Epi-
Epi-: Prefix taken from the Greek that means “on, upon, at, by, near, over, on top of, toward, against, among.” As in epicanthal fold (a fold of skin that comes down across the inner angle, the canthus, of the eye; epicardium (a layer of fibrous tissue that surrounds the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels); episclera (a thin membrane on top of the sclera, the white of the eye); epidural anesthetic (an anesthetic injected into the epidural space surrounding the fluid-filled sac, called the dura, around the spine which partially numbs the abdomen and legs); etc.
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- Epicanthal fold
Epicanthal fold: A fold of skin that comes down across the inner angle of the eye. Epicanthal folds appear most frequently in persons with Down syndrome and some other constellations of birth defects. To the untrained eye, an epicanthal fold may look similar to the eye fold found in peoples of Asian origin, but the […]
- Epicardium
Epicardium: The inner layer of the pericardium, a conical sac of fibrous tissue that surrounds the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels. The pericardium has outer and inner coats. The outer coat is tough and thickened, loosely cloaks the heart, and is attached to the central part of the diaphragm and the […]
- Epicondylitis
Epicondylitis: Epicondylitis is an inflammation or damage to the area of an epicondyle of bone. An epicondyle is a projection of bone above a condyle (a rounded prominence at the end of a bone, usually where the bone connects to another bone) where ligaments and tendons are attached. Two common types of epicondylitis are tennis […]
- Epidemic
Epidemic: The occurrence of more cases of a disease than would be expected in a community or region during a given time period. A sudden severe outbreak of a disease such as SARS. From the Greek “epi-“, “upon” + “demos”, “people or population” = “epidemos” = “upon the population.” See also: Endemic; Pandemic.
- Epidemic hemorrhagic fever
Epidemic hemorrhagic fever: A syndrome caused by a hantavirus which is transmitted to humans by contact with infected rodents urine or feces. Patients typically develop a high fever, cough, shortness of breath and abdominal or back pain and may go on to develop kidney failure, which is usually temporary. Many arboviruses (including those in the […]