Medical dictionary

What is constipation?The term “constipation” refers to infrequent bowel movements or difficulty passing stool. Constipation is usually defined as when a patient makes less than three bowel movements a week. These bowel movements may be difficult, even painful, and the individual may strain themselves trying to go.Occasional constipation is common, and can be related to change of routine, going on

What is a coronavirus? Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause mild to moderate upper-respiratory illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe illnesses such as pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Almost everyone will get infected by a coronavirus at least once in their life, and most of the time t

What is Crohn’s disease?Crohn’s disease is a type of chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that can affect any part of the digestive tract from mouth to anus, but is most commonly found at the end of the small intestine, where this meets the colon (large intestine). It is characterised by inflammation, which is often severe and can be debilitating, and may extend through the whole width of the

What is depression?Depression is a mental illness characterised mainly by a prolonged and severe feeling of sadness. This feeling is associated with other symptoms and alterations of thought and behaviour. Depression can affect people of all ages; either to adults, teenagers or even children. It can vary in severity and can last a lifetime, or be temporary. As such, there are different types of de

What is diabetes? Diabetes mellitus (DM), or just diabetes, refers to a group of metabolic diseases which result in an inability to regulate blood sugar levels. Having too much glucose in your blood can damage the kidneys, eyes, nerves and other parts of the body, including the blood vessels themselves. In extreme cases, diabetes can cause heart disease and strokes, and patients may even requir

What is diarrhoea?Diarrhoea is characterised by a greater fluidity and volume of bowel movements. These stools can sometimes contain blood, mucus, pus, and undigested food. When diarrhoea lasts for many days, it can be a sign of a more serious problem. Chronic diarrhoea that lasts for at least four weeks can be a symptom of a chronic disease.  What symptoms does it present?The

What is dietetics? Dietetics is the study of food and nutrition. Dieticians study how our bodies process food and absorb nutrients (fats, vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, water, and minerals). Dietetics helps to understand a person’s eating habits and analyses what diet would be best for them, whether they are a healthy individual or they have a long-term condition that could affect

What are digestive diseases? A digestive disease, or disorder, involves something going wrong with one of the organs in the digestive system. The digestive system is a tube made up of the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine, which leads to the back passage. It also contains organs such as the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas. Each part of this system has a

What is diverticular disease?Diverticular disease is a general term used to describe three conditions that can affect the large intestine: diverticulosis, diverticular disease and diverticulitis. The condition is characterized by the presence of diverticula in the lining of the intestine due to an increase in intraluminal pressure. Diverticula are small sacs or bulges that appear on the lining of