Hirschsprung’s disease An abnormal condition that is present at birth and is due to absence of the normal nerves (ganglia) in the bowel wall. Nerves can be missing starting at the anus and extending up a variable distance of the bowel. This results in enlargement of the bowel above the point of the missing nerve,…
Hippocratic Oath An oath taken by new physicians authored by Hippocrates. The oath represents a promise to act ethically: to treat the ill to the best of one’s ability, to preserve a patient’s privacy, to teach the secrets of medicine to the next generation, and so on. See also Daily Prayer of a Physician.
hippocampus An area deep in the forebrain that helps regulate emotion, learning, and memory.
hip pointer A bruise of the upper edge of the ilium, one of the hip bones. This injury is typically caused by a direct blow or fall and is most common in those playing contact sports. Also known as iliac crest contusion.
hip bursitis See bursitis, hip.
high colonics See irrigation of the colon.
high blood pressure A repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceeding 140 over 90 mmHg. Chronic high blood pressure can stealthily cause blood vessel changes in the back of the eye (retina), abnormal thickening of the heart muscle, kidney failure, and brain damage. No specific cause for high blood pressure is found in 95 percent of patients….
hidradenitis suppurativa An illness characterized by multiple abscesses of the skin that form in and around oil and sweat glands and hair follicles, most commonly under the armpits and in the groin area. Hydradenitis suppurativa is treated by antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications often along with surgical resection of the involved skin.
hiccup An extraordinary type of breathing movement that involves a sudden intake of air (inspiration) due to a sudden involuntary contraction of the diaphragm, accompanied by closure of the glottis in the larynx. Closure of the glottis then halts the incoming air. The column of air strikes the closed glottis to produce the characteristic sound…
hiccough See hiccup.
hibernation reaction See seasonal affective disorder.
HIB immunization See Haemophilus influenzae type B immunization.