Dictionary

factitious disorder See Munchhausen syndrome.

factor VIII A coagulation (clotting) factor. Classic hemophilia (hemophilia A) is due to a deficiency in factor VIII activity. Also known as antihemophiliac factor (AHF) or antihemophiliac globulin (AHG). Human factor VIII concentrates as well as recombinant (laboratory-produced) factor VIII are administered in the treatment of hemophilia A. See also hemophilia A.

factor, rheumatoid An antibody that is measurable in the blood. Rheumatoid factor is commonly used as a blood test for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid factor is present in about 80 percent of adults (and a much lower proportion of children) with rheumatoid arthritis. It is also present in patients with other connective tissue…

FAE Fetal alcohol effect.

Fahr syndrome A rare, inherited, progressive brain disorder that is characterized clinically by involuntary movements, prolonged muscle contractions, and dementia. It is characterized by abnormal deposits of calcium in the basal ganglia and cerebral cortex of the brain. The gene that is responsible for Fahr syndrome has been mapped to chromosome 14. There is no…

failure, heart See congestive heart failure.

failure to thrive The inability of a child to physically grow as quickly and as much as his or her peers. Abbreviated FTT. There is no official consensus as to what constitutes FTT. It usually refers to a child whose growth is below the 3rd or 5th percentiles for his or her age or whose…

fainting See syncope.

falciparum malaria See malaria, falciparum.

FALDH deficiency See Sjogren’s syndrome.

fallopian tube One of the two tubes that transport eggs from the ovary to the uterus. The Fallopian tubes have small hair-like projections called cilia on the cells of the lining. These tubal cilia are essential to the movement of the egg through the tube and into the uterus. If the tubal cilia are damaged…

false negative A result that appears negative when it should not. An example of a false negative would be if a particular test designed to detect cancer returns a negative result but the person actually does have cancer.