Hiatus
An opening, as in the diaphragm. When there is an unusually wide opening in the diaphragm, there can be a hiatus (or hiatal) hernia.
In Latin an hiatus is “an opening, gaping mouth, or chasm.” It is derived from the verb “hiare” meaning “to gape or yawn.” Therefore, a “hiatus” is a gaping opening in anything, such as the opening in a cliff leading into a cave or a break in the conversation in which nothing happens or is said.
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- Hiatal hernia
An anatomical abnormality in which part of the stomach protrudes up through the diaphragm into the chest. Normally, the esophagus passes down through the chest, crosses the diaphragm, enters the abdomen through a hole in the diaphragm called the esophageal hiatus and joins the stomach just below the diaphragm. When there is a hiatal hernia, […]
- Hiatus hernia
Protrusion of the stomach up into the opening normally occupied by the esophagus in the diaphragm, the great dome of muscle that separates the thoracic (chest) cavity from the abdomen. Normally, the esophagus passes down through the chest, crosses the diaphragm, enters the abdomen through a hole in the diaphragm called the esophageal hiatus and […]
- HIB
Haemophilus influenzae type B.
- HIB immunization
This immunization is designed to prevent diseases caused by Haemophilus influenzae type B (HIB), a bacteria responsible for a range of serious “invasive” diseases including meningitis with potential brain damage and epiglottitis with airway obstruction. More than 90% of all HIB infections occur in children 5 years of age or less; the peak attack rate […]
- Hiccups
a hiccup. Hiccups are often rhythmic. They are usually just a minor nuisance, but prolonged hiccups can become a major medical problem. The word “hiccup” was in use by 1530. It is an instance of onomatopoeia, the imitation of natural sounds by words. Alternative forms of “hiccups” include “hiccough” and “hickup.”