Medical Terms Referring to Diseases of Various Systems of the Body and Obstetric Terms

• Integumentary system


  The skin and its associated structures
• Integumentary system


  • Protects against infection, dehydration, ultraviolet radiation, and injury
  • Helps regulate temperature by evaporation of sweat and changes in blood vessel diameter
  • Contains receptors for sensory perceptions of touch, temperature, pressure, and pain
• Derma


  (from Greek) Skin
• Cutaneous


  Pertaining to the skin (from Latin cutis, meaning "skin")
• Epidermis


  The outermost layer of the skin, consisting of 4-5 layers of epithelial cells
• Stratum basale


  The deepest epidermal layer, producing new cells
• Stratum corneum


  The outermost epidermal layer, composed of flat, dead, protective cells
• Melanin


  A pigment that gives the skin color and protects against sunlight
• Dermis


  The layer of the skin beneath the epidermis, containing connective tissue, nerves, blood vessels, lymphatics, and sensory receptors
• Subcutaneous layer


  The layer of tissue beneath the dermis, composed mainly of connective tissue and fat
• Sweat (sudoriferous) glands


  Act mainly in temperature regulation by releasing a watery fluid that evaporates to cool the body
• Sebaceous glands


  Release an oily fluid, sebum, that lubricates the hair and skin and prevents drying
• Hair


  Widely distributed over the body, developing within a sheath or hair follicle and growing from its base within the skin's deep layers
• Arrector pili


  A small muscle attached to the hair follicle that raises the hair to produce "goosebumps"
• Nails


  Develop from a growing region at the proximal end, with the cuticle (eponychium) being an extension of the epidermis onto the nail plate
• Lunula


  The lighter region distal to the cuticle, where the underlying skin is thicker and blood does not show as much through the nail
• Dermis


  The layer of the skin between the epidermis and the subcutaneous tissue; the true skin or corium
• Epidermis


  The outermost layer of the skin (from epi-, meaning "upon or over" and derm, meaning "skin")
• Hair


  A thread-like keratinized outgrowth from the skin (root: trich/o)
• Hair follicle


  The sheath in which a hair develops
• Integumentary system


  The skin and its associated glands, hair, and nails
• Keratin


  A protein that thickens and toughens the skin and makes up hair and nails (root: kerat/o)
• Melanin


  A dark pigment that gives color to the hair and skin and protects the skin against the sun's radiation (root: melan/o)
• Nail


  A plate-like keratinized outgrowth of the skin that covers the dorsal surface of the terminal phalanges (root: onych/o)
• Sebaceous gland


  A skin gland that produces sebum; usually associated with a hair follicle (root: seb/o)
• Sebum


  A fatty secretion of the sebaceous glands that lubricates the hair and skin (root: seb/o)
• Skin


  The tissue that covers the body; the integument (roots: derm/o, dermat/o)
• Subcutaneous layer


  The layer of tissue beneath the skin; also called the hypodermis
• Sweat gland


  A gland that releases a watery fluid (perspiration) to the skin surface in order to cool the body. Certain sweat glands, located mainly in the armpits and groin area, release secretions with some cellular material in response to stress.
• Atopic dermatitis


  Hereditary, allergic, chronic skin inflammation with pruritus (itching); eczema
• Basal cell carcinoma


  An epithelial tumor that rarely metastasizes and has a high cure rate with surgical removal
• Cicatrization


  The process of scar formation; a scar is a cicatrix
• Debridement


  Removal of dead or damaged tissue, as from a wound
• Dehiscence


  Splitting or bursting, as when the layers of a wound separate
• Dermatitis


  Inflammation of the skin, often associated with redness and itching; may be caused by allergy, irritants (contact dermatitis), or a variety of diseases
• Dermatology


  Study of the skin and diseases of the skin
• Dermatome


  Instrument for cutting thin skin sections for grafting
• Eczema


  A general term for skin inflammation with redness, lesions, and itching; atopic dermatitis
• Erythema


  Diffuse redness of the skin
• Escharotomy


  Removal of scab tissue resulting from burns or other skin injuries; a scab or crust is an eschar