TIP#207: GLOSSARY OF DISEASES - UPDATED - PART 1 I have previously included many of the old diseases in other tips. However, this is such a comprehensive list that I felt it was worthy of being included. My thanks to Carolyn690@aol.com for putting these together for me! I am including some of the "newer" diseases, but this will primarily deal with the older or more rare names of diseases. Addison's Disease - A disease characterized by severe weakness, low blood pressure and a bronzed coloration of the skin due to decreased secretion of cortisol from the adrenal gland. Synonyms: Morbus addisonii, bronzed skin disease. Ague - Malarial or intermittent fever characterized by paroxysms (stages of chills, fever & sweating at regularly recurring times) and followed by an interval or intermission of varying duration. Popularly, the disease was known as "fever and ague", "chill fever", "the shakes" and by names expressive of the locality in which it was prevalent such as "swamp fever" (in Louisiana), "Panama fever" and "Chagres fever". Ague-cake - a form of enlargement of the spleen resulting from the action of malaria on the system. American Plague - Yellow fever. Anasarca - Generalized massive dropsy. (See dropsy) Apoplexy - Paralysis due to stroke. Aphthae - See Thrush Aphthous Stomatitis - See Canker Ascites - See Dropsy Asthenia - See Debility Bad Blood - Syphilis Bilious Fever - A term loosely applied to certain intestinal and malarial fevers. (See Typhus) Biliousness - A complex of symptoms comprising nausea, abdominal discomfort, headache, & constipation. Formerly attributed to excessive secretion of bile from the liver. Black Plague\Black Death - Bubonic plague Black Pox - Black smallpox Black Vomit - Vomiting old (black) blood due to ulcers Blood Poisoning - Bacterial Infection; Septicemia Bloody Sweat - Sweating sickness Bone Shave - Sciatica Brain Fever - See Meningitis, Typhus. Breakbone - Dengue fever Bright's Disease - Glomerulonephritis (kidney inflammation) Camp Fever - See Typhus. Bronze John - Yellow fever, Cachexy - Malnutrition Cacogastric - Upset stomach. Cacospysy - Irregular pulse Camp Fever - Typhoid fever, aka Camp Diarrhea and Jail Fever. Catalepsy - Seizures\Trances - condition which causes seizures, trances, or unconsciousness. Catarrh - Inflammation of a mucous membrane, especially of the air passages of the head and throat with a free discharge. Bronchial Catarrh was Bronchitis; Suffocative Cattarrh was Croup; Urtheral Cattarrh was Gleet; Vaginal Cattarrh was Leukorrhea; Epidemic Catarrah was the same as Influenza. runny eyes & nose, influenza. Synonyms: Cold, Coryza. Chilblain - Swelling of the extremities cause by exposure to cold. Childbed Fever - infection following childbirth, perpherial fever. Chin Cough - Whooping cough. Chlorosis - Iron Deficiency Anemia - condition of pale or greenish skin, weakness, & dyspepsia. Cholecystitis - Inflammation of the gall bladder. Cholelithiasis - Stones of the gall bladder. Cholera - An acute, infectious disease characterized by profuse diarrhea, vomiting and cramps. Cholera is spread by feces-contaminated water & food. Major epidemics struck the US in the years 1832, 1849 & 1866. Cholera Infantum - A common, noncontagious diarrhea of young children, occurring in summer or autumn. It was common among the poor and in hand-fed babies. Death frequently occurred in 3 - 5 days. Synonyms: Summer Complaint, Weaning Brash, Water Gripes, Choleric Fever of children, Cholera Morbus. Chorea - Any of several diseases of the nervous system, characterized by jerky movements that appear to be well coordinated but are performed involuntarity, chiefly of the face & extremities. Synonym: Saint Vitus' Dance. Disease characterized by convulsions, contortions,and dancing. Cold Plague - Ague which is characterized by chills. Colic - Paroxysmal pain in the abdomen or bowels. Infantile colic is benign paroxysmal abdominal pain during the first 3 months of life. Colic rarely caused death. Renal colic can occur from disease in the kidney, gallstone colic from a stone in the bile duct. Congestive Chills - Malaria. Congestive Fever - Malaria. Consumption - A wasting away of the body; formerly applied especially to pulmonary tuberculosis. Synonyms: Marasmus (in the mid-nineteenth century), Phthisis. Convuslions - Severe contortion of the body caused by violent, involuntary muscular contractions of the extremities, trunk and head. See Epilepsy. Coryza - See Catarrh. Cramp Colic - Appendicitis. Crop Sickness - Overextended stomach. Croup - Any obstructive condition of the larynx (voice box) or trachea (windpipe), characteried by a hoarse, barking cough and difficult breathing occurring chiefly in infants and children. In the early nineteenth century it was called Cynanche Trachealis. The crouping noise was similar to the sound emitted by a chicken affected with the pip, which in some parts of Scotland was called Roup; hence, probably the term croup. Synonyms: Roup, Hives, Choak, Stuffing, Rising of the Lights. Cyanosis - Blueness of skin due to lack of oxygen. Cynanche - Diseases of the throat. Day Fever - A fever lasting one day, sweating sickness. Debility - Abnormal bodily weakness or feebleness; decay of strength. This was a term descriptive of a patient's condition and of no help in making a diagnosis. Synonym: Asthenia. Decrepitude - Feebleness due to old age. Delirium Tremens - Hallucinations due to alcoholism. (D.T's) Dengue - Infectious fever endemic to East Africa. Dentition - Cutting of the teeth. Deplumation - Tumor of the eyelids which causes hair loss. Diary Fever - A fever lasting one day. Diptheria - An acute infectious disease acquired by contact with an infected person or a carrier of the disease. It was usually confined to the upper respiratory tract (throat) and characterized by the formation of a tough membrane (false membrane) attached firmly to the underlying tissue that would bleed if forcibly removed. In the 19th century the disease was occasionally confused with scarlet fever and croup. Dock Fever - Yellow fever. Dropsy - A contraction for Hydropsy. The presence of abnormally large amounts of fluid. Congestive Heart Failure. Congestive heart failure and/or edema (swelling) due to a kidney or heart disease. Dropsy of the Brain - Encephalitis. Dry Bellyache - Lead Poisoning. Dyscrasy - An abnormal body condition. Dysentery - A term given to a number of disorders marked by inflammation of the intestines (especially of the colon). There are 2 specific varieties: 1. Amebic Dysentery & 2. Bacillary Dysentery. Synonyms: Flux, Bloody Flux, Contagious Pyrexia (fever), Frequent Griping Stools. Dysorexy - Reduced appetite. Dyspepsia - Bad digestion. Dusury - Difficulty in urination. Eclampsia - A form of toxemia (toxins or poisons in the blood) accompanying pregnancy. See Dropsy. (c) Copyright 15 December 1998, Sandra K. 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