Category: H

Pertaining to the lower middle part of the abdomen, just above the pubis. To the lower middle of the abdomen or to the hypogastrium.  

The process of producing a state of mind known as hypnosis. Although recognized for hundreds of years, the precise nature of this process is still poorly understood. One modern writer has defined hypnosis as ‘a temporary condition of altered attention, the most striking feature of which is greatly increased suggestibility’.  

A complication of severe hypertension, this serious but uncommon condition is characterized by neurological symptoms which include transient verbal and visual disturbances, paraesthesia, disorientation, fits and sometimes loss of consciousness. It also affects the eyes, causing papilloedema. Haemorrhages may occur in the brain, usually in the area of the basal ganglia. Neurological symptoms can usually…

Overproduction of the hormone prolactin, usually as a result of a tumour of the pituitary gland (prolactinoma).  

An opioid analgesic drug used to relieve severe pain in cancer. A controlled drug, it is taken in capsule form or the powder may be sprinkled over soft food.  

A collection of fluid connected with the testis or spermatic cord. When there is no obvious cause, it is classified as primary: such hydrocoeles are usually large and tense, and are commonly found in middle-aged and younger men, presenting as a large, painless scrotal swelling. Congenital hydrocoeles may occur in infants, when they are often…

A vasodilator hypotensive drug, useful as an adjunct to other treatment for hypertension.  

A chronic inflammatory disease of the apocrine sweat glands. It is more common in women in whom it usually occurs in the armpit than in men, in whom it is most common in the perineum of the drivers of lorries and taxis. It occurs in the form of painful, tender lumps underneath the skin, which…

A form of alveolitis caused by contamination of the water used in air-conditioning plants to humidify, or moisten, the air. The breathing of the contaminated air results in infection of the lung, which is characterized by fever, cough, shortness of breath and malaise worse on Mondays and tending to improve during the course of the…

There are now two vaccines available to protect women against developing cervical cancer. They protect against infection with certain strains of human papillomavirus (HPV). Both vaccines (Cervarix and Gardasil) protect against HPV types 16 and 18, generally contracted during sexual intercourse and which are responsible for causing around 70-75 per cent of cervical cancer. These…