| acupuncture points | Designated locations along nerves or organ meridians for inserting acupuncture needles. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| acupuncture therapy | Treatment of disease by inserting needles along specific pathways or meridians. The placement varies with the disease being treated. Heat or moxibustion and acupressure may be used in conjunction. (12 Dec 1998) |
| acus | Rarely used term for needle. Origin: L. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acusection | Rarely used term for electrosurgery using a needle. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acusector | Rarely used term for needle used for electrosurgery. Origin: L. Acus, needle, + secare, to cut (05 Mar 2000) |
| acusis | The ability to perceive sound normally. Synonym: normal hearing. Origin: G. Akousis, hearing (05 Mar 2000) |
| acustumaunce | See Accustomance. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| acute | 1. Sharp, poignant. 2. Having a short and relatively severe course. Origin: L. Acutus = sharp (18 Nov 1997) |
| acute abdomen | Any serious acute intra-abdominal condition (such as appendicitis) attended by pain, tenderness, and muscular rigidity, and for which emergency surgery must be considered. Synonym: surgical abdomen. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acute abscess | A recently formed abscess with little or no fibrosis in the wall of the cavity. Synonym: hot abscess. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acute adrenal crisis | <endocrinology> An abrupt life-threatening state which is caused by insufficient production of cortisol by the adrenal gland. A typical finding in Addison's disease. Individuals who have been taking corticosteroids (glucocorticoids) for a prolonged period of time (weeks to months) are at risk for acute adrenal crisis if the medication is stopped abruptly. For this reason, corticosteroid medication are withdrawn slowly on a diminishing dosing schedule. Symptoms include low blood pressure (shock), weakness, headache, vomiting, fever chills, tachycardia and sweating. Treatment includes blood pressure support and intravenous hydrocortisone. (27 Sep 1997) |
| acute adrenocortical insufficiency | Severe adrenocortical insufficiency when an intercurrent illness or trauma causes an increased demand for adrenocortical hormones in a patient with adrenal insufficiency due to disease or use of relatively large amounts of similar hormones as therapy; characterised by nausea, vomiting, hypotension, and frequently hyperthemia, hyponatraemia, hyperkalaemia, and hypoglycaemia; can be fatal if untreated. Synonym: addisonian crisis, adrenal crisis, Bernard-Sergent syndrome. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acute African sleeping sickness | A disease of humans caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense in eastern Africa from Ethiopia and Uganda south to Zimbabwe; it is clinically similar to Gambian trypanosomiasis but of shorter duration and more acute in form; patients suffer repeated episodes of pyrexia, become anaemic, and die commonly from cardiac failure. Synonym: acute African sleeping sickness, acute trypanosomiasis, East African sleeping sickness, East African trypanosomiasis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acute alcoholism | A temporary deterioration in mental function, accompanied by muscular incoordination and paresis, induced by the rapid ingestion of alcoholic beverages. Synonym: intoxication. (05 Mar 2000) |
| acute angle | Any angle less than 90 |