Category: Ah-Al

A progressive degenerative disease of the brain that leads to dementia. On a cellular level, Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the finding of unusual helical protein filaments in nerve cells of the brain. These twisted filaments are called neurofibrillary tangles. In the brain, Alzheimer’s disease involves degeneration of the cortical regions, especially the frontal and temporal lobes. There…

Alzheimer disease that runs in families and strikes at an unusually early age (with its onset under the age of 60). About 7% of early-onset cases of Alzheimer’s are familial and are inherited in an autosomal dominant manner with high penetrance. Mutations in three different genes — the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene and the presenilin 1 and 2…

A progressive degenerative disease of the brain that leads to dementia. On a cellular level, Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the finding of unusual helical protein filaments in nerve cells of the brain. These twisted filaments are called neurofibrillary tangles. In the brain, Alzheimer’s disease involves degeneration of the cortical regions, especially the frontal and temporal lobes. There…

A tiny air sac in the lungs. Plural alveoli.

Inflammation of the alveoli, the air sacs in the lungs.

The plural of alveolus. The alveoli are tiny air sacs within the lungs where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place.

A type of rhabdomyosarcoma, a fast-growing malignancy of muscle that mainly affects children (more than 60% of cases are diagnosed before age 10) but can occur at any age. Treatment includes surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and most often, a combination of these modes of treatment. The outlook depends on a number of factors, including the original location of the tumor.…

Lung disease characterized by progressive difficulty breathing (dyspnea) and cough due to the accumulation of lipoprotein material within the alveoli that impairs ventilation. Lung biopsy is the gold standard for the diagnosis but may not be required. The course of the disease ranges from spontaneous resolution to respiratory failure. There are three distinct and different forms of pulmonary alveolar…

Abbreviated AHD. A parasitic disease caused by the larval stage of a microscopic tapeworm Echinococcus multilocularis. AHD is found worldwide, mostly in northern latitudes. in central Europe, Russia, China, Central Asia, Japan, and North America. In North America E. multilocularis is found primarily in the north central region from eastern Montana to central Ohio, as…

Pertaining to the alveoli, the tiny air sacs in the lungs. The exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place in the alveoli which look like cells in a honeycomb. The word comes from the Latin diminutive of “alveus” meaning a cavity or hollow = a little cavity or hollow.