Health Glossary

A1C

Also: Hemoglobin A1C, HbA1c, glycated hemoglobin

The A1C test (also called HbA1c) measures your average blood sugar level over the past two to three …

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Advance Directive

Also: Living will, healthcare proxy, POLST

An advance directive is a legal document expressing your wishes regarding medical treatment if you become unable to …

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APOL1

Also: Apolipoprotein L1, APOL1 kidney risk variants

APOL1 is a gene that produces a protein protecting against African sleeping sickness. Two genetic variants (G1 and …

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BMI

Also: Body mass index

Body mass index (BMI) is a numerical value calculated from weight and height, used to categorize people as …

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Colorectal Cancer Screening

Also: Colon cancer screening, colonoscopy, CRC screening

Colorectal cancer screening tests people without symptoms to find cancer or precancerous polyps early. Methods include colonoscopy, stool-based …

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Doula

Also: Birth doula, labor support professional

A doula is a trained, non-medical birth worker who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support before, during, …

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Endometriosis

Also: Endo

Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus, on the …

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Fibroids

Also: Uterine fibroids, leiomyomas, myomas

Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths of the uterus that appear most often during childbearing years. They range in …

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Food Apartheid

Also: Food desert (related), food insecurity

Food apartheid is a term coined by food justice activist Karen Washington to describe the systemic destruction of …

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G6PD Deficiency

Also: Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency

G6PD deficiency is an inherited enzyme disorder affecting red blood cells. When people with G6PD deficiency are exposed …

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Health Equity

Also: Health justice, health disparities (related but distinct)

Health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. This …

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HIV

Also: Human immunodeficiency virus, AIDS

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a virus that attacks the body's immune system, specifically CD4 T cells. Without …

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Hypertension

Also: High blood pressure

Hypertension (commonly called high blood pressure) occurs when the force of blood pushing against artery walls is consistently …

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Implicit Bias

Also: Unconscious bias, racial bias in medicine

Implicit bias refers to attitudes and stereotypes that affect our decisions unconsciously, outside our awareness or intentional control. …

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Keloid

Also: Keloid scar

A keloid is a type of raised scar that grows beyond the boundaries of the original wound. Unlike …

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Lupus

Also: Systemic lupus erythematosus, SLE

Lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks healthy …

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Lupus Nephritis

Also: LN, lupus kidney disease

Lupus nephritis is a serious complication of lupus (SLE) in which the autoimmune disease causes kidney inflammation. Without …

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Mammogram

Also: Breast X-ray, mammography

A mammogram is an X-ray picture of the breast used to look for early signs of breast cancer. …

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Maternal Mortality

Also: Maternal death, pregnancy-related death

Maternal mortality refers to the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of the end …

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Medicaid

Also: Medical assistance

Medicaid is a joint federal and state health insurance program for people with limited income and resources. It …

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Medicare

Also: Federal health insurance for seniors

Medicare is the federal health insurance program primarily for people aged 65 and older, as well as certain …

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Midwife

Also: CNM, CM, CPM, certified nurse-midwife

A midwife is a healthcare professional trained to provide care during pregnancy, labor, birth, and the postpartum period, …

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Pap Smear

Also: Pap test, cervical cytology, cervical smear

A Pap smear (Pap test or cervical cytology) is a screening procedure for cervical cancer in which cells …

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PCOS

Also: Polycystic ovary syndrome, polycystic ovarian syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common hormonal disorders affecting women and people assigned female …

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Preeclampsia

Also: Toxemia of pregnancy, pregnancy-induced hypertension

Preeclampsia is a serious pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and signs of organ damage, typically developing …

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Prostate Cancer

Also: PCa, prostate adenocarcinoma

Prostate cancer is cancer that occurs in the prostate gland. It is one of the most common cancers …

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Sarcoidosis

Also: Sarcoid

Sarcoidosis is an inflammatory disease characterized by the growth of tiny collections of inflammatory cells (granulomas) in one …

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Sickle Cell Disease

Also: SCD, drepanocytosis

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder in which red blood cells become rigid and shaped …

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Social Determinants of Health

Also: SDOH, social drivers of health

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions in environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, …

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Statins

Also: HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, lipid-lowering drugs

Statins are a class of medications that lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol by blocking an enzyme in the liver. …

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Structural Racism

Also: Systemic racism, institutional racism

Structural racism refers to the cumulative and compounding effects of factors that systematically privilege white people and disadvantage …

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Type 2 Diabetes

Also: T2D, adult-onset diabetes, type 2 diabetes mellitus

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition in which the body doesn't use insulin properly (insulin resistance), causing …

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Weathering

Also: Biological weathering, racial weathering

Weathering is a hypothesis, first proposed by Dr. Arline Geronimus in 1992, that describes the physical health deterioration …

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