Glossary - D
Decortication - Surgically removing the outer layer of an organ, frequently performed on the lungs when the covering has lost its elasticity and is causing difficulty in breathing.
Depression - Generally understood to mean a lowering or reduction in mood or activity. Clinical depression is feelings of extreme sadness or melancholia.
Dermal - The dermis is the second layer of the skin, directly below the epidermis. Dermal typically refers to anything relating to the skin.
Diagnosis - Determining the specific ailment of the mind or body by studying the signs and symptoms displayed and attempting to determine the root causes of the ailment.
Diagnostic - The processes or tools used to help determine an illness and disease and its underlying causes.
Diaphragm - A sheet of muscle sitting between the chest and the abdomen. The muscle expands and contracts, drawing air into the lungs and pushing it out.
Differential Diagnosis - A winnowing process using several possible diagnoses as comparisons to find the best diagnosis and treatments.
Diffuse - Adding one substance to another in order to lower the concentration of the first substance. Also means to distribute or spread a substance throughout another.
Disease - An illness or ailment that shows specific symptoms and impairs the normal functions of a living organism.
Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR) - An order given by a doctor, patient or representative of the patient stating that extreme life saving measures should not be undertaken to save an individual from death.
Dose - A specific amount of a medication given to a patient in order to treat a disease or illness.
Dose-Response Relationship - The affect on a living organism that different levels (or doses) of a medication has. For example, small doses of a substance may have curative affects while larger doses may be lethal.
Double Blind - Research that lets neither the researchers nor the subjects no who is receiving the substance being studied until all of the results have been collated.
Drain - Allowing a substance, typically a liquid, to escape from an area. For instance, a catheter may be applied to the bladder to allow it to drain.
Drug Resistance - The effectiveness of a drug may decrease due to an increasing tolerance or a natural resistance.
Dyspnea - A symptom of many medical disorders that is displayed as a shortness of breath or pain when breathing
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