Wasting
1. Gradual loss (for example, of weight), deterioration, emaciation. As in a wasting disease. 2. Excessive depletion. As in salt wasting, the excessive loss of salt.
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- Watchful waiting
Closely monitoring a patient’s condition but withholding therapy until the sign and symptom appear or change. Also called observation.
- Water
1. A tasteless odorless colorless liquid with the chemical formula H2O. 2. The liquid which forms rain, rivers, and the sea and makes up a large part of the bodies of most organisms, including humans. 3. The amniotic fluid, as in the bag of waters. 4. The cerebrospinal fluid, especially under increased pressure, as in […]
- Water blister
A blister with clear watery contents that is not purulent (does not contain pus) and is not sanguineous (does not contain blood). A blister is medically termed a vesicle. One that is more than 5 mm in diameter with thin walls and is full of watery fluid is called a bulla. The word “blister” entered […]
- Water intoxication
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.
- Water on the brain
In infants the most obvious sign of hydrocephalus is usually an abnormally large head. (That is one reason a baby’s head should be measured at every well-baby visit). Symptoms of hydrocephalus in an infant may include vomiting, sleepiness, irritability, an inability to look upwards, and seizures. In older children and adults there is no head […]