Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «O»:
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Optometrist
Optometrist: A health care professional who is licensed to provide primary eye care services:
to examine and diagnose eye diseases such as glaucoma, cataracts, and retinal diseases and, in certain states in the U.S., to treat them;
to diagnose related systemic (bodywide) conditions such as hyper...
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OPV
OPV: Oral polio vaccine. See Polio vaccine, oral....
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OR (abbreviation)
OR (abbreviation): Stands for "operating room".
A facility equipped for performing surgery.
OR is sometimes written O.R....
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Oral
Oral: Having to do with the mouth; given by mouth,
as in an oral solution....
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Oral allergy syndrome
Oral allergy syndrome: A type of allergic cross reactivity that occurs in people who are highly sensitive to pollen. The oral allergy syndrome is also known as or pollen-food allergy syndrome and is thought to be a type of contact allergy related to the presence of proteins in certain foods that cro...
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Oral aversion
Oral aversion: Reluctance or
refusal to feed or eat. A familiar example of oral aversion is a baby's refusal to breastfeed. Prolonged intravenous or nasogastric feeding may
also contribute to the development of oral aversion....
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Oral cancer
Oral cancer: Cancer within the mouth. ...
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Oral candidiasis
Oral candidiasis: Yeast infection of the mouth and throat caused by the fungus Candida albicans; also known as thrush. Yeast organisms are part of the germs normally found in various parts of the body. They ordinarily do not cause any symptoms.
Certain conditions, such as antibiotic use, can distur...
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Oral cholecystogram
Oral cholecystogram: Abbreviated OCG. An x-ray procedure for diagnosing gallstones. The patient takes iodine-containing tablets by mouth for one night or two nights in a row. The iodine is absorbed from the intestine into the bloodstream, removed from the blood by the liver, and excreted by the liv...
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Oral contraceptive
Oral contraceptive: A birth control pill taken by
mouth. Most oral contraceptives include both estrogen and
progesterone. When given in certain amounts and at certain
times in the menstrual cycle, these hormones prevent the
ovary from releasing an egg for fertilization. See also
birth control....
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Oral contraceptive, combined
Oral contraceptive, combined: Commonly called "the pill," combined oral contraceptives are the most commonly used form of reversible birth control in the United States. This form of birth control suppresses ovulation (the monthly release of an egg from the ovaries) by the combined actions of the ho...
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Oral glucose tolerance test
Oral glucose tolerance test: A
test to determine the body's ability to handle glucose
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In the test, a person fasts overnight (at least 8 but not more than 16 hours). Then first, the fasting plasma glucose is tested. After this test, the person receives 75 grams of glucose (100 grams for ...
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Oral moniliasis
Oral moniliasis: Yeast infection of the mouth and throat caused by a fungus formerly called Monilia, now known as Candida albicans. This infection is also known as thrush. Yeast organisms are part of the germs normally found in various parts of the body. They ordinarily do not cause any symptoms.
C...
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Oral rehydration salts
Oral rehydration salts: ORS. A solution of glucose-based salt solution used in oral rehydration therapy. WHO and UNICEF recommend a single formulation of glucose-based ORS to treat or prevent dehydration from diarrhea from any cause, including cholera, and in individuals of any age. In technical te...
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Oral rehydration therapy
Oral rehydration therapy: The administration of
special fluids by mouth treat dehydration. Abbreviated ORT.
See also: Oral rehydration salts....