Directory:Ask the Doctors

Acne: Words to Know

Androgen:

A male sex hormone found in both males and females.

Anti-androgen:

A drug that slows down the production of androgens.

Antibiotic:

A drug that kills bacteria.

Comedo:

A hard plug that develops in the pores of the skin composed of sebum and dead skin cells. The mildest form of acne.

Comedolytic:

Drugs that break up comedos and open clogged pores.

Isotretinoin:

A drug that decreases sebum production and dries up acne pimples.

Sebum:

An oily material produced by sebaceous glands that keeps the skin moist.

Tretinoin:

A drug that increases the rate at which skin cells are formed and die.

Addiction: Words to Know

Detoxification:

Withdrawal; the process by which a person gives up a substance or activity to which he or she has become addicted.

Impairment:

An inability to carry on normal everyday functions because of an addiction.

Methadone:

A chemical given to addicts to help them overcome their addiction to heroin.

Physiological dependence:

A condition in which a person's body requires certain behaviors or the intake of some substance, without which it will become ill.

Process addiction:

A condition in which a person is dependent on some type of behavior, such as gambling, shopping, or sexual activity.

Psychological dependence:

A condition in which a person requires certain activities or the intake of some substance in order to maintain mental stability.

Substance addiction:

A condition in which a person is dependent on some chemical substance, such as cocaine or heroin.

Tolerance:

The ability of a body to endure a certain amount of a substance that had previously been too much for it to tolerate.

Twelve-step program:

A plan for overcoming an addiction by going through twelve stages of personal development.

Withdrawal:

The process by which a person adjusts to the absence of some substance or activity to which he or she has become addicted.

Aids: Words to Know

Acute retroviral syndrome:

A group of symptoms resembling mononucleosis that are the first sign of HIV infection in 50 to 70 percent of all patients and 45 to 90 percent of women.

AIDS dementia complex:

A type of brain dysfunction caused by HIV infection that causes confusion, difficulty thinking, and loss of muscular coordination.

Antibody:

A specific protein produced by the immune system in response to a specific foreign protein or particle called an antigen.

Antigen:

Any substance that stimulates the body to produce antibody.

Autoimmunity:

A condition in which the body's immune system (the system that fights disease and infection) produces antibodies in response to its own tissues or blood components instead of foreign particles or microorganisms.

CD4:

A type of protein molecule in human blood that is present on the surface of 65 percent of immune cells. The HIV virus infects cells that have CD4 surface proteins, and as a result, depletes the number of T cells, B cells, natural killer cells, and monocytes in the patients blood. Most of the damage to an AIDS patient's immune system is done by the virus's destruction of CD4 lymphocytes.

Hairy leukoplakia of the tongue:

A white area of diseased tissue on the tongue that may be flat or slightly raised. It is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus and is an important diagnostic sign of AIDS.

Hemophilia:

Any of several hereditary blood coagulation disorders occurring almost exclusively in males. Because blood does not clot properly, even minor injuries can cause significant blood loss that may require a blood transfusion, with its associated minor risk of infection.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV):

A transmissible virus that causes AIDS in humans. Two forms of HIV are now recognized: HIV-1, which causes most cases of AIDS in Europe, North and South America, and most parts of Africa; and HIV-2, which is chiefly found in West African patients. HIV-2, discovered in 1986, appears to be less virulent that HIV-1 and may also have a longer latency period.

Immunodeficient:

A condition in which the body's immune response is damaged, weakened, or is not functioning properly.

Kaposi's sarcoma:

A cancer of the connective tissue that produces painless purplish red or brown blotches on the skin. It is a major indication that a patient has AIDS.

Latent period:

Also called incubation period, the time between infection with a disease-causing agent and the development of the disease.

Lymphocyte:

A type of white blood cell that is important in the formation of antibodies and that can be used to monitor the health of AIDS patients.

Lymphoma:

A cancerous tumor in the lymphatic system that is associated with a poor prognosis in AIDS patients.

Macrophage:

A large white blood cell, found primarily in the bloodstream and connective tissue, that helps the body fight off infections by ingesting the disease-causing organism. HIV can infect and kill macrophages.

Monocyte:

A large white blood cell that is formed in the bone marrow and spleen. About 4 percent of the white blood cells in normal adults are monocytes.

Nucleoside analogues:

A medication that interferes when HIV tries to make copies of itself inside cells.

Opportunistic infection:

An infection by organisms that usually don't cause infection in people whose immune systems are working normally.

Persistent generalized lymphadenopathy (PGL):

A condition in which HIV continues to produce chronic painless swellings in the lymph nodes during the latency period.

Protease inhibitors:

The second major category of drug used to treat AIDS that works by suppressing the replication of the HIV virus.

T Cells:

Lymphocytes that originate in the thymus gland. T cells regulate the immune system's response to infections, including HIV. CD4 lymphocytes are a subset of T lymphocytes.

Wasting Syndrome:

A progressive loss of weight and muscle tissue caused by AIDS.