Product Description
The article is excerpted fromGale Encyclopedia of Medicine.

Consultthe second edition of this authoritative, comprehensive, in-depthmedical guide for information on more than 1,700 medical topics inlanguage accessible to adult laypersons. Presented in a singlealphabetical sequence, articles range in length from one or twoparagraphs for minor topics, to several pages or more for major topics.Disease/disorder articles typically cover definition; description;causes and symptoms; diagnosis; treatments; prevention; and more.Test/treatment articles typically cover definition; purposes;precautions; preparation; risks; normal and abnormal results; and muchmore. This second edition includes more than 200 new entries, 300updated entries, approximately 650 color images and illustrations, anda comprehensive subject index. New features include biographical andhistorical sidebars throughout the text.

Disease/disorder articles contain some or all of the following sections:

• Definitions -- brief dictionary-style definition of the disorder
• Descriptions -- overview of the disorder; who gets it and why
• Causes & symptoms -- process, substance or organism thatproduces the condition; any risk factors that increase susceptibilityto the condition; signs and symptoms of the disease
• Diagnosis -- overview of procedures and tests used todiagnose the condition; how the test is done; who should be tested andwhen; time required; cost; whether it's typically covered by insurance
• Treatments -- overview of conventional methods of care ormanagement of the condition, such as drugs, surgeries, physicaltherapy, etc.
• Alternative treatments -- overview of alternative/complementary therapies that may be used to treat the condition
• Prognosis -- probable outcome of the disease
• Preventions -- what actions can be taken to prevent the condition from occurring

Test/treatment articles contain some or all of the following sections:

• Definitions -- brief dictionary-style definition of the test/treatment
• Purposes -- why and when this test/treatment is prescribed
• Precautions -- when this test/treatment should not be prescribed
• Descriptions -- overview of the test/treatment including cost,length of time required, procedures followed, whether typically coveredby insurance
• Preparation -- pre-test treatment procedures, if any
• Aftercare -- post-test treatment procedures, if any
• Risks -- any complications/side effects commonly associated with the test/treatment
• Normal results -- for tests, describes the normal values; for treatments, describes the anticipated outcomes
• Abnormal results -- defines abnormal test values

Published/Released: December 2001

Product Description
This digital document is an article from Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, 3rd ed., brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 559 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.The third edition of this authoritative, comprehensive, in-depth medical guide features information on medical topics in language accessible to adult laypersons. Disease/disorder articles typically cover definition; description; causes and symptoms; diagnosis; treatments; prevention; and more. Test/treatment articles typically cover definition; purposes; precautions; preparation; risks; normal and abnormal results; and much more. ... Read more