Medical Dictionary Definitions A-Z List
Medical Dictionary Definitions A - Z - «R»:
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Referral
Referral: The recommendation of a medical or
paramedical professional. If you get a referral to ophthalmology, for
example, you are being sent to the eye doctor. In HMOs and other
managed care schemes, a referral is usually necessary to see any
practitioner or specialist other than your primary...
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Referred pain
Referred pain: Pain felt at a site other than where the cause is situated. An example is the pain from the pancreas, which is felt in the back. Pain in internal organs is often referred to sites distant from them....
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Reflex
Reflex: A reaction that is involuntary. The corneal
reflex is the blink that occurs with irritation of the eye. The nasal reflex is a sneeze. ...
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Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD)
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD): A condition characterized by diffuse pain, swelling and limitation of movement that follows an injury such as a fracture in an arm or leg, The symptoms are way out of proportion to the injury and may linger long after the injury has healed....
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Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSDS)
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSDS): RSDS is a
condition that features a group of typical symptoms, including pain (often
"burning" type), tenderness, and swelling of an extremity associated with
varying degrees of sweating, warmth and/or coolness, flushing, discoloration, and sh...
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Reflex, Babinski
Reflex, Babinski: An important neurologic test based,
believe it or not, upon what the big toe does when the sole of the
foot is stimulated. If the big toe goes up, that may mean trouble.
The Babinski reflex is obtained by stimulating the external
portion (the outside) of the sole. The examiner ...
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Reflex, let down
Reflex, let down: The let down reflex of the mother is an involuntary
reflex during breastfeeding which causes the milk to flow freely....
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Reflex, patellar
Reflex, patellar: See: Knee jerk....
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Reflex, patellar tendon
Reflex, patellar tendon: See: Knee jerk....
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Reflex, photic sneeze
Reflex, photic sneeze: A disorder characterized by nearly uncontrollable paroxysms of sneezing provoked in a reflex fashion by the sudden exposure of a dark-adapted subject to intensely bright light, usually to brilliant sunlight. The number of successive sneezes is usually 2 or 3, but can be up to ...
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Reflex, pressor
Reflex, pressor: A pressor reflex is a neurological (nerve) reflex that constricts arterioles (small blood vessels) and thereby increases the blood pressure.
"Pressor" refers to raising the blood pressure. The word comes from the French "presser" meaning "to exert pressure" or "to squeeze."...
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Reflex, quadriceps
Reflex, quadriceps: See: Knee jerk....
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Reflux
Reflux: The term used when liquid backs up into the esophagus
from the stomach....
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Reflux disease, gastroesophageal (GERD)
Reflux disease, gastroesophageal (GERD): The stomach contents regurgitate and back up (reflux) into the esophagus The food
in the stomach is
partially digested by stomach acid and enzymes. Normally, the
partially digested acid
content in the stomach is delivered by the stomach muscle down into
th...
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Reflux laryngitis
Reflux laryngitis: Inflammation of the voice box
(the larynx) caused by stomach acid backing up into the esophagus.
Reflux laryngitis is associated with chronic hoarseness and symptoms
of esophageal irritation such as heartburn.
Reflux is caused by a weakness in the muscle at the junction
of th...
