What does this word mean?

Anaemia

Anaemia is a blood disease where there are an abnormally low number of red blood cells.

Anaesthesia

Anaesthesia is the loss of sensation and usually of consciousness, without loss of vital functions, and is often used during radiotherapy or surgery. Anaesthesia involves one or more agents being administered that block the passage of pain impulses along nerve pathways to the brain. For example, you don't feel anything during surgery thanks to anaesthesia!

Bacteria

Bacteria are tiny, single-celled organisms that get nutrients from their environments. In some cases, that environment is you or some other living being. A certain number of bacteria are good for our bodies - they help keep the digestive system in working order and keep harmful bacteria from moving in. Some bacteria are even used to produce medicines and vaccines. But some bacteria can cause trouble, too - ever had a mouth cavity or sore throat? Bacteria cause all these infections.

Benign

Benign tumours are those which are not cancerous. They do not spread into surrounding tissue of other parts of the body.

Bone marrow

Bone marrow is the innermost part of some bones where blood cells are first made.

Catheter

A catheter is a narrow tube that is inserted into a blood vessel.

Chronic

Chronic refers to an illness that a person has for a long time or an illness that goes away and keeps coming back.

Diagnosis

A diagnosis occurs when a doctor collects all kinds of information to find out what's making you feel sick. Doctors do this by asking questions and ordering tests, like blood tests or X-rays. After you are diagnosed with something, doctors can treat you with medicine and other things to help you get better.

Lymph nodes

Lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped organs, that make and store infection-fighting white blood cells called lymphocytes. Clusters of these lymph nodes are found in the underarm, groin, neck, and abdomen.

Malignant

Malignant tumours are those confirmed as cancerous. They can spread into and destroy surrounding tissues, and have the capacity to spread into other parts of the body.

Melanin pigment

Melanin is the natural pigment that gives skin its colour. The darker your skin, the more melanin you have.

Outpatient

An outpatient is someone who receives treatment at a hospital but does not need to be admitted overnight. After their treatment they are able to go home (as long as they feel ready!).

Platelets

Platelets help to clot or thicken blood. They are smaller than red blood cells, and there are around 250,000 in a speck of blood.

Remission

Remission is when there is no longer evidence of cancer cells in the body.

Sidestream

Sidestream smoke is smoke from a smouldering cigarette. This type of smoke stays in the air longer due to particles in the smoke being smaller than those in normal smoke. Smaller particles mean better absorption in human lungs, making it more hazardous to breathe in than normal smoke.

Smoker's lung

Smoker's lung is a chronic inflammation of the lungs often caused by smoking. It is also known as chronic bronchitis, emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

It causes the respiratory passages to be swollen and irritated, increases mucus production and may damage the lungs. The symptoms are coughing and breathlessness that gets worse over time.

Spleen

The spleen is an organ near the stomach. It stores blood, disintegrates old blood cells, filters foreign substances from the blood, and produces infection-fighting white blood cells called lymphocytes.

Testes

Testes, also known as testicles produce and store millions of tiny sperm cells in a male who has reached sexual maturity.

Tumour

Tumours are lumps formed by cancer cells that continue to grow and divide interfering with the body's normal processes of cell division.

Ultraviolet radiation (UVR)

Ultraviolet radiation is radiation with a shorter wave length than light but longer than X-rays. The sun emits this ultraviolet radiation which can be very damaging to skin tissue and is a cause of skin cancer.