An abbreviation for the French, American, British system of classifying eight subtypes of acute myeloid leukaemia and three subtypes of acute lymphocytic leukaemia, by examining the cells under a microscope.

A group of disorders in which a person's symptoms mimic those of a true illness, but which have been invented by, and are controlled by that person.

A change in the gene for Factor V, one of the coagulation factors.

A coagulation factor, one of a group of proteins in the blood that help the blood to clot.

A mass of hard, dry stool that accumulates in the rectum as a result of severe and chronic constipation. It can be impossible to pass normally and may need treatment to clear.

One of two tubes in the female body that connect the ovaries to the uterus.

Two tubes that transport the egg from the ovary to the uterus.

A disorder of the kidneys in which substances that are usually reabsorbed back into the blood in the course of urine production are instead lost in the urine. It may be inherited or due to disease or damage later in life.

Inflammation of a layer of connective tissue causing pain and tenderness. It is usually caused by straining or injuring the tissue around a muscle and most commonly affects the soles of the feet.

One of the three main food constituents (with carbohydrate and protein), and the main form in which energy is stored in the body.

foreign body

An abbreviation for a full blood count, which is a standard blood test that measures the different types of cells in the blood and checks for abnormalities

Description of an illness causing a fever or raised body temperature

Relating to the area at the top of the thigh, near the top of the femur (thigh bone).

An unborn child from eight weeks of development onwards.

The iron-carrying protein in the body.

The raising of the body temperature above norma, which may be accompanied by symptoms such as shivering, headache and sweating.

Abnormally fast and uneven contractions of the heart muscle, so that blood cannot be pumped efficiently

A product of blood coagulation that forms the basis of a blood clot.

A coagulation factor, a substance in the blood that brings about clotting.

A susbstance that can break down fibrin, the major component of blood clots.

A measure of how capable a substance is at breaking down fibrin, the major component of blood clots.

A benign tumour of breast tissue.

A benign tumour consisting of blood vessels and fibrous tissue