Category: H

A medication used on the skin to lighten or bleach freckles and brown patches (“liver spots”). Hydroquinone (Eldopaque Forte, Eldoquin Forte, Lustra, Melanex, Solaquin Forte) is available as a cream, a lotion, a gel, and a solution for applying to the skin. The fading of darkened skin is a temporary effect. A metabolite of benzene,…

A disease of the alveoli, or air sacs, of the lungs that is caused by inhaling mold spores contained in airborne water droplets from a humidifier. Humidifier lung occurs when the water reservoir of a humidifier becomes contaminated with a variety of mold spores. The mold can contaminate warm or cool air humidifiers used in…

The most potent fertility drug. Human menopausal gonadotropin is prescribed for women who are not ovulating and have not responded to treatment with clomiphene, a drug that stimulates ovulation. This drug, also known as HMG, may contain both FSH (follicle-stimulating hormone) and LH (luteinizing hormone), or FSH alone. A purified form of the pituitary gonadotropins…

A system of medicine developed in Germany based on the belief that disease is cured by a substance that creates symptoms similar to those experienced by the person being treated. The three principles that govern homeopathic medicine are the law of similars, the single medicine, and the minimum dose. According to the law of similars,…

A drug used to relax pupil eye muscles during eye examinations. Homatropine (Isopto Homatropine) is given as eyedrops. Relaxed eye muscles allow the pupil to dilate, or widen, which allows the eye doctor to examine the interior of the eye. Homatropine is also used to treat eyes that are inflamed.  

The collection of information regarding a person’s physical status and function. The medical history is a vital part of any patient evaluation. Physicians take a person’s history in order to diagnose and treat disease, usually along with performing a physical examination. Information includes facts about present symptoms as well as past illnesses, surgeries, allergies, hospitalizations,…

A medical scientist who specializes in histology, the study of the microscopic structure, composition, and anatomy of body tissues. A specialist in the microscopic study of cells and tissues.  

An acute inflammatory disease of the brain caused by direct viral invasion of the herpes simplex virus. Herpes encephalitis produces swelling of the brain tissues and small hemorrhages throughout the brain’s hemispheres, the brain stem, cerebellum, and sometimes the spinal cord. When the brain is directly invaded by the herpes virus, nerve tissue is destroyed.…

An individual who has only one instead of a pair of a particular gene. Males are hemizygotes for all the genes on the X chromosome because they have only a single X chromosome, unlike females, who have two.  

Blood in the urine. Small amounts of blood make urine look smoky or cloudy; large amounts turn it dark red or a tea-colored brown. Hematuria is abnormal and can be a sign of serious disease; it requires prompt attention from a physician. Depending on the cause, hematuria may be accompanied by other symptoms, such as…