Category: L

Drugs used for non-health problems or for disorders that are in the grey area between a genuine health need and a desire to change a failing lifestyle by the use of medication. Examples are: sildenafil citrate, which is prescribed for men unable to achieve penile erection (erectile dysfunction); and orlistat, a drug used to combat…

A hereditary disease in which blindness develops at about the age of 20.  

Acronym for laser in-situ keratomileusis, which is a variety of surgery of the eye used to correct severe myopia. A thin flap of the cornea is lifted, the area underneath reshaped using an excimer laser, and the flap is then returned to its place, the altered contour of the cornea improving the patient’s sight. LASIK…

A device used to deliver anaesthetic gases directly to the larynx. A tube is inserted into the mouth, fitted with a small mask at its end which fits snugly over the entrance to the back of the throat.  

One of the proton-pump inhibitors, this blocks the ‘proton pump’ enzyme system of the stomach’s acid-producing parietal cells. It is used in short-term treatment of peptic ulcer and in combination with antibacterial drugs to eliminate infection with the bacteria helicobacter pylori. Lansoprazole is a medication utilized to address conditions stemming from excessive stomach acid, including…

A branch of the ophthalmic nerve supplying the lacrimal gland and conjunctiva of the eye.  

Disease induced by a physician: most commonly a drug-induced disease.  

A weight of 2500 grams or less (5 pounds, 8.2 ounces) at birth. Abnormally low weight of a newborn, usually less than 2500 g. A 280-g infant has survived, but with physical and mental impairment.  

An amount an insurance company is obligated to pay under an insurance contract, usually due to physical damage or injury to the property or person of the insured or a third party.  

Excess of expense over income. Actually means a decrease in assets. The defining phrase “negative fund balance” is often used in non¬ profit corporations as a substitute for the word “loss.”