The following are health and medical definitions of terms that appear in the Fifth Disease article.
Acetaminophen: A pain reliever and fever reducer. Brand name: Tylenol. The exact mechanism of action of acetaminophen is not known. Acetaminophen relieves pain by elevating the pain threshold (that is, by requiring a greater amount of pain to develop before it is felt by a person). Acetaminophen reduces fever through its action on the heat-regulating center (the "thermostat") of the brain. Generic is available.
Aplasia: Failure to develop. If something develops and then wastes away, that is atrophy.
Arthropathy: Joint disease. The term arthropathy does not specify the type of joint disease. It might be osteoarthropathy or it might be infectious joint disease or it might another kind of joint disease. See the entire definition of Arthropathy
Bacteria: Single-celled microorganisms which can exist either as independent (free-living) organisms or as parasites (dependent upon another organism for life). See the entire definition of Bacteria
Bone marrow: The soft blood-forming tissue that fills the cavities of bones and contains fat and immature and mature blood cells, including white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. Diseases or drugs that affect the bone marrow can affect the total counts of these cells.
Cheek: The side of the face forming the side wall of the mouth. See the entire definition of Cheek
Complication: In medicine, an additional problem that arises following a procedure, treatment or illness and is secondary to it. A complication complicates the situation.
Diagnosis:1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A conclusion or decision reached by diagnosis. The diagnosis is rabies. 3 The identification of any problem. The diagnosis was a plugged IV. See the entire definition of Diagnosis
Erythrocyte: A cell that contains hemoglobin and can carry oxygen to the body. Also called a red blood cell (RBC). The reddish color is due to the hemoglobin. Erythrocytes are biconcave in shape, which increases the cell's surface area and facilitates the diffusion of oxygen and carbon dioxide. This shape is maintained by a cytoskeleton composed of several proteins. Erythrocytes are very flexible and change shape when flowing through capillaries. Immature erythrocytes, called reticulocytes, normally account for 1-2 percent of red cells in the blood.
Fatigue: A condition characterized by a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency of accomplishment, usually accompanied by a feeling of weariness and tiredness. Fatigue can be acute and come on suddenly or chronic and persist. See the entire definition of Fatigue
Fetus: The unborn offspring from the end of the 8th week after conception (when the major structures have formed) until birth. Up until the eighth week, the developing offspring is called an embryo.
Fever: Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degrees F. (37 degrees C.), in practice a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C.). See the entire definition of Fever
Fifth disease: An oddly named disease caused by a virus called parvovirus B 19. (In the pre-vaccination era, fifth disease was frequently the "fifth disease" that a child contracted.) . Symptoms include low-grade fever, fatigue, a "slapped cheeks rash," and a rash over the whole body. See the entire definition of Fifth disease
Ibuprofen: A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) commonly used to treat pain, swelling, and fever. Common brand names for Ibuprofen include Advil, Motrin, and Nuprin.
Immune: Protected against infection. The Latin immunis means free, exempt.
Immune system: A complex system that is responsible for distinguishing us from everything foreign to us, and for protecting us against infections and foreign substances. The immune system works to seek and kill invaders. See the entire definition of Immune system
Immunocompromised: Having an immune system that has been impaired by disease or treatment.
Infection: The growth of a parasitic organism within the body. (A parasitic organism is one that lives on or in another organism and draws its nourishment therefrom.) A person with an infection has another organism (a "germ") growing within him, drawing its nourishment from the person. See the entire definition of Infection
Isolate: A group in which mating is always between members of the group. For example, the Amish.
