Category: Wa-Wz

A red bump, ridge or swelling of unbroken skin raised by a stinging blow or by an allergic reaction to foods, drugs or insect bites, as in hives (urticaria). The word “welt” has a number of nonmedical but related meanings including: in sewing, an edge of cloth folded on itself, often over a cord, and sewed…

Weight Watchers is a diet plan first developed in the 1960s that encourages weight loss by making healthy food and lifestyle choices. The Weight Watchers plan is based upon the idea that dieting is only one part of a healthy lifestyle. The program stresses the importance of overall mental and physical health and well-being. Weight Watchers…

Weight loss is a decrease in body weight resulting from either voluntary (diet, exercise) or involuntary (illness) circumstances. Most instances of weight loss arise due to the loss of body fat, but in cases of extreme or severe weight loss, protein and other substances in the body can also be depleted. Examples of involuntary weight loss include the weight…

Inflammation of the bursa that separates the gluteus maximus muscle of the buttocks from the underlying bony prominence of the bone that a person sits on (ischial tuberosity). Weaver’s bottom is a form of bursitis that is usually caused by prolonged sitting on hard surfaces that press against the bones of the bottom or midbuttocks. Also known as ischial bursitis.

Abbreviation for ‘well-developed, well-nourished,’ shorthand used by physicians when jotting down the results of a physical examination. For example, a WDWNWF would be a well-developed, well-nourished white female.

Wiedemann-Beckwith syndrome.

An illness due to infection with bacteria contaminating the water supply. Waterborne bacterial diseases cause a wide range of syndromes including: acute dehydrating diarrhea (cholera), prolonged febrile illness with abdominal symptoms (typhoid fever), acute bloody diarrhea (dysentery), and chronic diarrhea (Brainerd diarrhea). Common agents causing waterborne diseases include the following bacteria: Waterborne bacterial infections account for 2-3…

A nonspecific term meaning the accumulation of excess fluids in body tissues, medically known as edema. Edema can result from many different disease processes, including but not limited to diseases of the heart and circulation and kidney disease. Water retention is also used to describe the symptoms of feeling bloated or experiencing a small weight gain due to physiologic shifts…

Known medically as “hydrocephalus”, this is an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles of the brain. The fluid is often under increased pressure and can compress and damage the brain. Hydrocephalus can arise before birth or any time afterward. It may be due to many causes including a birth defect, hemorrhage into the brain, infection, meningitis, tumor, or head injury.…

A lowered blood concentration of sodium (see hyponatremia). The term “water intoxication” is generally used to refer to hyponatremia that occurs due to the consumption of excess water without adequate replacement of sodium, as may happen during strenuous exercise.