| asteroid hyalosis | Numerous small spherical bodies ("snowball" opacities) in the corpus vitreum, visible ophthalmoscopically; an age change, usually unilateral, and not affecting vision. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| asterolepis | <paleontology> A genus of fishes, some of which were eighteen or twenty feet long, found in a fossil state in the Old Red Sandstone. Origin: NL, fr. Gr. Star + scale. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| asterophyllite | <paleontology> A fossil plant from the coal formations of Europe and America, now regarded as the branchlets and foliage of calamites. Origin: Gr. Star + leaf. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| asthenia | <neurology> The lack or loss of strength and energy, weakness. Origin: Gr. Asthenes = without strength (18 Nov 1997) |
| asthenic | <medicine> Characterised by, or pertaining to, debility; weak; debilitating. Origin: Gr.; priv. + strength. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| asthenic personality | A personality type characterised by low energy level, easy fatigability, incapacity for enjoyment, lack of enthusiasm, and oversensitivity to physical and emotional stress. When appearing in marked form it becomes a psychological disorder (asthenic personality disorder), also called dependent personality. Synonym: asthenic personality disorder, dependent personality disorder. (05 Mar 2000) |
| asthenic personality disorder | A personality type characterised by low energy level, easy fatigability, incapacity for enjoyment, lack of enthusiasm, and oversensitivity to physical and emotional stress. When appearing in marked form it becomes a psychological disorder (asthenic personality disorder), also called dependent personality. Synonym: asthenic personality disorder, dependent personality disorder. (05 Mar 2000) |
| asthenopia | Term generally used to describe complaints related to refractive error, ocular muscle imbalance, including pain or aching around the eyes, burning and itchiness of the eyelids, ocular fatigue, and headaches. (12 Dec 1998) |
| asthenopic | Relating to or suffering from asthenopia. (05 Mar 2000) |
| asthenospermia | Loss or reduction of motility of the spermatozoa, frequently associated with infertility. Origin: G. Astheneia, weakness, + sperma, seed, semen (05 Mar 2000) |
| astheny | <medicine> Want or loss of strength; debility; diminution of the vital forces. Origin: NL. Asthenia, Gr.; priv. + strength. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| asthma | <chest medicine> A disease process that is characterised by paradoxical narrowing of the bronchi (lung passageways) making breathing difficult. Treatment includes bronchodilators which are given orally or delivered as an aerosol (inhaled). Corticosteroids are reserved for more difficult cases. Symptoms include wheezing, difficulty breathing (particularly exhaling air) and tightness in the chest. Factors which can exacerbate asthma include rapid changes in temperature or humidity, allergies, upper respiratory infections, exercise, stress or smoke (cigarette). See: status asthmaticus. (27 Sep 1997) |
| asthma crystals | Crystal's in the shape of elongated double pyramids, formed from eosinophils, found in the sputum in bronchial asthma and in other exudates or transudates containing eosinophils. Synonym: asthma crystals, Charcot-Neumann crystals, Charcot-Robin crystals, Leyden's crystals. (05 Mar 2000) |
| asthma, exercise-induced | Asthma attacks following a period of exercise. Usually the induced attack is short-lived and regresses spontaneously. The magnitude of postexertional airway obstruction is strongly influenced by the environment in which exercise is performed (i.e. Inhalation of cold air during physical exertion markedly augments the severity of the airway obstruction; conversely, warm humid air blunts or abolishes it). (12 Dec 1998) |
| asthma-weed | Synonym: lobelia. Synonym: Euphorbia pilulifera. (05 Mar 2000) |