| cold ulcer | A small gangrenous ulcer on the extremities; due to defective circulation. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| cold urticaria | Wheal formation that develops after exposure to lowered temperatures, with or without demonstrable passive-transfer antibodies. Synonym: congelation urticaria. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cold virus | Any of the numerous strains of virus aetiologically associated with the common cold, chiefly the rhinoviruses, but also strains of adenovirus, Coxsackievirus, ECHO virus, and parainfluenza virus. Synonym: cold virus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| common cold | A viral upper respiratory tract infection. A contagious illness caused by a number of different types of viruses. Because of the great number of viruses that can cause a cold, the body never builds up resistance (immune) against all of them. For this reason, colds are a frequent and recurring problem. In fact, preschool children average 9 colds a year; those in kindergarten, 12 colds a year; and adolescents and adults, 7 colds per year. Going out into the cold weather has no effect on the spread of a cold. Antibiotics do not help the common cold. (12 Dec 1998) |
| common cold virus | Any of the numerous strains of virus aetiologically associated with the common cold, chiefly the rhinoviruses, but also strains of adenovirus, Coxsackievirus, ECHO virus, and parainfluenza virus. Synonym: cold virus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| haemagglutinating cold autoantibody | A cold autoagglutinin. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Salisbury common cold viruses | Strains of rhinovirus of historical interest because of early studies that established the viral aetiology of common colds. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Donath-Landsteiner cold autoantibody | An autoantibody of the IgG class responsible for paroxysmal cold haemoglobinuria; it is adsorbed to red cells only at temperatures of 20캜 or lower, causing the red cells to lyse in the presence of complement at higher temperatures; it has only slight agglutinating properties in spite of its marked lytic activity, and has a specificity within the blood group P; it is also occasionally present for short periods of time following measles and other infections, and formerly was frequently associated with syphilis. Synonym: cold haemolysin. (05 Mar 2000) |
| abdominal abscess | <surgery> A localised pus-forming (suppurative) bacterial infection that occurs within the abdominal cavity as the result of a perforated viscus or post operative complication. Treatment requires either percutaneous or open surgical drainage. (27 Sep 1997) |
| abscess | <microbiology, surgery> A localised collection of pus caused by suppuration buried in tissues, organs or confined spaces. Usually due to an infective process. Origin: L. Abscessus, from ab = away, cedere = to go (18 Nov 1997) |
| abscess, peritonsillar | A persistent collection of pus behind the tonsil. (12 Dec 1998) |
| abscess scan | <investigation> This is a nuclear scan that utilises radioactively tagged white blood cells. The patients white blood cells (taken from a small tube of blood) are tagged with radioactive indium. Later, the cells are then reinjected into the bloodstream. The coarse of the white blood cells can then be mapped using a gamma camera (radiation detecting device). The net result is a picture that shows the location of the radioactive white blood cells. The location of the white cells can indicated the presence of infection or inflammation. This test is useful in detecting a hidden source of bacterial infection, such as an abscess. (11 Mar 1998) |
| abscess, skin | Medical term for a common boil. (12 Dec 1998) |
| acute abscess | A recently formed abscess with little or no fibrosis in the wall of the cavity. Synonym: hot abscess. (05 Mar 2000) |
| alveolar abscess | A pocket of pus adjacent to or within (apical abscess) the tooth's root caused by plaque and calculus invasion. Symptoms include tooth pain and tenderness that may be accompanied by facial swelling and a fever. Treatment includes antibiotics and a thorough cleansing of the infected site by a dentist. See: apical abscess. (27 Sep 1997) |