cM

CME Continuing medical education, education that physicians are required to obtain in order to earn CME credits to retain their medical licenses. They may do so by taking courses, attending medical conferences where they learn about new developments, or by reading and taking tests.

cluster

cluster headache A distinctive episodic syndrome of headaches. The most common cluster headache pattern, acute cluster headache, is characterized by one to three short attacks of pain each day around the eyes, clustered over a stretch of 1 to 2 months, and followed by a pain-free period that averages 1 year. The other main pattern…

Clostridium welchii

clot-dissolving medication An agent such as plasminogen-activator (t-PA) or streptokinase that is effective in dissolving clots and reopening arteries. For example, clot-dissolving medications may be used in the treatment of heart attacks, to reestablish blood flow to the heart muscle (myocardium). Also known as thrombolytic agents.

Clostridium difficile

Clostridium perfringens A bacterium that is the most common cause of gas gangrene, a lethal infection of soft tissue, especially muscle. C. perfringens bacteria are toxin- and gas-producing bacteria. Before the introduction of antibiotics, a significant percentage of battlefield injuries were complicated by gas gangrene. C. perfringens also causes food poisoning and a fulminant form…