Medical dictionary

What is a stomach ulcer?A stomach ulcer, which is also known as a peptic or gastric ulcer, is a sore in the mucous membrane that lines the stomach or duodenum, the first segment of the small intestine.  The most common symptom is heartburn, which may happen after eating or during the night, and this can last for several hours.   What are the symptoms of stomach ulcers?The

What is being analysed? Stool culture is a diagnostic test that examines a sample of stool for the presence of disease-causing bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi. It helps identify the specific microorganisms responsible for gastrointestinal infections.   What is it used to diagnose? Stool culture is used to diagnose infections such as bacterial gastroenteritis, salmonella

What is strabismus? Strabismus, also known as a 'squint', means that the eyes are not aligned. It can cause difficulties with social interaction, and a person's self-confidence. Strabismus can be classified into three types, based on the direction of the eyes: Convergent strabismus : One eye is looking straight, the other is looking towards the nose. Dive

What is stress?Stress is often defined as the way you feel when you are under a great deal of pressure. This can be work pressure, pressure within the family, money problems, or relationship stress, or it can be a cumulation of more than one of these things. Stress is normal, and is the body’s reaction to a situation, especially one that requires a physical, mental or emotional response. Stre

What is stress incontinence? Stress incontinence is the unintentional loss of urine when physical movement puts your bladder under pressure, for example, if you laugh or cough, run, sneeze or lift something heavy. Stress incontinence is much more common in women than in men. The condition can impact your mental health and those who have stress incontinence may at tim

What is a stress test? A stress test (also known as the cardiac stress test, exercise ECG or exercise stress test) is used to diagnose and assess the blood flow within your heart. It diagnoses coronary artery disease, heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias) and it guides treatment decisions for other heart conditions.   What happens during the stress test? During a stress test,

What is the Stretta procedure? Stretta is an endoscopic treatment for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD) designed to treat acid reflux in a minimally invasive way. Reflux occurs when the ring of muscle (sphincter) that separates the oesophagus from the stomach doesn’t close properly due to weakness and/or the presence of a hiatus hernia. Stretta uses radiofrequency energy to apply h

What is a stroboscopy? Laryngeal stroboscopy is a study of the vibration of the vocal cords. This test is carried out when there are diagnostic doubts surrounding vocal cord lesions. A stroboscopy allows the ENT specialist to examine the surface of the mucosa around the vocal cords and detect small changes in the vibrations of the vocal cords. What happens during a stroboscopy? During

What is a stroke? A stroke is the sudden interruption of blood flow to the brain either due to a blood clot or a ruptured blood vessel. The brain cells are deprived of oxygen which causes them to rapidly die. Stroke is a serious, life-threatening medical condition and should be treated as an emergency as earlier action can help reduce the amount of damage done to the brain.  What ca