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Corrections, clarifications, requests for a missing term, and questions about how the glossary is put together all reach the same place.

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For a correction, naming the term and the page address makes it much faster to act on.

Reporting a correction

What makes a correction easy to act on

The most useful reports name the term, quote the sentence that is wrong, and say what it should say instead. A source is welcome but not required. Entries are revised in place, so a correction accepted today changes the page for everyone who reads it afterward.

Definitions on this site descend in part from an oncology-focused drug dictionary, and that source carried real errors: a barbiturate described as an antipsychotic, fungi called plant-like organisms, an angioplasty balloon said to be filled with air. Reports of that kind have already corrected dozens of entries.

What we cannot answer

Questions about your own health

This glossary explains what medical words mean. It cannot say what a result means for a particular person, whether a symptom is serious, or what to do next, because none of that can be judged from a definition. Those questions belong with a qualified healthcare professional who knows the history and the examination.

Messages asking for that kind of guidance will not receive a clinical answer. Anyone who may be facing a medical emergency should contact local emergency services rather than wait for a reply here.

For learning, not diagnosis. This glossary provides general educational information and is not a substitute for advice from a qualified healthcare professional. If you may be experiencing a medical emergency, contact local emergency services.