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GLOSSARY OF MEDICAL TERMS
| Addiction | the uncontrolled dependence on and the uncontrolled use of habit forming drugs (such as tobacco). The American Psychiatric Society now classifies an addiction as a disease. |
| Alveoli | the air sacs of the lungs |
| Amputation | the removal of a limb or other appendage, usually by surgery. |
| Angina | pectoris severe spasmatic chest pain associated with an insufficient supply of blood to the heart. (Use of tobacco increases the risk for angina pectoris). |
| Angiogram | an x-ray of the blood vessels (such as the coronary arteries) after injection of a radiopaque substance. (see slide s) |
| Asthma | a condition marked by attacks of wheezing and shortness of breath due to narrowing of the airways (Exposure to irritating tobacco smoke increases the risk for asthma) |
| Autopsy | the examination of a corpse including the internal organs to determine the cause of death or nature of disease. |
| Biopsy | the removal and examination, usually microscopic, of tissue from the body to establish a precise diagnosis |
| Bronchi | the larger airways of the lungs |
| Bronchoscopy | inspecting the inside of the bronchi with a slender tubular instrument with a small light on the end (bronchoscope) (Bronchial cancers can be seen and biopsied through a bronchoscope.) (see slide 6) |
| Cancer | a growth that invades tissue without control and has a tendency to spread to new sites (see slide k) |
| Carbon monoxide |
a poisonous gas formed by burning organic substances such as tobacco. When inhaled, it decreases the oxygen content of the blood |
| Cells | cells are the fundamental, structural and functional unit of living organisms. They consist of a nucleus surrounded by cytoplasm enclosed by a cell membrane |
| Chemotherapy | treatment of disease (usually cancer) with chemical agents |
| Chest X-ray | a photograph of the chest wall, heart and lungs using x-ray beams which pass through the chest and produce an image on a photographic plate (e.g., A lung tumor can be seen on a chest x-ray.) (see slide n) |
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