Allergies Glossary: L-M
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This article is from the Health Articles series.
Allergies Glossary: L-M
Lactose A type of sugar found in milk and milk products (cheese, butter, etc.). It is considered a nutritive sweetener because it has calories.
Lactose Intolerance A food intolerance, not an allergy. A person with lactose intolerance lacks an enzyme that is needed to digest milk sugar, which causes symptoms such as gas, bloating, and abdominal pain.
Latex Allergy There appears to be a range of latex allergies. Type I is the most serious and could result in respiratory arrest. At the other end of the spectrum is type IV, a local skin reaction that does not involve a true latex hypersensitivity, but is probably a skin reaction to the chemicals used when processing the latex. True latex allergy results in immediate symptoms such as hives, itchy eyes, itchy or runny nose, sneezing, wheezing, coughing, asthma, swelling of the throat, a drop in blood pressure, and possibly anaphylaxis. People with latex allergy are especially prone to allergy to bananas, avocados, or water chestnuts.
Lavage To wash out a body organ or cavity.
Lobe A well-defined, demarcated portion of an organ or gland.
Lung Volume Amount of gas in the lungs. The total volume of gas in the lungs is subdivided into compartments (volumes) and capacities (combinations of two or more volumes). Tidal volume (TV or VT) is the volume of air that enters the lungs during inspiration and leaves during expiration. Functional residual capacity (FRC) is the volume of air remaining in the lungs at the end of normal exhalation. Total lung capacity (TLC) is the volume of air in the lungs following a maximal inspiration. Vital capacity (VC) is the maximal volume of air that can be expelled from the lungs following maximal inspiration. Residual volume (RV) is the volume of air remaining in the lungs after maximum expiration. In general, lung volumes increase in obstructive lung diseases and decrease in restrictive lung diseases.
Lymph Nodes Small, bean-shaped organs located along the lymphatic vessels that filter bacteria, toxins, or cancer cells; also called lymph glands-though they are not glands.
Lymphocyte Any one of a group of white blood cells of crucial importance to the adaptive part of the body's immune system.
Mast Cells Cells that synthesize and store histamines. They are found in most body tissues: below epithelial surfaces, serous cavities and around blood vessels. In an allergic response, an allergen stimulates the release of antibodies, which attach themselves to mast cells.
Mediators of Inflammation Chemical substances (transmitter substances) that induce activity in other cells or chemicals in an allergic response. Mechanical Ventilation Use of a machine called a ventilator or respirator to improve the exchange of air between the lungs and the atmosphere.
Membrane Thin, flexible film of proteins and lipids that encloses a cell's contents, controlling what goes in and what comes out of the cell; also a thin layer of tissue that covers a surface or lines a cavity that also controls the substances that enter and leave an organ.
Mesenchymal Pertaining to the cell network that forms during the embryonic stage and which eventually develops into connective tissue, blood, blood vessels, the lymphatic system and phagacytotic cells. (Phagocytes engulf foreign microorganisms).
Metabolic Processes Chemical processes by which food and oxygen are transformed into other chemicals in the body.
Metastasize To form new sites of cancer in different organs or tissues not directly connected with the original cancer site.
Molecule Smallest possible physical amount of a substance that still retains all the properties of that substance.
Mucus Thin, slippery fluid secreted by mucous membranes and glands; becomes thick and sticky in lung disease.
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