Dictionary

chondromalacia Abnormal softening or degeneration of cartilage. See also patellofemoral syndrome.

chondromalacia patella See patellofemoral syndrome.

chickenpox A highly infectious viral disease characterized by an itchy rash. Also known as varicella. It is caused by herpes zoster, a member of the herpes family of viruses. Chickenpox has nothing to do with chicken; the name originated to distinguish this mild pox from smallpox (chicken being used, as in chickenhearted, to mean weak…

chickenpox immunization A vaccination that prevents chickenpox. If an older person has not had chickenpox, the shot may be given at any time. All children, except those with compromised immune systems or known neurological conditions, are recommended to have the vaccination. See also chickenpox.

chilblain An injury due to cold temperatures that, although painful, causes little or no permanent impairment. It appears as red, swollen skin that is tender and hot to the touch and may itch. This can worsen to an aching, prickly (“pins and needles”) sensation, and then numbness. It can develop in only a few hours…

child abuse A complex set of behaviors that include child neglect and the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of children. Although most people think first of physical abuse when they hear the term child abuse, physical abuse makes up only a small percentage of reported cases. Physical abuse is defined as physical injury inflicted upon…

child health The care and treatment of children. Child health is the purview of pediatrics, which became a medical specialty in the mid-nineteenth century. Before that time the care and treatment of childhood diseases were included within such areas as general medicine, obstetrics, and midwifery.

childbed fever Fever due to an infection after childbirth, usually of the placental site within the uterus. If the infection involves the bloodstream, it constitutes puerperal sepsis. Childbed fever was once a common cause of death for women of childbearing age, but it is now comparatively rare in the developed world due to improved sanitary…

childbirth See labor.

childbirth fever See childbed fever.

childhood 1 The time between birth until adulthood. 2 The time from infancy to the onset of puberty. During childhood, the potential of a unique human person must be nurtured by parents or parent figures.

childhood disintegrative disorder One of the pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) characterized by apparently normal development for at least the first 2 years after birth, as manifested by the presence of age-appropriate verbal and nonverbal communication, social relationships, play, and adaptive behavior. Children with this disorder display significant loss of previously acquired skills (before age 10…