Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «L»:
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Legg disease
Legg disease: See Legg-Calve-Perthes disease....
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Legg-Calve-Perthes disease
Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease: A hip disorder in children due to interruption of the blood supply to the head of the femur (the ball in the ball-and-socket hip joint), causing it to deteriorate.
The disease is most common at age 6 to 9, tends to affect boys, but is more severe in girls. It can...
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Legg-Perthes disease
Legg-Perthes disease: See Legg-Calve-Perthes disease....
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Legionella
Legionella: The bacterium that causes Legionnaires'
disease. This disease is due specifically to the bacterium Legionella pneumophila found in plumbing, shower heads and
water-storage tanks. Outbreaks of Legionella pneumonia have been
attributed to evaporative condensers and cooling towers. The
...
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Legionnaire disease
Legionnaire disease: A disease due to the
bacteria Legionella pneumophila found in plumbing, shower heads and
water-storage tanks. Outbreaks of Legionella pneumonia have been
attributed to evaporative condensers and cooling towers. The
bacteria thrives in the mist sprayed from air-conditioning
...
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Leigh's disease
Leigh's disease: A rare genetic disorder characterized by progressive damage to the central nervous system. Leigh's disease is caused by a defect in the function of mitochondria within the cells of the body. Symptoms begin in infancy and include poor sucking ability, the loss of head control and mot...
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Leiomyoma
Leiomyoma: A benign tumor of smooth muscle, the
type of muscle that is found in the heart and uterus. A leiomyoma of the uterus is commonly called a fibroid.
Uterine fibroids are the single most common indication for hysterectomy. Fibroids can be present and be inapparent. However, they are clinica...
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Leiomyosarcoma
Leiomyosarcoma:
A malignant tumor of smooth muscle origin. Smooth muscle is the major structural component of most hollow internal organs and the walls of blood vessels. Can occur almost anywhere in the body but is most frequent in the uterus and gastrointestinal tract. Complete surgical excision, i...
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Leishmania
Leishmania: A group of parasites causing a disease called leishmaniasis. For a fuller definition and more information, see Leishmania infection....
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Leishmania infection
Leishmania infection: A parasitic disease, also called leishmaniasis, spread by the bite of sand flies infected with a protozoa (Leishmania). There are several forms of leishmaniasis, the most common being cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis. The cutaneous form of the disease causes skin sores whil...
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Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis: Diseases due to the parasite called Leishmania involving the organs (kala-azar) or the skin plus mucous membranes (espundia), or the skin alone (usually named for the
place plus boil, button or sore as, for example, Jericho boil, Bagdad button, Delhi sore).
For a fuller definition and...
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Leishmaniasis, visceral
Leishmaniasis, visceral: See: Visceral leishmaniasis....
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Lemierre syndrome
Lemierre syndrome: A potentially lethal form of sore throat caused by the bacterium
Fusobacterium necrophorum, a common inhabitant of the mouth. This disease
vanished with the advent of antibiotics but then returned decades later. It has
been called the "forgotten disease."
Lemierre syndrome de...
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Lenin
Lenin: (1870-1924) Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, the founder of the Bolshevik Party and the Soviet state. Lenin is of some medical interest because he has been retrospectively diagnosed with syphilis. Lenin may have contracted the disease in Europe years before he led the October Revolution in 1917 and the...
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Lennox syndrome
Lennox syndrome: A severe form of epilepsy that
is characterized by the onset in early childhood of frequent seizures of multiple types, developmental delay, a particular brain wave pattern (a slow spike-and-wave pattern), and behavioral disturbances with poor social skills and attention-seeking beh...
