Medical Lingo

When you are over 50, you tend to pay more visits to your doctor, test your blood more often and learn more medical terms than you care to know about. You may have heard of these medical terms somewhere along the line but they didn't mean anything at that time. When you move to the other half of the century, things are different now. You get real personal with these terms and you try your best to understand them so that you can come to terms to what is happening and take remedial measures for your own well being. Some of the medical terms that have cropped up lately in my life are as below:

1. Prostate Specific Antigen - A protein produced by the cells of the prostate that can be elevated in patients suffering from prostate cancer, abbreviated PSA. To check if one has prostate cancer, a PSA test needs to be carried out. (A test on blood sample).

2. Testosterone - Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. Testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females although small amounts are secreted by the adrenal glands. In both males and females, it plays key roles in health and well-being.

3. Thrombocytopenia - Thrombocytopenia is the term for a reduced platelet (thrombocyte) count. It occurs when platelets are lost from the circulation faster than they can be replaced from the bone marrow where they are made. Can be caused by statin drugs taken to lower cholesterol levels.

4. Cholesterol - High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are small, dense molecules responsible for transporting cholesterol to the liver. This type of cholesterol is actually good for your body because it helps remove cholesterol from the arteries and protects against dangerous blockages (plaques) in the arteries.
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) carries the majority of cholesterol through the bloodstream and delivers it to the cells of the body. These LDL-cholesterol molecules are larger, less dense, and less stable than HDL, and readily oxidize and deposit plaques on arterial walls. Therefore, LDL cholesterol is known as the "bad" cholesterol because it is more likely to clog arteries and lead to heart disease.

5. Cervical Spondylosis - Degenerative disease of the neck vertebrae. Compression of the spinal cord and cervical nerves by narrowing of spaces between vertebrae causes radiating neck or arm pain and stiffness, restricted head movement, headaches, spastic paralysis, and arm and leg weakness. Cervical spondylosis can resemble neurological disease with unrelated arthritis. It is treated with rest, traction, and possibly a cervical collar. Removal of herniated disks or fusion of vertebrae may be necessary.

6. Haematology - the branch of medicine that deals with diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs.

7. Endocrinology - The study of the glands and hormones of the body and their related disorders.

8. Hypothyrodism - Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the body lacks sufficient thyroid hormone. Since the main purpose of thyroid hormone is to "run the body's metabolism", it is understandable that people with this condition will have symptoms associated with a slow metabolism.

9. Osteophytosis - Outgrowth of immature bony processes from the vertebrae, reflecting the presence of degenerative disease and calcification. It includes cervical and lumbar spondylosis.

Hope there are no more medical terms coming my way. Good health and old age is acceptable.