Category: Ti-Tr

The major form of fat stored by the body. A triglyceride consists of three molecules of fatty acid combined with a molecule of the alcohol glycerol. Triglycerides serve as the backbone of many types of lipids (fats). Triglycerides come from the food we eat as well as from being produced by the body. Triglyceride levels are influenced by recent fat…

Something that either sets off a disease in people who are genetically predisposed to developing the disease, or that causes a certain symptom to occur in a person who has a disease. For example, sunlight can trigger rashes in people with lupus.A predisposing event.

Also called tic douloureux. Inflammation of the trigeminal nerve (the fifth cranial nerve) that most commonly causes paroxysms of very intense lightning pain in the areas of the face the nerve supplies — the lips, eye, nose, scalp, forehead, gums, cheek, and chin — on the involved side of the face. A less common “atypical” form of the disease causes…

One of a class of medications used to treat depression. The tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are also used for some forms of anxiety, fibromyalgia, and the control of chronic pain. “Tricyclic” refers to the presence of three rings in the chemical structure of these drugs.

A single-celled protozoan parasite best known in medicine because one species causes vaginitis (vaginal inflammation). Infection with trichomonas (trichomoniasis) is the most common curable sexually transmitted disease (STD) in young sexually active women.) in young sexually active women. The species of trichomonas responsible for STD is Trichomonas vaginalis. The vagina is the most common site of infection in women, and the urethra (urine canal) is…

Pertaining to hair. As in trichobezoar (a hair ball), trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling), trichoepithelioma (a tumor from a hair follicle), etc. From the Greek thrix, trichos, meaning hair.

Pertaining to hair. As in trichinosis, a disease due to the parasite Trichinella spiralis which was thought to look like a little spiral hair. From the Greek thrix, trichos, meaning hair.

The process of sorting people based on their need for immediate medical treatment as compared to their chance of benefiting from such care. Triage is done in emergency rooms, disasters, and wars, when limited medical resources must be allocated to maximize the number of survivors. Triage in this sense originated in World War I. Wounded soldiers were classified into…

An abnormal, repetitive shaking movement of the body. Tremors have many causes and can be inherited, related to illnesses (such as thyroid disease), or caused by fever, hypothermia, drugs, or fear.

A medicinal compound once in wide use as an antidote to poisons. Treacle was a kind of salve. It was reputed to be a remedy against venomous bites in particular and against poisons in general. It also came to be considered a “cure” for cancer. The word “treacle” descends from the Greek “theriakos” (of a wild animal) and “therion” (a wild animal). Because…