Dictionary

history See history, medical.

history, developmental An account of how and when a child passed developmental milestones, such as walking and talking. For adults, information on social-emotional development may be included. A developmental history is used primarily in the diagnosis of developmental disorders.

history, family An account of past and current family structure and relationships within the family, including medical information about family members.

history, medical A complete account of all past and present medical events and problems a person has experienced, including psychiatric illness.

history, social An account of a patient that puts his or her illness or behavior in context. A social history may include aspects of the patient’s developmental, family, and medical history, as well as relevant information about life events, social class, race, religion, and occupation.

His-Werner disease See trench fever.

HIV Human immunodeficiency virus, the cause of AIDS. HIV is a retrovirus: It has an RNA genome and a reverse transcriptase enzyme. Using the reverse transcriptase, the virus uses its RNA as a template for making complementary DNA. This DNA can then integrate itself into the DNA of the host organism. Also known as the…

HIV infection, acute The body’s initial reaction to infection by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a flu-like syndrome that occurs 2 to 4 weeks after a person contracts HIV. Symptoms include fever, sore throat, headache, skin rash, and swollen glands (lymphadenopathy). This syndrome precedes the development of detectable antibodies to HIV in the blood (seroconversion), which…

HIV infection, primary The stage of infection by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), in which detectable antibodies to HIV appear in the blood (seroconversion). It normally takes from several weeks to several months for antibodies to the virus to develop after HIV transmission. When antibodies to HIV appear in the blood, a person tests positive in…

hive A raised, itchy area of skin that is often a sign of an allergic reaction. A hive can be rounded or flat topped but is always elevated above the surrounding skin. It reflects circumscribed edema (local swelling) of the skin. Hives are usually well circumscribed but may be coalescent, and they blanch with pressure….

HLA Human leukocyte antigen, the major human histocompatibility system. HLA typing is done before transplantation to determine the degree of tissue compatibility between donor and recipient.

Hodgkin’s disease A type of lymphoma, a cancer that develops in the lymph system, part of the body’s immune system. Because there is lymph tissue in many parts of the body, Hodgkin’s disease can start in almost any part of the body. The cancer can spread to almost any organ or tissue in the body,…