Urban area Health Dictionary

A geographic area defined and served by a health programme or institution, such as a hospital or community health centre, which is delineated on the basis of such factors as population distribution, natural geographic boundaries, and transportation accessibility. By definition, all residents of the area needing the services of the programme are usually eligible for them, although eligibility may also depend on additional criteria.... catchment area

One of a number of areas in the outer layer (cortex) of the brain that are concerned with higher levels of mental activity.

Association areas interpret information received from sensory areas and prompt appropriate responses such as voluntary movement.... association area

An area of the cerebral cortex (the outer layer of the brain) that is responsible for speech origination.... broca’s area

Alopecia areata is a common form of reversible hair loss which may be patchy, total on the scalp, eyebrows or eyelashes, or universal on the body. The onset is sudden at any age and the affected scalp-skin looks normal. The hair follicles remain intact but ‘switched o?’ and usually hair growth recovers spontaneously. No consistently e?ective treatment is available but injections of CORTICOSTEROIDS, given with a spray gun into the scalp, may be useful. The regrown hair may be white at ?rst but pigmentation recovers later.... alopecia areata

A well defined geographical area, for example a tropical rain forest, characterised by certain assemblages of plants and animals (including insects).... ecological area

A geographic area designated on the basis of such factors as geography, political boundaries, population and health resources, for the effective planning and development of health services.... health service area

An area of the cerebral cortex in the brain that is involved in the interpretation of spoken and written language.... wernicke’s area

the numbered areas (1–47) into which a map of the *cerebral cortex may conveniently be divided for descriptive purposes, based upon the arrangement of neurons seen in stained sections under the microscope. On the map area 4, for example, corresponds to primary motor cortex, while the primary visual cortex comes into area 17. [K. Brodmann (1868–1918), German neurologist]... brodmann areas

the anterior region of the nasal septum (see nose). It has a rich capillary supply, called *Kiesselbach’s plexus, and is a common site from which nosebleeds arise. See epistaxis. [J. L. Little (1836–85), US surgeon]... little’s area

(PASI) a semiobjective severity score for psoriasis, including measurement of surface area affected and the degree of erythema, induration, and scale. It is commonly used in clinical trials and to ration expensive treatments for psoriasis. Severe disease equates to scores over 10 and it is often interpreted with the *dermatology life quality index (DLQI) score.... psoriasis area severity index