Latent period Health Dictionary

Latent Period: From 2 Different Sources


(in neurology) the pause of a few milliseconds between the time that a nerve impulse reaches a muscle fibre and the time that the fibre starts to contract.
Health Source: Oxford | Concise Colour Medical Dictionary
Author: Jonathan Law, Elizabeth Martin

Incubation Period

The time interval between exposure to an infectious agent (eg, bite) and appearance of the first sign or symptom of the disease in question.... incubation period

Safe Period

That period during the menstrual cycle (see MENSTRUATION) when fertilisation of the OVUM is unlikely to occur. OVULATION usually occurs about 15 days before the onset of the menstrual period. A woman is commonly believed to be fertile for about 11 days in each menstrual cycle – in other words, on the day of ovulation and for ?ve days before and ?ve days after this; this would be the eighth to the 18th day of the usual 28-day menstrual cycle. Outside this fertile period is the SAFE PERIOD: the ?rst week and the last ten days of the menstrual cycle. On the other hand, there is increasing evidence that the safest period is the last few days before menstruation. In the case of irregular menstruation it is not possible to calculate the safe period. In any event, the safety is not absolute. (See also CONTRACEPTION.)... safe period

Periodicity

Recurrence at regular intervals of symptoms in malaria, characterised clinically by paroxysms and resulting from the invasion of the blood by new generations of parasites. Periodicity may be quotidian, tertian, quartan or double quartan according to the intervals between paroxysms.... periodicity

Periodontal

An adjective that relates to the tissues around the TEETH.... periodontal

Periodontal Membrane

See TEETH.... periodontal membrane

Periodontitis

see PYORRHEA... periodontitis

Periodic Fever

An inherited condition causing recurrent bouts of fever. (See familial Mediterranean fever.)... periodic fever

Periodontal Disease

Any disorder of the periodontium (the tissues that surround and support the teeth).... periodontal disease

Communicable Period

The time or times during which the infectious agent may be transferred directly or indirectlyfrom an infected person to another person, from an infected animal to human, or from an infected human to an animal, including arthropods. In diseases such as diphtheria and scarlet fever, in which mucous membranes are involved from the first entry of the pathogen, the period of communicability is from the date of first exposure to a source of infection until the infective microorganism is no longer disseminated from the involved mucous membranes, ie, from the period before the prodromata until termination of a carrier stage, if this develops. Most diseases are not communicable during the earlyincubation period or after full recovery. In diseases transmitted by arthropods, such as malaria and yellow fever, the periods of communicability are those during which the infectious agent occurs in infective form in the blood or other tissues of the infected person in sufficient numbers to permit vector infections. A period of communicability is also to be distinguished for the arthropod vector - namely, that time during which the agent is present in the tissues of the arthropod in such form and locus (infective stage) as to be transmissible.... communicable period

Grace Period

A period past the due date of an insurance premium, during which coverage may not be cancelled.... grace period

Latent Stage

Resting or inactive stage found in some viral infections such as the herpes viruses.... latent stage

Period

See MENSTRUATION.... period

Prepatent Period

Time of infection (bite) to the first finding of the organism (eg, malaria parasite) in the bloodstrea m, i.e. from the time of infection to time when first diagnostic stages can be detected.... prepatent period

Prodromal Period

Premonitory period; indicating the approach of a disease.... prodromal period

Paralysis, Periodic

A rare, inherited condition that affects young people. Periodic paralysis is characterized by episodes of muscle weakness, which vary in frequency from daily to every few years and last from a few minutes to a few hours. In some cases, there is a drop in the potassium levels in the blood; in others, the levels rise. A carbohydraterich meal may trigger an attack. The condition often clears up without treatment by age 40.... paralysis, periodic

Period, Menstrual

See menstruation.... period, menstrual

Periodontics

The branch of dentistry concerned with periodontal disease.... periodontics

Period Pain

See dysmenorrhoea.... period pain

Diabetic Honeymoon Period

a well-recognized period just after the diagnosis of type 1 *diabetes mellitus when only very low insulin doses are required to control the condition. It lasts from months to a few years but inevitably ends, when dose requirements will increase quite quickly.... diabetic honeymoon period

Hereditary Periodic Fever Syndromes

a group of rare inherited disorders characterized by recurrent attacks of fever and inflammation in the absence of infection. They include familial Mediterranean fever (see polyserositis), tumour necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome (TRAPS), and the cryopyrin-associated periodic syndrome (CAPS). Causative gene mutations have been identified.... hereditary periodic fever syndromes

Peri-arrest Period

the recognized period, either just before or just after a full *cardiac arrest, when the patient’s condition is very unstable and care must be taken to prevent progression or regression into a full cardiac arrest.... peri-arrest period

Periodic Acid–schiff Reaction

(PAS reaction) a test for the presence of glycoproteins, polysaccharides, certain mucopolysaccharides, glycolipids, and certain fatty acids in tissue sections. The tissue is treated with periodic acid, followed by *Schiff’s reagent. A positive reaction is the development of a red or magenta coloration.... periodic acid–schiff reaction

Periodontal Abscess

a localized abscess that arises in the periodontal tissues and is usually an acute manifestation of periodontal disease. It appears as a pocket of pus in the tissues of the gum but not around the apex of the tooth.... periodontal abscess

Periodontal Pocket

a space between the gingival tissues and tooth occurring in periodontitis. See periodontal disease.... periodontal pocket

Periodontium

n. the tissues that support and attach the teeth to the jaw: the gums (see gingiva), *periodontal membrane, alveolar bone, and *cementum.... periodontium

Periodontology

n. the branch of dentistry concerned with the tissues that support and attach the teeth and the prevention and treatment of *periodontal disease.... periodontology

Refractory Period

(in neurology) the time of recovery needed for a nerve cell that has just transmitted a nerve impulse or for a muscle fibre that has just contracted. During the refractory period a normal stimulus will not bring about excitation of the cell, which is undergoing *repolarization.... refractory period

Thyrotoxic Periodic Paralysis

a condition in which attacks of sudden weakness and flaccidity occur in patients with *thyrotoxicosis, seen most often in males of Asian descent. The attacks last from hours to days; they can be prevented by potassium supplements and subsequent treatment of the thyrotoxicosis.... thyrotoxic periodic paralysis



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