Medical terms beginning with E

The mirror image half of an older drug, isolated because that half carries nearly all of the activity while its twin adds little.

Esomeprazole is a proton pump inhibitor that reduces stomach acid production to treat acid reflux and ulcer related conditions.

The adjective attached to anything concerning the swallowing tube, from reflux and strictures to cancers and speech after surgery.

Lacking the outer wrapping that surrounds other digestive organs, the esophagus lets a tumor reach neighboring structures early.

The backward flow of stomach acid contents into the esophagus (the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach).

Speech produced by trapping air in the esophagus and forcing it out again.

A tube placed in the esophagus to keep a blocked area open so the patient can swallow soft food and liquids.

Esophagectomy removes part or all of the esophagus, most often to treat esophageal cancer that has not responded to other therapy alone.

Inflammation of the esophagus (the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach).

Examination of the esophagus using an esophagoscope.

A moving X-ray of a swallow, showing not merely the shape of the tube but whether it actually works.

A valve at each end keeps traffic moving one way, and it is failure of the lower one that causes most trouble.

An old, inexpensive blood test that reports something is wrong somewhere without saying what or where.

Essential thrombocythemia is a bone marrow disorder that causes an elevated platelet count without a reactive cause such as infection or iron deficiency.

Essential thrombocytosis describes a persistently elevated platelet count arising from a primary bone marrow disorder rather than a temporary reactive process.

An ester is a chemical compound formed from an acid and an alcohol, a structural class that includes dietary fats and certain local anesthetics.

A form of estrogen that may have fewer side effects than other forms.

A blood estradiol result means little without knowing where in the cycle, or where in life, the sample was taken.

A combination of the hormone estradiol (an estrogen) and nitrogen mustard (an anticancer drug).

After menopause the ovaries largely stop making it, and fat tissue converting adrenal hormones becomes the main remaining source.