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Medical Dictionary Terms Beginning with S
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Schistosoma mansoni
Schistosoma mansoni: A species of trematode worm that parasitizes humans and that (like S. japonicum) causes liver and gastrointestinal tract disease. See Schistosomiasis.more detail info...
Schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis: Disease of liver, gastrointestinal tract and bladder caused by trematode worms that parasitize people. The infection is acquired from infested water. Three main species of these trematode worms (flukes)--Schistosoma haematobium, S. japmore detail info...
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia: The most common form of psychosis, characterized by partial or total withdrawal of interest in the world outside of oneself and loss of intellectual and emotional function.more detail info...
Sciatica
Sciatica: Pain resulting from irritation of the sciatic nerve, typically felt at the back of the thigh. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve in the body and begins from nerve roots in the lumbar spinal cord in the low back and extends through themore detail info...
Sclerencephaly
Sclerencephaly: A general term for scarring and shrinkage of the substance of the brain. Sclerencephaly occurs because of chronic inflammation of the brain matter.more detail info...
Sclerosing cholangitis
Sclerosing cholangitis: A chronic disorder of the liver in which the ducts carrying bile from the liver to the intestine and, often, the ducts carrying bile within the liver, become inflamed, thickened and scared (sclerotic), and obstructed. Thmore detail info...
Sclerosing panencephalitis, subacute (SSPE)
Sclerosing panencephalitis, subacute (SSPE): A chronic brain disease of children and adolescents that occurs months to often years after an attack of measles, causing convulsions, motor abnormalities, mental retardation and, usually, death.more detail info...
Sclerosis, multiple (MS)
Sclerosis, multiple (MS): The National Multiple Sclerosis Society says of MS that it is &a disease that randomly attacks your central nervous system, wearing away the control you have over your body. Symptoms may range from numbness to paralysis amore detail info...
Scoliosis
Scoliosis: Sideways (lateral) curvature of the spine. Scoliosis is usually an incidental and harmless finding. When severe, scoliosis can be improved by surgical correction.more detail info...
Score, Apgar
Score, Apgar: A practical method to assess a newborn infant, the Apgar score is a number arrived at by scoring the heart rate, respiratory effort, muscle tone, skin color, and response to a catheter in the nostril. Each of these objective signs can recmore detail info...
Scrape
Scrape: Abrasion. Washing a cut or scrape with soap and water and keeping it clean and dry is all that is required to care for most wounds. Putting alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, and iodine into a wound can delay healing and should be avoided. Seek medicamore detail info...
Scrotum
Scrotum: A pouch of skin which contains the testes, epididymides, and lower portions of the spermatic cords.more detail info...
Scrub typhus
Scrub typhus: A mite-borne infectious disease caused by a microorganism, Rickettsia tsutsugamushi, characteristically with fever, headache, a raised (macular) rash, swollen glands (lymphadenopathy) and a dark crusted ulcer (called an eschar or tache nomore detail info...
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD)
Seasonal affective disorder (SAD): Depression that tends to occur (and recur) as the days grow shorter in the fall and winter. It is believed that affected persons react adversely to the decreasing amounts of light and the colder temperatures as the fallmore detail info...
Sebaceous cyst
Sebaceous cyst: A sebaceous cyst is a rounded swollen area of the skin formed by an abnormal sac of retained excretion (sebum) from the sebaceous follicles.more detail info...
Sebaceous gland
Sebaceous gland: A normal gland of the skin which empties an oily secretion into the hair follicle near the surface of the skin.more detail info...
Seborrhea
Seborrhea: A accumulation of scales of greasy skin, often on the scalp. Dandruff.more detail info...
Seborrheic keratosis
Seborrheic keratosis: A benign skin lesion resulting from excessive growth of the top layer of skin cells. It usually is found in persons over 30 years old and may be few or numerous.more detail info...
Sebum
Sebum: An oily secretion of the sebaceous gland which helps to preserve the flexibility of the hair.more detail info...
Seckel syndrome
Seckel syndrome: A birth defect syndrome with severe short stature and, characteristically, low birth weight, very small head (microcephaly), receding forehead, large eyes, low ears, prominent beaklike protrusion of the nose, and smallish chin. Demore detail info...