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The transfer of blood or blood components from one person (the donor) into the bloodstream of another person (the recipient). Blood transfusion may be done as a lifesaving maneuver to replace blood cells or blood products lost through bleeding or due to depression of the bone marrow. Transfusion of one’s own blood (autologous) is the safest method…

A low blood level of the sugar glucose. Also called hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is only significant when it is associated with symptoms. It has many causes including drugs such as insulin, liver disease, surgical absence of the stomach, pre-diabetes, and rare tumors that release excess insulin.

An elevated level of the sugar glucose in the blood. Also called hyperglycemia. High blood sugar is a finding in a number of conditions, most notably diabetes mellitus. Elevated blood glucose leads to spillage of glucose into the urine (glucosuria) so that the urine is sugary. (The term diabetes mellitus means “sweet urine.”) Aside from diabetes, the many other causes of high blood sugar…

Blood glucose.  An elevated level of the sugar glucose in the blood. Also called hyperglycemia. High blood sugar is a finding in a number of conditions, most notably diabetes mellitus. Elevated blood glucose leads to spillage of glucose into the urine (glucosuria) so that the urine is sugary. (The term diabetes mellitus means “sweet urine.”) Aside from diabetes, the many other causes of high blood…

Any blood pressure that is below the normal expected for an individual in a given environment. Low blood pressure is also referred to as hypotension. Low blood pressure is a relative term because the blood pressure normally varies greatly with activity, age, medications, and underlying medical conditions. Low blood pressure can result from conditions of the nervous system, conditions that…

Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure is, by definition, a repeatedly elevated blood pressure exceeding 140 over 90 mmHg — a systolic pressure above 140 or a diastolic pressure above 90. Chronic hypertension is a “silent” condition that does not have symptoms. It can cause blood vessel changes in the back of the eye (retina), abnormal thickening of the heart muscle, kidney…

The blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within the arteries. It is produced primarily by the contraction of the heart muscle. Its measurement is recorded by two numbers. The first (systolic pressure) is measured after the heart contracts and is highest. The second (diastolic pressure) is measured before the heart contracts and lowest. A blood…

The medical term is “septicemia.” No matter which of these two terms-blood poisoning or septicemia-you prefer, what is meant is the same thing, namely a “general (systemic) disease that is due to the presence and the persistence of germs (pathogenic microorganisms) or their toxins in the bloodstream.” The “germs” can be bacteria (in bacteremia) or any…

The acidity or alkalinity of blood. The pH of any fluid is the measure of the hydrogen ion (H–) concentration. A pH of 7 is neutral. The lower the pH, the more acidic the blood. A variety of factors affect blood pH including what is ingested, vomiting, diarrhea, lung function, endocrine function, kidney function, and urinary tract infection.…

One of the National Institutes of Health in the U.S., the NHLBI’s mission is to “provide leadership for a national research program in diseases of the heart, blood vessels, lungs, and blood and in transfusion medicine through support of innovative basic, clinical, and population-based and health education research.”