| dry pericarditis | Pericardial inflammation in the absence of demonstrable pericardial effusion. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| internal adhesive pericarditis | Extensive adhesion between parietal and visceral layers of the pericardium with partial or complete obliteration of the pericardial cavity. Synonym: internal adhesive pericarditis, synechia pericardii. (05 Mar 2000) |
| obliterating pericarditis | Complete obliteration by postinflammatory adhesions of the pericardial cavity. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tuberculous pericarditis | Pericarditis caused by tuberculosis infection. (05 Mar 2000) |
| uraemic pericarditis | Fibrinous pericarditis seen in chronic renal failure. (05 Mar 2000) |
| fibrinous pericarditis | Acute pericarditis with fibrinous exudate. See: bread-and-butter pericardium. Synonym: hairy heart, pericarditis villosa, shaggy pericardium. (05 Mar 2000) |
| fibrous pericarditis | Scarring, usually with adhesions, of all or most of the pericardium. (05 Mar 2000) |
| abdomen, acute | Clinical syndrome characterised by abdominal pain of great severity associated with other symptoms and signs, usually those of acute peritonitis, which might well be the result of a ruptured abdominal viscus or a similar abdominal catastrophe requiring urgent surgical operation. (12 Dec 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 For this reason, corticosteroid medication are withdrawn slowly on a diminishing dosing schedule.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) |