Category: Ha-Hf

  • Hemodialysis

    A medical procedure to remove fluid and waste products from the blood and to correct electrolyte imbalances. This is accomplished using a machine and a dialyzer, also referred to as an “artificial kidney.” Hemodialysis is used to treat both acute (temporary) and chronic (permanent) kidney failure.

  • Hemizygous

    Having only a single copy of a gene instead of the customary two copies. All the genes on the single X chromosome in the male are ‘hemizygous.

  • Hemithorax

    Half of the thorax or, more simply, one side of the chest.

  • Hemiplegia

    Paralysis on one side of the body.

  • Hemiparesis

    Weakness on one side of the body.

  • Hemidiaphragm

    Half of the diaphragm, the muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdomen and that serves as the main muscle of respiration. Both hemidiaphragms are visible on X-ray studies from the front or back. The right hemidiaphragm is protected by the liver and is stronger than the left. The left hemidiaphragm is more often subject to rupture and hernia than the right.…

  • Hemi-

    Prefix meaning one half, as in hemiparesis, hemiplegia, and hemithorax. From the Greek hemisus meaning half and equivalent to the Latin semi-. As a general rule, not always followed, hemi- goes with words of Greek origin and semi- with those of Latin origin.

  • Hematuria

    Blood in the urine. Hematuria may or may not be accompanied by pain, but it is always abnormal and should be further investigated. Painful hematuria can be caused by a number of disorders, including infections and stones in the urinary tract. Painless hematuria can also be due to many causes, including cancer.

  • Hematopoiesis

    The production of all types of blood cells including formation, development, and differentiation of blood cells. Prenatally, hematopoiesis occurs in the yolk sack, then in the liver, and lastly in the bone marrow. In the normal situation, hematopoiesis in adults occurs in the bone marrow and lymphatic tissues. All types of blood cells are derived from primitive cells…

  • Hematophobia

    An abnormal and persistent fear of blood is called hematophobia. Sufferers of this very common phobia dread the sight of their own blood, the sight of the blood of another person or an animal, and sometimes printed or filmed images of blood or even thoughts of blood. Blood may remind them of their own vulnerability to…