| desensitization, allergy | Stimulation of the immune system with gradually increasing doses of the substances to which a person is allergic, the aim being to modify or stop the allergy war (by reducing the strength of the IgE and its effect on the mast cells). This form of treatment is very effective for allergies to pollen, mites, cats, and especially stinging insects (e.g., bees, hornets, yellowjackets, wasps, velvet ants, fire ants). Allergy immunotherapy usually takes 6 months to a year to become effective and shots (injections) are usually required for 3-5 years. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| drug allergy | Sensitivity (hypersensitivity) to a drug or other chemical. (05 Mar 2000) |
| immediate allergy | A type I allergic reaction; so called because in a sensitised subject the reaction becomes evident usually within minutes after contact with the allergen (antigen), reaches its peak within an hour or so, then rapidly recedes. See: immediate reaction, anaphylaxis. Compare: delayed allergy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| immunotherapy, allergy | Stimulation of the immune system with gradually increasing doses of the substances to which a person is allergic, the aim being to modify or stop the allergy war (by reducing the strength of the IgE and its effect on the mast cells). This form of treatment is very effective for allergies to pollen, mites, cats, and especially stinging insects (e.g., bees, hornets, yellow jackets, wasps, velvet ants, fire ants). Allergy immunotherapy usually takes 6 months to a year to become effective and shots (injections) are usually required for 3-5 years. (12 Dec 1998) |
| insulin allergy | When a person's body has an allergic or bad reaction to taking insulin made from pork or beef or from bacteria, or because the insulin is not exactly the same as human insulin or because it has impurities. The allergy can be of two forms. Sometimes an area of skin becomes red and itchy around the place where the insulin is injected. This is called a local allergy. In another form, a person's whole body can have a bad reaction. This is called a systemic allergy. The person can have hives or red patches all over the body or may feel changes in the heart rate and in the rate of breathing. A doctor may treat this allergy by prescribing purified insulins or by desensitisation. See: desensitisation. (09 Oct 1997) |
| test, skin, for allergy | A test done on the skin to identify the allergy substance (allergen) triggering the allergic reaction. A small amount of the suspected allergy substance is placed on the skin. The skin is then gently scratched through the small drop with a special sterile needle. If the skin reddens and, more importantly, swells, then allergy to that substance is probable. (12 Dec 1998) |
| latent allergy | Allergy that causes no signs or symptoms but can be revealed by means of certain immunologic tests with specific allergens. (05 Mar 2000) |
| absent nasal septum | <radiology> Cocaine, Wegener's (midline lethal granuloma), surgery, trauma, syphilis, sarcoid (12 Dec 1998) |
| accessory nasal cartilages | Variable small plates of cartilage located in the interval between the greater alar and lateral nasal cartilages. Synonym: cartilagines nasales accessoriae, sesamoid cartilages of nose. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anterior nasal aperture | The anterior nasal opening in the skull. Synonym: apertura piriformis, piriform opening. (05 Mar 2000) |
| anterior nasal spine | A pointed projection at the anterior extremity of the intermaxillary suture; the tip, as seen on a lateral cephalometric radiograph, is used as a cephalometric landmark. Synonym: spina nasalis anterior. (05 Mar 2000) |
| benign nasal tumour | A benign tumour of the posterior nasopharynx that is most common in adolescent boys. Symptoms repeated epistaxis, nasal congestion, nasal discharge and hearing loss. A skull X-ray or a CT scan of the head can confirm the presence of an angiofibroma. Treatment may include the surgical removal of the lesion if it is enlarging or blocking the airway. (27 Sep 1997) |
| bony nasal septum | The bones supporting the bony part of the nasal septum; these are the perpendicular plate of the ethmoid, the vomer, the sphenoidal rostrum, the crest of the nasal bones, the frontal spine, and the median crest formed by the apposition of the maxillary and palatine bones. Synonym: septum nasi osseum. (05 Mar 2000) |
| bony part of nasal septum | The major portion of the nasal septum supported by the vomer and the perpendicular plate of the ethmoid. Synonym: pars ossea septi nasi. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cartilage of nasal septum | A thin cartilaginous plate located between vomer, perpendicular plate of the ethmoid, and nasal bones, and completing the nasal septum anteriorly. Synonym: cartilago septi nasi, cartilage of nasal septum, cartilaginous septum, pars cartilaginea septi nasi, quadrangular cartilage, septal cartilage. (05 Mar 2000) |