Body systems

Infection and inflammation of the lacrimal sac, the pouch at the inner corner of the eye that drains tears into the nose.

White or yellow flakes of dead skin shed from the scalp.

A rise in blood glucose in the early morning hours, roughly 4 to 8 a.m., without a low glucose during the night.

A space that does no useful work: in a wound, a gap between layers where fluid can pool; in breathing, air that never reaches gas exchange.

The end of life: the irreversible stopping of circulation and breathing, or of every function of the whole brain.

A temporary drop in the fetal heart rate below its baseline, seen on a fetal monitor.

An abnormal body position with the arms and legs held stiff and straight, the arms turned inward and the toes pointed.

The point at which an organ or the body can no longer make up for a disease, so it stops working well enough.

An abnormal body position with the arms bent in toward the chest, the hands clenched into fists and the legs held stiff and straight.

A nursing diagnosis used when the heart does not pump enough blood to meet the body's needs.

A blood clot in a deep vein, most often in the leg or pelvis.

Passing stool out of the body through the anus.

An electric shock given to the heart to stop a chaotic, life-threatening rhythm so a normal rhythm can return.

A lack of something the body needs, such as a vitamin, mineral, hormone or enzyme.

A body part that is out of its normal shape or position.

The splitting open of the edges of a wound that had been closed, such as a surgical incision.

A state in which the body has lost more water than it has taken in.

A sudden state of confusion and poor attention that comes and goes over hours or days.

The most severe form of alcohol withdrawal, with sudden confusion and overactivity of the nervous system.

The thick, triangle-shaped muscle that covers the shoulder and lifts the arm out to the side.

A firm, false belief that a person holds onto even when there is clear proof against it.

A long-term, usually worsening decline in memory and thinking that is serious enough to affect daily life.

One of the short, branching parts of a nerve cell that receive signals from other cells.

Tooth decay: damage to the hard outer layers of a tooth that forms holes (cavities).

The number, kind and arrangement of a person's teeth.

A state in which the body has adapted to a drug, so that stopping it suddenly causes withdrawal symptoms.

The change in electrical charge across a nerve or muscle cell's membrane that sets off a signal or a contraction.

A mood disorder of lasting sadness or loss of interest that affects thinking, sleep, appetite and daily life.

A mental health condition of lasting low mood or loss of interest that gets in the way of daily life.

Inflammation of the skin.

The thick layer of skin under the epidermis that holds blood vessels, nerves, hair roots and glands.

The smooth muscle of the bladder wall, in crisscrossing bands, that contracts to squeeze urine out.

Relating to how a person grows and changes in body, mind and behavior across their life.

A lifelong condition, starting in childhood, that limits a person's physical, learning, language or behavior skills.

A condition in which the hip socket is too shallow to hold the top of the thigh bone firmly in place.

A skill that most children can do by a certain age, such as smiling, sitting, walking or saying words.

A period of life, such as infancy or adolescence, with its own typical abilities, needs and tasks.

A disorder of antidiuretic hormone: the body makes too little of it, or the kidneys do not respond to it.

A long-term disease in which blood glucose stays high because the body makes too little insulin or cannot use it well.

A state of high blood glucose, ketones in the blood and acidic blood, caused by a lack of insulin.

Damage to the small blood vessels of the retina caused by diabetes.

The fluid used in dialysis to pull waste products and extra fluid out of the blood.

A treatment that removes wastes and extra fluid from the blood when the kidneys can no longer do it.

Irritation and redness of the skin in the area covered by a diaper.

The dome-shaped sheet of muscle under the lungs that is the main muscle of breathing; also the flat side of a stethoscope.

The shaft of a long bone, the long tube between its two ends.

Loose or watery stools, usually three or more times a day or more often than normal for the person.

The part of each heartbeat when the heart muscle relaxes and the chambers fill with blood.

Relating to diastole, the part of each heartbeat when the heart muscle relaxes and its chambers fill with blood.

The bottom number in a blood pressure reading: the lowest pressure in the arteries, while the heart relaxes between beats.