O Glossary

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O

obesity - Overweight by 30 percent of the ideal body weight.

obstetrics - The branch of medicine that deals with the care of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the recuperative period following delivery.

obstruction - A blockage in the GI tract that prevents the flow of liquids or solids.

occluded artery - An artery that is narrowed by plaque that impedes blood flow.

occult bleeding - Blood in stool that is not visible to the naked eye. May be a sign of disease such as diverticulosis or colorectal cancer.

ocular diseases - Diseases of or relating to the eye.

oncogenes - Genes that promote normal cell division.

oncology - The branch of medicine that deals with tumors, including study of their development, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

on-off effect, on-off phenomena - A change in the patient's condition, with sometimes rapid fluctuations between uncontrolled movements and normal movement, usually occurring after long-term use of levodopa and probably caused by changes in the ability to respond to this drug.

oophorectomy - Surgical removal of one or both ovaries.

open heart surgery - Surgery that involves opening the chest and heart while a heart-lung machine performs for the heart.

oral - Of or involving the mouth or mouth region or the surface on which the mouth is located.

oral dissolution therapy - A method of dissolving cholesterol gallstones.

orchiectomy (castration) - The surgical removal of the testicles.

orthopaedic surgeon (or orthopaedist) - The physician who diagnoses, treats, manages the rehabilitation process, and provides prevention protocols for patients who suffer from injury or disease in any of the components of the musculoskeletal system.

orthopaedic surgery (or orthopedics) - The medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and prevention of injuries and diseases of the body's musculoskeletal system.

orthostatic hypotension - A large decrease in blood pressure upon standing; may result in fainting.

osteoarthritis - Generally, a condition caused by wear and tear that causes inflammation of the joint, causing swelling, pain, and stiffness.

osteoporosis - A disease in which the bones become extremely porous, are subject to fracture, and heal slowly, occurring especially in women following menopause and often leading to curvature of the spine from vertebral collapse.

ostomy - An operation that makes it possible for stool to leave the body through an opening made in the abdomen, necessary when part or all of the intestines are removed. Colostomy and ileostomy are types of ostomy.

ovaries - Pair of small glands, located on either side of the uterus, in which egg cells develop and are stored and the female sex hormones estrogen and progesterone are produced.

overflow incontinence - The leakage of small amounts of urine from a bladder that is always full.

ovulation - Release of a mature egg from an ovary.

oxytocin - Hormone produced by the pituitary gland that stimulates contractions of the uterus during labor and the release of milk during breast-feeding.

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