Dictionary

white spots on the nails See jogger’s nails.

white subungual onychomycosis, proximal See onychomycosis, proximal white subungual.

whitehead A familiar term for what is medically called a closed comedo. A comedo, the primary sign of acne, consists of a dilated (widened) hair follicle filled with keratin squamae (skin debris), bacteria, and sebum (oil). A whitehead is a comedo that has an obstructed opening to the skin. A closed comedo may rupture and…

WHO World Health Organization.

VSD Ventricular septal defect.

vulva The female external genital organs, including the labia, clitoris, and entrance to the vagina.

vulvar pain, chronic See vulvodynia.

vulvitis Inflammation of the external genital organs of the female, often caused by the yeast Candida albicans. See also yeast vulvitis.

vulvodynia Chronic pain in the area of the female vulva. The main symptom is pain, usually a burning irritation or rawness of the genitals. The pain may be constant or intermittent, localized or diffuse. It can last for months or longer, and it can vanish as suddenly as it started. The cause of vulvodynia is…

Waardenburg syndrome A genetic syndrome that features varying degrees of hearing loss and pigmentation changes in the skin and hair. A difference of color between the iris of one eye and the other (heterochromia iridis) is often present. Abbreviated WS. Individuals with WS may also have a white forelock, early graying of the scalp hair…

Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia A rare, chronic low-grade and slow-growing malignancy of plasma cells. These plasma cells multiply out of control, invade the bone marrow, lymph nodes, and spleen, and characteristically produce huge amounts of the antibody macroglobulin (IgM). The excess IgM causes the blood to thicken. Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia can occur in younger people but is usually…

warfarin An anticoagulant medication (brand names: Coumarin, Panwarfin, Sofarin) that is taken to treat blood clots or overly thickened blood. Some patients also take warfarin to reduce their risk of clots, stroke, or heart attack. Warfarin works by suppressing production of some clotting factors. Warfarin can have potentially dangerous interactions with many other drugs, including…