Atrophy

Definition

The wasting away or decrease in size of tissue or organs from disuse or disease. Your body's harsh 'use it or lose it' policy made anatomically visible.

Example Usage

Months in a cast resulted in significant muscle atrophy, leaving his leg looking like it belonged to a chicken rather than an adult human.

Origin

From Greek 'atrophia,' meaning 'want of food' or 'wasting'

Fun Fact

Astronauts can lose up to 20% of muscle mass during long space missions due to atrophy, making reentry both a physics and physical therapy challenge.

Source: Anatomy and rehabilitation terminology

Related Terms

Beginner

Second Opinion

The process of asking another doctor to confirm that the first doctor was not just making stuff up, which is both a patient's right and a doctor's nightmare. The medical equivalent of asking a friend if your outfit looks okay after your spouse already said it was fine.

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Intermediate

aspiration pneumonia

What happens when food, liquid, or vomit goes down the wrong pipe and throws a party in your lungs, inviting bacteria along for the fun. The medical world's reminder that the epiglottis has one job and sometimes fails spectacularly.

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CPR

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation—the technique of manually pumping someone's heart and breathing for them when their body has decided to take an unscheduled break from living. Hollywood makes it look gentle; reality involves breaking ribs.

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Intermediate

hematocrit

The percentage of blood volume occupied by red blood cells. Basically your blood's packing efficiency score.

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afebrile

Medical speak for 'not having a fever,' because apparently saying 'normal temperature' is too pedestrian. It's the absence of fever dressed up in a three-syllable tuxedo.

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Intermediate

carcinoma

The overachieving villain of the cancer world, originating in epithelial tissue and possessing an unfortunate talent for spreading to distant body parts. This invasive malignancy starts in the cells that line your organs and has wanderlust for metastasis. It's the type of growth that makes oncologists reach for their treatment protocols faster than you can say "biopsy."

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