Joint: A joint is the area where two bones are attached for the purpose of motion of body parts. A joint is usually formed of fibrous connective tissue and cartilage. An articulation or an arthrosis is the same as a joint. See the entire definition of Joint
Malaise: A vague feeling of discomfort, one that cannot be pinned down but is often sensed as "just not right." See the entire definition of Malaise
Measles: An acute and highly contagious viral disease characterized by fever, runny nose, cough, red eyes, and a spreading skin rash. Measles, also known as rubeola, is a potentially disastrous disease. It can be complicated by ear infections, pneumonia, encephalitis (which can cause convulsions, mental retardation, and even death), the sudden onset of low blood platelet levels with severe bleeding (acute thrombocytopenic purpura), or a chronic brain disease that occurs months to years after an attack of measles (subacute sclerosing panencephalitis). See the entire definition of Measles
Miscarriage: Inadvertent loss of a pregnancy before the fetus is viable. A considerable proportion of pregnancies end in a miscarriage. Also called a spontaneous abortion.
Naproxen: A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) used for the management of mild to moderate pain, fever, and inflammation. Naproxen blocks the enzyme cyclooxygenase that makes prostaglandins, resulting in lower concentrations of prostaglandins. As a consequence, inflammation, pain and fever are reduced. Brand names for naproxen include Anaprox, Naprelan, Naprosyn, and Aleve. See the entire definition of Naproxen
Pregnant: The state of carrying a developing fetus within the body. See the entire definition of Pregnant
Rash: Breaking out (eruption) of the skin. Medically, a rash is referred to as an exanthem.
Red blood cells: The blood cells that carry oxygen. Red cells contain hemoglobin and it is the hemoglobin which permits them to transport oxygen (and carbon dioxide). Hemoglobin, aside from being a transport molecule, is a pigment. It gives the cells their red color (and their name). See the entire definition of Red blood cells
Scarlet fever: Also called scarlatina, a disease caused by infection with group A streptococcal bacteria that occurs in a small proportion of people with strep throat. See the entire definition of Scarlet fever
Viral: Of or pertaining to a virus. For example, "My daughter has a viral rash."
Virus: A microorganism smaller than a bacteria, which cannot grow or reproduce apart from a living cell. A virus invades living cells and uses their chemical machinery to keep itself alive and to replicate itself. It may reproduce with fidelity or with errors (mutations)-this ability to mutate is responsible for the ability of some viruses to change slightly in each infected person, making treatment more difficult. See the entire definition of Virus
Viruses: Small living particles that can infect cells and change how the cells function. Infection with a virus can cause a person to develop symptoms. The disease and symptoms that are caused depend on the type of virus and the type of cells that are infected.
Thrombocytopenia refers to a decreased number of platelets in the blood. There are many causes of thrombocytopenia such as decreased platelet production (viral infections for example rubella, mumps, chickenpox, hepatitis C, and HIV); increased platelet destruction or consumption (for example sulfonamide antibiotics, heparin, blood transfusions, and lupus); or increased splenic sequestration (enlarged spleen due to conditions for example liver disease, blood cancers, and more). Treatment of thrombocytopenia depends on the cause.
Measles (rubeola) is a highly contagious disease that's caused by a virus. Symptoms include a rash, high fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes. Treatment focuses on symptom relief. The disease can be prevented with the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine.
Septic arthritis, or infectious arthritis, is infection of one or more joints by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. Symptoms and signs of septic arthritis include fever, joint pain, chills, swelling, redness, warmth, and stiffness. Treatment involves antibiotics and the drainage of the infected joint.
Thrombocytopenia is a lower than normal number of
platelets in the blood.
Platelets are one of the components of the blood along with white and red
blood cells. Platelets play an important role in clotting and bleeding.
Platelets are made in the bone marrow similar to other cells in the blood such
as, white blood cells and red blood cells.
Platelets originate from megakaryocytes which are large cells found in the bone
marrow. The fragments of
these megakaryocytes are platelets that are released into the blood stream. The
circulating platelets make up about two third of the platelets that are released
from the bone marrow. The other one third is typically stored (sequestered) in
the spleen.
Platelets, in general, have a brief 7 to 10 days life in
the blood, after which they are removed from the blood circulation. The number of platelets in
the blood is referred to as the platelet count and is
normally betw...
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