Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «F»:
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Failure to thrive (FTT)
Failure to thrive (FTT): Refers
to a child whose physical growth is significantly less than
that of peers.
There is no official consensus on what
constitutes failure to thrive (FTT). It usually refers to a child whose growth
is below the 3rd or 5th percentiles for their age or whose
growth h...
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Failure, adrenal
Failure, adrenal: A condition in which the adrenal glands do not produce enough of the adrenal hormones that control important functions such as blood pressure.
The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys. The adrenal is made up of an outer layer (the cortex) and an inner portion (the medulla). Th...
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Failure, autonomic
Failure, autonomic: See: Autonomic failure....
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Failure, heart
Failure, heart: Inability of the heart to
keep up with the demands on it and, specifically, failure of the
heart to pump
blood with normal
efficiency. When this occurs,
the heart is unable to provide adequate blood
flow to other organs such as the brain, liver and kidneys. Heart
failure may b...
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Failure, respiratory
Failure, respiratory: See: Respiratory failure....
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Fainting (syncope)
Fainting (syncope): Partial or complete loss of
consciousness with interruption of awareness of oneself and ones
surroundings. When the loss of consciousness is temporary and there
is spontaneous recovery, it is referred to as syncope or, in
nonmedical quarters, fainting. Syncope accounts for on...
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Falciparum malaria
Falciparum malaria: The most dangerous type of malaria. Red blood cells infected with the parasite tend to sludge and form microinfarctions (small areas of dead tissue due to lack of oxygen) in capillaries in the brain, liver, adrenal gland, intestinal tract, kidneys, lungs, and other organs. Treatm...
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FALDH deficiency
FALDH deficiency: Also known as the Sjogren-Larsson syndrome, this is a genetic (inherited) disease usually characterized by a triad of clinical findings consisting of ichthyosis (thickened fish-like skin), spastic paraplegia (spasticity of the legs) and mental retardation.
The skin changes in the ...
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Fallopian tube
Fallopian tube: One of the two Fallopian tubes that transport the egg from the ovary to the uterus (the womb). In the diagram, the Fallopian tubes are not labeled but are well shown running between the uterus and ovaries.
The
Fallopian tubes have small hair-like projections called cilia on the ...
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False labor
False labor: Intermittent non-productive muscular contractions of the womb (uterus) during pregnancy, most commonly in the last two months before full term. These contractions are non-productive in the sense that they do not produce any flattening (effacement) or dilation (opening up) of the cervix....
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False negative
False negative: A result that appears negative but fails to reveal a
situation. An example of a false negative: a particular test designed to detect cancer of
the toenail is negative but the person has toenail cancer....
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False positive
False positive: A result that is erroneously positive when a situation
is normal. An example of a false positive: a particular test designed to detect cancer of
the toenail is positive but the person does not have toenail cancer....
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False rib
False rib: One of the last 5 pairs of ribs. A rib is said to be "false" if it does not attach to the sternum (the breast bone).
All 12 pairs of ribs attach to the building blocks of the spine (vertebrae) in the back. The 12 pairs of ribs consist of:
True ribs: The first seven ribs attach to the ster...
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False vocal cord
False vocal cord: A fold of mucous membrane covering muscle in the larynx. The false vocal cord separates the ventricle of the larynx from the vestibule of the larynx. Also called the false vocal fold....
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False vocal fold
False vocal fold: See: False vocal cord....
