Dictionary

cold, June See hay fever.

cold, summer See allergic rhinitis.

cold injury An injury caused by exposure to extreme cold that can lead to loss of body parts and even to death. Examples of cold injury are chilblain, trench foot, and frostbite. Cold injury occurs with and without freezing of body tissues. The young and the elderly are especially prone to cold injury, and alcohol…

cold sore A small sore located on the face or in the mouth that causes pain, burning, or itching before bursting and crusting over. Common locations for cold sores are the lips, chin, cheeks, and nostrils. Cold sores more rarely appear on the gums and the roof of the mouth. Cold sores are caused by…

colectomy An operation to remove all or part of the colon (large intestine). In a partial colectomy, the surgeon removes only part of the colon. The bowel is then reconnected or an opening of the bowel (ostomy) is created on the abdominal wall to allow the contents of the bowel to exit from the body….

colic A cause of crampy abdominal pain in early infancy. Colic is a common condition, occurring in about 1 in 10 babies. An infant with colic is irritable, cries, and often has a rigid abdomen and draws up its legs. Overfeeding, undiluted juices, food allergies, and stress can aggravate colic. Colic usually lasts from early…

colitis Inflammation of the colon (large intestine). There are many forms of colitis, including amebic, Crohn’s, infectious, pseudomembranous, spastic, and ulcerative.

colitis, amebic Inflammation of the intestine, with ulcers in the colon, due to infection with an ameba called Entamoeba histolytica. This parasite can be transmitted to humans via contaminated water and food. Symptoms, which include diarrhea, indigestion, nausea, and weight loss, can begin shortly after infection, or the ameba may live in the gastrointestinal tract…

colitis, Crohn’s Crohn’s disease affecting the colon. Also known as granulomatous colitis. See also Crohn’s disease.

colitis, granulomatous See colitis, Crohn’s.

coated stent A tiny cage to prop open an artery and prevent it from closing again, that is coated with a drug. The stent is inserted into a coronary artery, usually just after an angioplasty has been done, to keep open the vessel. The stent slowly releases the drug with which it is coated. Coated…

cocaine A substance derived from the leaves of the coca plant that is a bitter, addictive substance formerly used as an anesthetic. Safer anesthetics than cocaine were developed in the 20th century, although it is still used as an injectable anesthetic by some dentists. Synthetic alternatives, such as procaine, are used far more widely. Tragically,…