| bowen's disease | A persistent progressive non-elevated red scaly or crusted plaque which is due to an intradermal carcinoma and is potentially malignant. Atypical squamous cells proliferate through the whole thickness of the epidermis. The lesions may occur anywhere on the skin surface or on mucosal surfaces. The cause most frequently found is trivalent arsenic compounds. Freezing, cauterization or diathermy coagulation is often effective. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| Brailsford-Morquio disease | <syndrome> An error of mucopolysaccharide metabolism with excretion of keratan sulfate in urine; characterised by severe skeletal defects with short stature, severe deformity of spine and thorax, long bones with irregular epiphyses but with shafts of normal length, enlarged joints, flaccid ligaments, and waddling gait; autosomal recessive inheritance; type IV A mucopolysaccharidosis is due to an absence of galactose-1-sulfatase, while type IV B is due to a deficiency of a beta-galactosidase. Synonym: Brailsford-Morquio disease, Morquio's disease, Morquio-Ullrich disease, type IVA, B mucopolysaccharidosis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| brancher glycogen storage disease | Type of glycogen storage disease, due to deficiency of amylo-1,4-1,6-transglucosidase (brancher enzyme). Synonym: brancher deficiency glycogenosis, debrancher deficiency. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Breda's disease | A type of American leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania braziliensis that affects the mucous membranes, particularly in the nasal and oral region, resulting in grossly destructive changes; particularly common in Brazil where a significant proportion of persons infected with L. Braziliensis develop this condition; may develop metastatically from sores originally found elsewhere on the body. Synonym: Breda's disease, bubas braziliana. Origin: Sp., fr. L. Spongia, sponge (05 Mar 2000) |
| bright's disease | <medicine> An affection of the kidneys, usually inflammatory in character, and distinguished by the occurrence of albumin and renal casts in the urine. Several varieties of Bright's disease are now recognised, differing in the part of the kidney involved, and in the intensity and course of the morbid process. Origin: From Dr. Bright of London, who first described it. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| Brill's disease | Recrudescence of epidemic typhus years after the initial attack. The agent that causes epidemic typhus (Rickettsia prowazekii) remains viable for many years and then when host defenses are down, it is reactivated causing recurrent typhus. The disease is named for the physician Nathan Brill and the great bacteriologist Hans Zinsser. (12 Dec 1998) |
| Brill-Symmers disease | An obsolete term for nodular lymphoma. (05 Mar 2000) |
| brill-zinsser disease | Recrudescence of epidemic typhus years after the initial attack. The agent that causes epidemic typhus (Rickettsia prowazekii) remains viable for many years and then when host defenses are down, it is reactivated causing recurrent typhus. The disease is named for the physician Nathan Brill and the great bacteriologist Hans Zinsser. (12 Dec 1998) |
| Briquet's disease | Hysterical neurosis, conversion type. (05 Mar 2000) |
| brisket disease | A disease of cattle, characterised by edematous swelling of the brisket and the tissues of the neck; the body cavities also contain large quantities of clear straw-coloured transudate; this disease results from right heart failure as a consequence of increased pulmonary resistance, which is in some way associated with movement of animals to high altitudes. Synonym: mountain sickness. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Brissaud's disease | <clinical sign> An involuntary compulsive, repetitive, stereotyped movement, resembling a purposeful movement because it is coordinated and involves muscles in their normal synergistic relationships, tics usually involve the face and shoulders. (18 Nov 1997) |
| broad beta disease | Hyperlipoproteinaemia characterised by increased plasma levels of LDL, beta-lipoproteins, pre-beta-lipoproteins, cholesterol, phospholipids, and triglycerides; hypertriglyceridemia induced by a high carbohydrate diet, and glucose tolerance is abnormal; frequent eruptive xanthomas and atheromatosis, particularly coronary artery disease; biochemical defect lies in apolipoproteins; there are many varieties. Synonym: carbohydrate-induced hyperlipaemia, dysbetalipoproteinaemia, familial hyperbetalipoproteinaemia and hyperprebetalipoproteinaemia, familial hypercholesterolaemia with hyperlipaemia. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Brocq's disease | A variety of parapsoriasis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Brodie's disease | Chronic hypertrophic synovitis of the knee. Synonym: Brodie's disease. (05 Mar 2000) |
| bronzed disease | A genetic disease in which the body takes in too much iron from food, this causes excess iron to be deposited in the liver and heart and other organs, eventually leading to organ failure and death. This illness is called bronze diabetes because the kidneys often fail, leading to symptoms similar to those found with diabetes mellitus, and because the deposition of iron into the skin makes the person look like he or she has an all-over tan. It used to be believed that this disease was rare and mainly affected people of Caucasian descent, butin recent years scientists have realised it is more common and affects a wide range of ethnic groups. Some believe that this genetic defect actually helps people (especially women) survive in areas where malnutrition is widespread and iron is scarce in food. Regular venesection may help people suffering from this disease. (09 Oct 1997) |