STAT means now. Everything else means consult a specialist.
A neurological condition affecting communication, sensory processing, and social interaction across the lifespan. Modern medicine recognizes it as a neurodevelopmental difference, not a deficit—though the internet has its own... creative definitions.
Programmed cell death; cells literally committing suicide when they're supposed to. Nature's way of saying 'your time is up.'
The medical equivalent of Google Maps for your cardiovascular system, using X-rays and contrast dye to create detailed roadmaps of your blood vessels and heart chambers. This imaging technique lets doctors play detective, hunting for blockages, aneurysms, or other vascular drama. It's essentially giving your circulatory system its close-up, whether it wants one or not.
A compound or organism that performs similar functions to another despite completely different evolutionary origins—nature's version of 'same job, different résumé.'
Having a disease or condition without showing any symptoms. The medical equivalent of finding out your house is on fire after the fact.
A localized collection of pus surrounded by inflamed tissue. Your body's way of walling off infection like a biological maximum security prison.
A squeamish person's euphemism for blood, typically used when discussing blood draws or medical tests to avoid triggering a fainting spell. This is the linguistic equivalent of looking away while the nurse inserts the needle—technically accurate but desperately avoiding reality. Perfect for those who turn pale at the mere mention of the V-word (veins).
A minimally invasive procedure where doctors thread a catheter into your blocked arteries and physically widen the narrowed passages—basically the medical equivalent of using a plunger on your cardiovascular system. Often followed by stent insertion to keep things open.
What happens when food, liquid, or vomit goes down the wrong pipe and throws a party in your lungs, inviting bacteria along for the fun. The medical world's reminder that the epiglottis has one job and sometimes fails spectacularly.
A protein produced by your immune system that's basically a molecular bounty hunter, trained to recognize and neutralize specific invaders.
Acute = sudden onset, dramatic, demands immediate attention. Chronic = long-term houseguest that won't leave and requires ongoing management. Medicine's version of uninvited guests.
Fatty tissue—your body's biological storage unit for excess calories, serving as insulation and energy reserves. It's not malicious; it's just doing its job a little too well.
Additional treatment given after the main therapy to improve outcomes—basically backup singers for your cancer treatment.
A substance that kills bacteria or inhibits their growth—humanity's favorite chemical weapon against microscopic invaders.
To examine by listening, usually with a stethoscope—the method that makes everyone think doctors are contemplative.
When your blood performs a disappointing job of oxygen delivery—courtesy of too few red blood cells or hemoglobin skipping work. The result: paleness, fatigue, and the sudden discovery that climbing stairs is now a cardio event.
The aggressive, obsessive-compulsive practice of murdering germs before they can throw a bacterial rave in your open wound—basically what happens when cleanliness meets paranoia in a sterile field.