Dictionary

mastoiditis Inflammation of the mastoid, which often occurs secondarily to ear infection.

maternal mortality rate The number of registered maternal deaths due to birth- or pregnancyrelated complications per 100,000 registered live births.

maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein The presence of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), a plasma protein that is normally produced by the fetus, in the mother’s blood. Abbreviated MSAFP. MSAFP serves as the basis for some valuable tests. AFP is manufactured principally in the fetus’s liver but is also found in the fetal gastrointestinal tract and in the yolk sac,…

maxilla The major bone of the upper jaw.

MCAT Medical College Admissions Test.

McBurney point The most tender area of the abdomen of patients in the early stage of appendicitis.

McCune-Albright syndrome See polyostotic fibrous dysplasia.

MD Abbreviation for the Latin Medicinae Doctor, “doctor of medicine.”

measles An acute and highly contagious viral disease characterized by fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes, and a spreading skin rash. Measles can be complicated by ear infections, pneumonia, encephalitis (which can cause convulsions, mental retardation, and even death), the sudden onset of low blood platelet levels with severe bleeding (acute thrombocytopenic purpura), or a…

measles, atypical An altered type of measles that may begin with a mild prodrome of fever, headache, cough, and abdominal pain. In other cases, a sudden onset of high fever, headache, and chest pain occur. The rash appears 1 or 2 days later, often beginning on the limbs. Some patients become severely ill. It occurs…

measles, mumps, rubella vaccine See MMR.

measles encephalitis Inflammation of the brain during recovery from measles infection. Measles encephalitis occurs in approximately 1 in 1,000 to 2,000 cases of measles, starting up to 3 weeks after onset of the rash and causing high fever, convulsions, and coma. It carries a 10-20 percent mortality rate and may lead to permanent central nervous…