Dictionary

anesthetic A substance that causes lack of feeling or awareness, dulling pain to permit surgery and other painful procedures.

anesthesiology The branch of medicine specializing in the use of drugs or other agents that cause insensibility to pain.

anesthesiologist A physician or, less often, a dentist who is specialized in the practice of anesthesiology.

anesthesia Loss of feeling or awareness, as when an anesthetic is administered before surgery.

anencephaly Absence of the cranial vault and of most or all of the cerebral hemispheres of the brain, a lethal malformation. Anencephaly is due to imperfect development of the neural tube, the structure that gives rise to the central nervous system, during very early pregnancy. The upper end of the neural tube fails to close….

anemia, sickle cell A genetic blood disorder caused by the presence of an abnormal, sickleshaped form of hemoglobin. These hemoglobin molecules tend to aggregate after unloading oxygen, forming long, rod-like structures that force the red cells to assume a sickle shape. Unlike normal red cells, which are usually smooth and malleable, the sickle red cells…

anemia, refractory Anemia that is unresponsive to treatment.

anemia, pernicious Low red blood cell count caused by inadequate vitamin B12. Abbreviated PA. Patients with PA do not produce intrinsic factor (IF), a substance that allows the body to absorb vitamin B12 from foods. The resulting inadequacy of vitamin B12 hampers the production of red blood cells. PA can be treated by injection of…

anemia, Mediterranean See thalassemia.

anemia, iron deficiency Anemia due to inadequate iron. Iron is necessary to make hemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that is responsible for the transport of oxygen. In iron deficiency anemia, the red cells are small and pale. Characteristic features of iron deficiency anemia in children include failure to thrive and increased infections. Iron…

anemia, Fanconi See Fanconi anemia.

anemia, Cooley See thalassemia.