medical terms: colors
TRANSCRIPT
(some) Medical Terms referring to color
from Ancient Latin and Ancient Greek
Leuko = whiteMelan = black
Cyno / Cyna = bluexantho =yellow
LeukoFrom Ancient Greek word
meaning WHITE
leukocortical
• Relating to the white matter of the brain
leukophobia
• Pathological fear of or aversion to the color white.
leukocyte• A white blood cell.
leukemia• A type of malignancy affecting the white and
red blood cells or blood-forming tissues.
Melan / Melano = Black
melanoma
• black tumor of the skin.• a tumor arising from the melanocytic system
of the skin and other organs. When used alone, the term refers to malignant melanoma.
melanoderm An obsolete term for a person with dark skin.
Melasma • It is a common adult onset condition which causes lighter skin to
turn dark brown or a greyish pigmentation, primarily on the face. It is called melisma, originating from the Greek word for black. It can affect both men and women of any race, however it is more prevalent in women with darker skin who live in and enjoy sunny climates.
melanoleukoderma
• mottled appearance of the skin of the neck and adjacent regions, a rare manifestation of syphilis.
• [melano- + leukos, white, + derma, skin]
• Mottled skin
melanophore• A dermal pigment cell that does not secrete its pigment granules but
participates in rapid color changes by intracellular aggregation and dispersal of melanosomes; it is well developed in fish, amphibians, and reptiles, but absent in humans.
• [melano- + . phoros, bearing]
Cynano From Ancient Greek
meaning BLUE
cyan/ cyno = blue• cyanosis A blue discoloration of the skin
due to the circulation of blood low in oxygen.
cyanopathy
• A disease in which the surface of the body turns blue, usually arising from a malformation of the heart, which causes an imperfect arterialization of the blood.
Cyanide is a rapidly acting, potentially deadly chemical that can exist in various
forms.
Cyano- is from a Latinized form of Greek kyanos "dark blue." It was so named because it first had been obtained by heating the dye pigment powder known as Prussian blue.
xanth/ xantho = yellow
xanthoma : yellow tumor• a papule, nodule, or plaque in the
skin due to lipid deposits; it is usually yellow, but may be brown, reddish, or cream colored.
• The formation of xanthomas may indicate an underlying disease, usually related to abnormal metabolism of lipids, including cholesterol.
• Abnormally high levels of blood lipids may be found in diabetes mellitus in diseases of the liver, kidney, and thyroid gland, and in several hereditary metabolic diseases.
Legs of a person homozygous for familial hypercholesterolemia, showing multiple xanthomas.
From Mueller and Young, 2001.
Xanthodermic
• Having yellowish skin
Xanthochromia
• The occurrence of patches of yellow colour in the skin, resembling xanthoma, but without the nodules or plates.