Medical dictionary

What is clinical biochemistry? Clinical biochemistry is a specialism of pathology, which is the study of diseases. Clinical biochemistry attempts to diagnose and manage diseases through the analysis of blood, urine and other bodily fluids. What does clinical biochemistry consist of? A clinical biochemist will take a sample of bodily fluid, and test it in a laboratory setting. The resu

What is clinical hypnosis? The word hypnosis derives from the Greek word for “sleep”. However, in clinical hypnosis, the patient is actually in an altered state of consciousness between sleep and wakefulness. With certain stimuli, mental processes are activated, and the specialist can treat various psychological disorders such as anxiety and stress. Why is it done? Clinica

What is clinical nutrition?Clinical nutrition can be defined as the study and overall analysis of the relationship between ingested food and the overall wellbeing of the human body. Nutritionists are responsible for assessing a patient's nutritional intake, and more specifically, how these nutrients are digested, transported, absorbed, stored, metabolised, and utilised before and after being

What is clinical psychology? Clinical psychology is an area of psychology that deals with the investigation, evaluation, diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and rehabilitation of issues that are affecting a patient's mental health and are generating discomfort or suffering. Clinical psychology aims to restore your psychological balance and well-being.     What conditions

What is lab testing? Lab testing, or blood work, tests our blood to give us insight into what is in our blood and can indicate our overall health. What does lab testing involve? Blood has to be drawn which is commonly taken from the inside of the elbow using a fine needle and syringe. The blood sample is then placed in a centrifuge in a laboratory and spun until the blood separates.

What are clinical trials? Clinical trials are medical research studies that test how scientific discoveries can be applied to patients. The test may be on a medical product, a substance, a drug, a diagnostic technique or a therapeutic technique that aims to assess its efficacy and safety, applying it to humans. Clinical trials can also compare a new treatment to one that is already ava

What is analysed in this type of test? Clopidogrel, a commonly prescribed antiplatelet medication, is analysed alongside CYP2C19 genotyping. This analysis determines how an individual's genetic makeup affects their ability to metabolise Clopidogrel. What do the results mean? The result indicates whether the individual is a normal metaboliser, rapid metaboliser, intermediate metabo

What is being analysed? Clostridioides difficile (Clostridium difficile) and its toxin are being analysed. Clostridioides difficile is a bacterium that can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhoea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon, known as colitis. The toxin produced by this bacterium is a key factor in its pathogenicity. What does the result mean? A positive result indicate

What is clubfoot? Clubfoot, also called talipes equinovarus or just talipes, is a condition affecting the muscles and bones in the feet. It is relatively common – around 1 in every 1,000 babies in the UK is born with a club foot. In around half of those affected, the condition is present in both feet.  What are the symptoms of clubfoot? The main symptom is the appearance o