Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «E»:
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Eosinophil
Eosinophil: A type of leukocyte (white blood cell) with coarse round granules of uniform size within its cytoplasm and typically a bilobate (two-lobed) nucleus. Eosinophils are so named because their cytoplasmic granules stain red with the dye eosin. Eosinophils normally constitute 1 to 3% of the pe...
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Eosinophilia
Eosinophilia: An abnormally high number of eosinophils in the blood. Normally, eosinophils constitute 1 to 3% of the peripheral blood leukocytes, at a count of 350 to 650 per cubic millimeter. Eosinophilia can be categorized as mild (less than 1500 eosinophils per cubic millimeter), moderate (1500 t...
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Eosinophilia, familial
Eosinophilia, familial: See: Familial eosinophilia....
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Eosinophilic fasciitis
Eosinophilic fasciitis:
A disease that leads to inflammation and thickening of the skin and of the
lining tissue fascia under the skin that covers the surface of underlying
tissues. In eosinophilic fasciitis,
the involved fascia is inflamed with the eosinophil white blood cells.
Progressive thic...
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Eosinophilic leukocyte
Eosinophilic leukocyte: See: Eosinophil....
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Eosinophilic meningitis
Eosinophilic meningitis: Meningitis with a high percentage of eosinophils (a type of white blood cell) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The usual cause is the parasite Angiostrongylus cantonensis, also known as the rat lungworm.
People become infected with this parasite by ingesting its larvae in...
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EPA
EPA: 1. The Environmental Protection Agency, a US government agency.
2. Eicosapentaenoic acid, one of the principal omega-3 fatty acids....
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Ependymoma
Ependymoma: A type of brain tumor derived from the cells that line the cavities within the ventricles of the brain and the central canal of the spinal cord. Because cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) normally flows through the cerebral ventricles and the central canal of the spinal cord, blockage due to an e...
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Ephedra
Ephedra: A medicinal herb, known scientifically as Ephedra sinica and Ephedra equisetina, also known as mahuang and herbal ecstasy. Ephedra comes from the dried rhizome and root of the plant.
The main active ingredients in ephedra are ephedrine and pseudoephedrine which account for the medicinal pr...
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Ephelides
Ephelides: The plural of ephelis, a type of freckle. Ephelis and ephelides are among the many medical terms that are rarely, if ever, encountered outside of medicine....
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Ephelis
Ephelis: A form of freckle. A flat red or light-brown spot on the skin that typically appears during the sunny months and fades in the winter. They are most often found in people with light complexions and in some families, they are an
hereditary (genetic) trait. The regular use of sunscreen during...
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Epi-
Epi-: Prefix taken from the Greek that means
"on, upon, at, by, near, over, on top of, toward, against, among."
As in epicanthal fold (a fold of skin that comes down across the inner angle, the canthus, of the eye; epicardium (a layer of fibrous tissue that surrounds the heart and the roots of th...
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Epicanthal fold
Epicanthal fold: A fold of skin that comes
down across the inner angle (canthus) of the eye. The epicanthal fold
is more common in children
with Down syndrome and other birth defects than normal children and
so is of value in
diagnosis. Although some dictionaries state that this eye fold is
found...
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Epicardium
Epicardium: The inner layer of the pericardium, a conical sac of fibrous tissue that surrounds the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels.
The pericardium has outer and inner coats. The outer coat is tough and thickened, loosely cloaks the heart, and is attached to the central part of the d...
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Epicondylitis
Epicondylitis: Epicondylitis is an inflammation or damage
to the area of an epicondyle of bone. An epicondyle is a projection of bone above a condyle (a rounded prominence at the end of a bone, usually where the bone connects to another bone) where ligaments and tendons are attached. Two common typ...
