Dictionary

STAT A common medical abbreviation for urgent or rush. From the Latin word statum, meaning “immediately.”

statin A class of drugs that lower blood cholesterol. The major effect of the statins is that they lower LDL cholesterol levels; in fact, they lower LDL cholesterol more than any other type of drugs. Statins inhibit an enzyme, HMG-CoA reductase, that controls the rate of cholesterol production in the body. This slows the production…

status epilepticus An epileptic seizure that lasts more than 30 minutes or a constant or near-constant state of having seizures. Status epilepticus is a health crisis and requires immediate treatment with antiseizure medications. See also epilepsy; seizure disorder.

STD Sexually transmitted disease.

STDs in men See sexually transmitted disease in men.

STDs in women See sexually transmitted disease in women.

Stein-Leventhal syndrome See polycystic ovarian syndrome.

stem cell One of the human body’s master cells, with the ability to grow into any one of the body’s more than 200 cell types. Stem cells are unspecialized (undifferentiated) cells that are characteristically of the same family type (lineage). They retain the ability to divide throughout life and give rise to cells that can…

stem cell harvest Obtaining stem cells for use in cancer or other treatment. Usually the cells are removed from the patient’s own bone marrow. Stem cells can be harvested from the blood or bone marrow. Umbilical cords have been saved as a future source of stem cells for the baby.

stem cell harvest, peripheral blood A technique for obtaining stem cells from the patient’s blood for use in bone marrow transplantation. The stem cells are lured out of the bone marrow with a special regimen of drugs. The blood is then filtered through a machine, and the stem cells are skimmed off. They can be…

stem cell transplantation The use of stem cells as a treatment for cancer or other illness. The stem cells are removed (or obtained from a donor) first. Before the transplant is done, the patient receives high-dose chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy to destroy diseased cells. Then the stem cells are returned to the patient, where they…

stenosis A narrowing. For example, aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the aortic valve in the heart.