act of snoring or producing a snoring sound

• symptom -  anything that accompanies X and is regarded as an indication of X's existence; (medicine) any sensation or change in bodily function that is experienced by a patient and is associated with a particular disease

• tenderness -  a tendency to express warm and affectionate feeling; warm compassionate feelings; a pain that is felt (as when the area is touched); a feeling of concern for the welfare of someone (especially someone defenseless); a positive feeling of liking

• theophany -  a visible (but not necessarily material) manifestation of a deity to a human person

• thrombocytopenia -  a blood disease characterized by an abnormally small number of platelets in the blood

• tobey -  United States abstract painter influenced by oriental calligraphy (1890-1976)

• translocation -  (genetics) an exchange of chromosome parts; the transport of dissolved material within a plant

• urination -  the discharge of urine

• vision -  the perceptual experience of seeing; a vivid mental image; a religious or mystical experience of a supernatural appearance; the formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses; the ability to see; the visual faculty

• visual acuity -  sharpness of vision; the visual ability to resolve fine detail (usually measured by a Snellen chart)

• waist -  the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips; the narrow part of the shoe connecting the heel and the wide part of the sole

• word salad -  jumble of incoherent speech as sometimes heard in schizophrenia

• xanthoma -  a skin problem marked by the development (on the eyelids and neck and back) of irregular yellow nodules; sometimes attributable to disturbances of cholesterol metabolism