Category: Da-Dg

An abnormal and persistent fear of evil supernatural beings in persons who believe such beings exist and roam freely to cause harm. Those who suffer from this phobia realize their fear is excessive or irrational. Nevertheless, they become unduly anxious when discussing demons, when venturing alone into woods or a dark house, or when watching…

Significant loss of intellectual abilities, such as memory capacity, that is severe enough to interfere with social or occupational functioning. Criteria for the diagnosis of dementia include impairment of attention, orientation, memory, judgment, language, motor and spatial skills, and function. By definition, dementia is not due to major depression or schizophrenia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia. Other causes…

A setting of limits; a boundary; marking the limits of, delimiting; setting apart, separating. The word “demarcation” is used in medicine mainly in the sense of determining and marking off boundaries. For example, the surface demarcation in respect to damaged tissue can refer to the boundary between the living tissue and the necrotic (dead) tissue. “Demarcation” descends…

A false personal belief that is not subject to reason or contradictory evidence and is not explained by a person’s usual cultural and religious concepts (so that, for example, it is not an article of faith). A delusion may be firmly maintained in the face of incontrovertible evidence that it is false. Delusions are a frequent feature…

The muscle, roughly triangular in shape, that stretches from the collarbone (clavicle) over the shoulder to the upper bone of the arm (humerus). It contracts to move the arm up from the side.

A central nervous system symptom of alcohol withdrawal that is seen in chronic alcoholism. Symptoms include uncontrollable trembling, hallucinations, severe anxiety, sweating, and sudden feelings of terror. Abbreviated DTs. DTs can be both frightening and, in severe cases, deadly. Treatment includes observation, comfort care, and in some cases medication.

A sudden state of severe confusion and rapid changes in brain function, sometimes associated with hallucinations and hyperactivity, during which the patient is inaccessible to normal contact. Delirium can be due to a number of conditions, including infection, drug toxicity or withdrawal, seizures, brain tumor, poisoning, head injury, and metabolic disturbances.

(In French, dejà vu means “already seen.” and the word dejà has an acute accent on the e and a grave accent on the à but we have omitted the accents from the entry term for the sake of the English-speaking search engine.) Dejà vu is a disquieting feeling of having been somewhere or done…

Also DHEA; a steroid hormone made by the adrenal glands, that acts on the body much like testosterone and is converted into testosterone and estrogen. The blood levels of DHEA decline with age. DHEA is sold in the US without a prescription as a ‘nutritional supplement.’ It has been claimed to improve mood, boost the immune system, sharpen memory, and combat aging.

Excessive loss of body water. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract that cause vomiting or diarrhea may lead to dehydration. There are a number of other causes of dehydration including heat exposure, prolonged vigorous exercise, kidney disease, and medications that cause voiding (diuretics). One clue to dehydration is a rapid drop in weight. A loss of over 10%…