Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Glossary
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A
Adrenal cortex: The outer layer of the adrenal glands which sit atop the kidneys
Agonist: A drug that triggers an action from a cell or another drug or hormone
AIP: Acute Interstitial Pneumonia is a disease of unknown cause leading to extensive acute lung injury followed by widespread scarring
Alveolus: Microscopic sac of the lung where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged
Amyloid: A hard protein deposit resulting from accumulation of certain proteins in the body
Amyloidosis: Deposits of amyloid proteins causing disease
Angiogensis: The physiological process involving the growth of new blood vessels from pre-existing vessels
Antagonist: A drug that blocks or counteracts a stimulous of a cell or neutralizes another drug
Antibody: Any proteins in the body that are generated in reaction to a self or foreign protein or other molecules and neutralize them
Antigen: Substance that simulates an immune response and antibody formation when introduced into the body
Antitussive: Capable of relieving coughing
Apoptosis: A kind of cell death which the cell itself programs
Armamentarium: The collection of equipment and methods in the practice of medicine
Aspiration: The breathing in of fluids and solids into the lung which causes inflammation
Ausculation: Act of listening with a stethoscope
Autoantibody: An antibody thought to act against self protein or cells of the organism in which it is formed
Autoimmune: A condition where the immune system of the host acts against the host to cause injury of tissue, often associated with autoantibodies
Autosome: A chromosome that is not a sex chromosome
Azathioprine: A chemotherpy drug now used for immunosuppression in organ transplantation and treatment of autoimmune disease
B
BAL: Bronchoalveolar lavage during which cells and fluids in the airspaces of the lung are washed out with saline (salt solution)
Basophil: A white blood cell that contributes to inflammation
B cells: A type of lymphocyte crucial to immune defense which produces antibodies after stimulation
Biopsy: Removal of tissue from a living person or organism
BOOP: Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia
Bronchiectasis: Enlargement of the airways of the lung beyond what is normal. It may be related to chronic infection or scarring of the lung mucopurulent matter
Bronchiole: Thin walled tubular extensions of a larger bronchus that delivers air to the alveoli of the lung
Bronchiolitis Obliterans: A disease of the lungs where the bronchioles are inflammed and plugged with granulation tissue
Bronchopneumonia: Inflammation of the lungs spreading from infection of the bronchi
Bronchoscope: A slender flexible tubular instrument that transmits light into the airways of the lungs which permits direct observation and the obtaining of small tissue samples
Bronchus: A branching tube that conducts air into and out of the lung which varies in size from a half inch to barely visible to the naked eye
Biotechnology: The use of living organisms or their products to make or modify a substance
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