Medical signs

Abnormal posturing, which indicates severe brain injury, refers to an involuntary flexion or extension of the extremities. It occurs when one set of muscles becomes incapacitated and the other set is not, and an external stimulus such as pain causes the working set of muscles to contract (AllRefer.com, 2003). Since posturing is an important indicator of the amount of damage that has occurred to the brain, it is used by medical professionals to measure the severity of a coma with the Glasgow Coma Scale (for adults) and the Pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale (for infants). Two types of abnormal posturing are decorticate and decerebrate posturing, also called decorticate and decerebrate responses, respectively. Opisthotonos, in which the head and back are arched backward, is another form of abnormal posturing. The presence of posturing indicates a severe medical emergency requiring immediate medical attention. ...more on Wikipedia about "Abnormal posturing"

Acanthosis nigricans is a brown to black, poorly defined, velvety hyperpigmentation of the skin, usually present in the posterior and lateral folds of the neck, the axilla, groin, umbilicus, and other areas. ...more on Wikipedia about "Acanthosis nigricans"

Achlorhydria or hypochlorhydria is decreased production of gastric acid by the stomach. Its main cause is antibody production against parietal cells, the cells that normally produce the acid, and is therefore an autoimmune disorder. It also occurs after long-term proton pump inhibitor therapy, or in patients with the rare disease mucolipidosis (type IV). It can be part of pernicious anemia, atrophic gastritis, VIPomas or of carcinoid of the stomach. ...more on Wikipedia about "Achlorhydria"

In psychology, alogia, or poverty of speech, is a general lack of additional, unprompted content seen in normal speech. As a symptom, it is commonly seen in patients suffering from Schizophrenia. It can complicate psychotherapy severely because of the considerable difficulty in holding a fluent conversation. ...more on Wikipedia about "Alogia"

Anasarca (or "generalized edema") is a medical symptom characterised by widespread swelling of the skin due to effusion of fluid into the extracellular space. ...more on Wikipedia about "Anasarca"

Anisocoria is a condition characterized by an unequal size of the pupils. ...more on Wikipedia about "Anisocoria"

Asthenopia is an ophthalmological condition that manifests itself through unspecific symptoms such as fatigue, eye strain, pain in or around the eyes, blurred vision, headache and occasional double vision. Symptoms often occur after reading, computer work, or other activities that involve tedious visual tasks. Sometimes, asthenopia can be traced back to specific eye problems, such as uncorrected refraction errors or heterophoria. ...more on Wikipedia about "Asthenopia" Must see shortopedia

In psychology, avolition is a general lack of desire, motivation, and persistence. Commonly seen in patients with schizophrenia, those suffering from avolition will not start or complete any major tasks. This differs from anhedonia, where patients generally find task completion pleasureless. ...more on Wikipedia about "Avolition"

AVPU is an acronym for Alert, Verbal, Pain, Unconcious. It is a scale that emergency first responders use to determine and communicate the level of conciousness of an injured person. ...more on Wikipedia about "AVPU"

Beau's lines are deep grooved lines that run from side to side on the fingernail. They may look like indentations or ridges in the nail plate. There are several reasons that humans get Beau's lines. It is believed that there is a temporary cessation of cell division in the nail matrix. This may be caused by an infection or problem in the nail fold, where the nail begins to form, or it may be caused by an injury to that area. Some other reasons for these lines include: trauma, coronary occlusion, hypocalcaemia, skin disease and may be a sign of systemic disease. It may also be caused by an illness of the body, such as diabetes, certain drugs, such as those used in chemotherapy or even malnutrition. This condition of the nail was named by a French physician, Joseph Honoré Simon Beau (1806-1865), who first described it in 1846. ...more on Wikipedia about "Beau's lines"

Bloating is any abnormal general swelling, or increase in diameter of the abdominal area. As a symptom, the patient feels a full and tight abdomen, which may cause abdominal pain. sometimes accompanied by borborygmus. Bloating may have several causes, the most common being accumulation of liquids and intestinal gas. Ascites is the proper medical term for abdominal bloating caused by excessive accumulation of liquid inside the cavity. ...more on Wikipedia about "Bloating"

Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of the blood vessels. Unless indicated otherwise, blood pressure is understood to mean arterial blood pressure, i.e., the pressure in the large arteries, such as the brachial artery (in the arm). The pressure of the blood in other vessels is lower than the arterial pressure. ...more on Wikipedia about "Blood pressure"

In medicine, blood sugar is a term used to refer to levels of glucose in the blood. Blood sugar concentration, or serum glucose level, is tightly regulated in the human body. Glucose, transported via the bloodstream, is the primary source of energy for the body's cells. ...more on Wikipedia about "Blood sugar"

Borborygmus (plural borborygmi) is the rumbling sound produced by the movement of gas through the intestines of animals. ...more on Wikipedia about "Borborygmus"

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Boutonneuse fever (also called Mediterranean Fever) is a fever as a result of a Rickettsial infection. Is caused by the bacterium Rickettsia connorii and transmitted by the dog tick Riphicephalus sanguineus. Boutonneuse fever, also called Mediterranean spotted fever is endemic in many countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. After the incubation period of around 7 days, the disease begins abruptly with chills, high fevers, muscular and articular pains, severe headache and photophobia. In the place of the bite forms a black crust (tache noire) Around the 4th day of the illness an exanthem appears, first macular and then maculopapular and sometimes petechial. The diagnosis is made with serologic methods, either the classic Weill Felix test (aglutination of Proteus OX strains ), either ELISA or immunofluorescence assays. The illness is treated with chloramphenicol or doxicyclin. ...more on Wikipedia about "Boutonneuse fever"

In medicine, bulging flanks refers to a sign for ascites. If, on inspection, the slides of the abdomen bulge outward in an unusual fashion on a patient, they likely have fluid in the abdomen. ...more on Wikipedia about "Bulging flanks"

Café au lait spots or cafe-au-lait spots (CAL) are pigmented birthmarks. The name café au lait is French for "coffee with milk" and refers to their light-brown color. While cafe au lait spots are usually not associated with any medical problems, having many such spots is linked with neurofibromatosis. ...more on Wikipedia about "Café au lait spot"

Caput medusae is the appearance of distended and engorged umbilical veins which are seen radiating from the umbilicus across the abdomen to join systemic veins. The name caput medusae ( Latin for "head of Medusa") originates from the apparent similarity to Medusa's hair once Minerva had turned it into snakes. ...more on Wikipedia about "Caput medusae"

Central obesity (or 'apple-shaped' or 'masculine' obesity) occurs when the main deposits of body fat are localised around the abdomen and the upper body. ...more on Wikipedia about "Central obesity"

Clonus (from the Greek for "violent, confused motion") is a series of involuntary muscular contractions due to sudden stretching of the muscle. Clonus is a sign of certain neurological conditions, and is particularly associated with so-called upper motor neuron lesions such as stroke, multiple sclerosis or spinal cord damage. Unlike the small, spontaneous twitching known as fasciculations (usually caused by lower motor neuron pathology), clonus causes large motions that are usually initiated by a reflex. ...more on Wikipedia about "Clonus"

In medicine, clubbing (or digital clubbing) is a deformity of the fingers and fingernails that is associated with a number of diseases, mostly of the heart and lungs. Idiopathic clubbing can also occur. Hippocrates was probably the first to document clubbing as a sign of disease, and the phenomenon is therefore occasionally called Hippocratic fingers. ...more on Wikipedia about "Clubbing"

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Core temperature is the operating temperature of an organism, specifically in deep structures of the body such as the liver, in comparison to temperatures of peripheral tissues. ...more on Wikipedia about "Core temperature"

A cramp is an unpleasant sensation caused by contraction, usually of a muscle. It can be caused by cold or overexertion. Illness or poisoning can also cause cramps, particularly in the stomach, which is referred to as colic if it fits particular characteristics. ...more on Wikipedia about "Cramp"

This article is about the medical term Crepitus, for the Roman god, see Crepitus (mythology) ...more on Wikipedia about "Crepitus"

Cyanosis refers to the bluish coloration of the skin due to the presence of deoxygenated hemoglobin in blood vessels near the skin surface. ...more on Wikipedia about "Cyanosis"

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