| chronic hepatitis | Any of several types of hepatitis persisting for more than six months, often progressing to cirrhosis. Synonym: chronic active liver disease. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| chronic hypertensive disease | The chronic accumulative effects of long-standing high blood pressure on such vital organs as the heart, kidney, and brain. (05 Mar 2000) |
| chronic hypertrophic vulvitis | Swelling of the vulval tissues due to lymphatic obstruction; in some cases it may be caused by filariasis, with induration or ulceration of the skin. Synonym: elephantiasis vulvae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| chronic hyperventilation syndrome | <syndrome> Reduced CO2 content of the blood (hypocapnia) as a result of hyperventilation of prolonged duration; may occur in anxiety states and in some chronic organic, usually cardiovascular, disease; alkalaemia, paresthesia, and tetany may occur. (05 Mar 2000) |
| chronic idiopathic jaundice | <syndrome> An inherited disorder (autosomal recessive) that is characterised by long-standing mild jaundice. This occurs secondary to an abnormality in the transport of bilirubin from the liver to the biliary system. This leads to an accumulation of bilirubin in the liver. Avoidance of alcohol and medications which can affect the liver is important. Inheritance: autosomal recessive. (27 Sep 1997) |
| chronic idiopathic xanthomatosis | Vague or indefinite term for inherited abnormalities of lipid metabolism leading to xanthoma formation (e.g., primary familial xanthomatosis). (05 Mar 2000) |
| chronic illness | An illness that has persisted for a long period of time. It is a continuing disease process. (12 Dec 1998) |
| chronic inflammation | An inflammation that may begin with a relatively rapid onset or in a slow, insidious, and even unnoticed manner, tends to persist for several weeks, months, or years and has a vague and indefinite termination; results when the injuring agent (or products resulting from its presence) persists in the lesion, and the host's tissues respond in a manner (or to a degree) that is not sufficient to overcome completely the continuing effects of the injuring agent. (05 Mar 2000) |
| chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy | An uncommon, acquired, demyelinating sensorimotor polyneuropathy, clinically characterised by insidious onset, and slow evolution, (either steady progression or stepwise), and chronic course; symmetrical weakness is a predominant symptom, often involving proximal leg muscles, accompanied by paresthesias, but not pain; CSF examination shows elevated protein, while electrodiagnostic studies reveal evidence of a demyelinating process, primarily conduction slowing rather than block; sometimes responds to prednisone. (05 Mar 2000) |
| chronic inflammatory polyneuropathy | <neurology, pathology> A disorder that involves the slow progressive (or recurrent) inflammation of multiple nerves. Loss of movement and sensation are common findings. The exact cause is related to an abnormal immune response. The acute form of this illness is known as Guillain-Barre syndrome. Treatment often includes systemic corticosteroids or chemotherapeutic agents to suppress the immune system. Prognosis is variable. Origin: Gr. Pathos = disease (27 Sep 1997) |
| chronic interstitial hepatitis | An obsolete term for cirrhosis of the liver. (05 Mar 2000) |
| chronic interstitial hypertrophic neuropathy | dejerine-Sottas disease |
| chronic interstitial salpingitis | Salpingitis in which fibrosis or mononuclear cell infiltration involves all layers of the fallopian or eustachian tube. Synonym: pachysalpingitis. (05 Mar 2000) |
| chronic kidney failure | Chronic renal failure represents a slow decline in kidney function over time. Chronic renal failure may be caused by a number of disorders which include long-standing hypertension, diabetes, congestive heart failure, lupus or sickle cell anaemia. If renal function declines to a low enough level (end-stage renal disease) kidney dialysis may be necessary. A sudden decline in renal function may be triggered by a number of acute disease processes. Examples include sepsis (infection), shock, trauma, kidney stones, kidney infection, drug toxicity (aspirin or lithium), poisons or toxins (drug abuse) or after injection with an iodinated contrast dye (adverse effect). Both forms of renal failure result in a life-threatening metabolic derangement. (27 Sep 1997) |
| chronic leukaemia | A persistent cancer of the blood, usually of gradual onset and generally of slow progression. May be diagnosed by chance following a routine blood test and prior to the appearance of clinical symptoms. Origin: Gr. Haima = blood (13 Nov 1997) |