Dictionary

deficiency, long-chain-3-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenease See deficiency, LCHAD.

deficiency, magnesium Lack of magnesium, which can occur because of inadequate intake or impaired intestinal absorption of magnesium. Low magnesium levels are often associated with low calcium and potassium levels because these nutrients interact with each other. Magnesium deficiency causes increased irritability of the nervous system, as evidenced by spasms of the hands and feet,…

deficiency, niacin See pellagra.

deficiency, protein C See protein C deficiency.

deficiency, selenium Lack of the essential mineral selenium, which can cause Keshan disease, a fatal form of disease of the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy) that was first observed in Keshan province in China and has since been found elsewhere. Treatment involves ensuring intake of the recommended dietary allowance of selenium, currently 70 mg per day for…

deficiency, UDP-glucuronosyltransferase See Gilbert syndrome.

deficiency, zinc A lack of zinc that is associated with short stature, anemia, increased pigmentation of skin, enlarged liver and spleen, impaired gonadal function, impaired wound healing, and immune deficiency. The diagnosis is with an abnormally low blood zinc level. One form of zinc deficiency is the hereditary skin disease acrodermatitis enteropathica. Treatment involves ensuring…

deformation A change from the normal size or shape of a structure produced by mechanical forces that distort an otherwise normal structure. Deformations occur most often late in pregnancy and during delivery. For example, a twin pregnancy can cause deformations due to crowding of the twins late in pregnancy. A well-known example of a deformation…

deafness Partial or complete hearing loss. Levels of hearing impairment vary from a mild to a total loss of hearing. Elderly adults suffer most often from hearing loss. The most common cause of hearing loss in children is otitis media. A substantial number of hearing impairments are caused by environmental factors such as noise, drugs,…

deafness, ichthyosis-keratitis See keratitisichthyosis-deafness syndrome.

deafness with goiter See Pendred syndrome.

death The end, or cessation, of life. In the US, the Uniform Determination of Death Act states that: “An individual who has sustained either 1 irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions, or 2 irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem, is dead. A determination of death must be…