T

Tegaserod A 5-HT4 receptor agonist (partial) used in the treatment of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in females. This drug reduce the transit time in the small bowel and the colon and decrease the sensitivity to distension of the colon.

Telaprevir A new drug, a so called protease inhibitor, used in the treatment of Hepatitis C, type one. In combination with interferon and ribavirin this drug has achieved cleary better results. This drug has serious side effects and should be prescribed only by doctors familiar with the treatment of Hepatitis C.

Tenatoprazole A drug, proton pump inhibitor (PPI), used in the treatment of hyperacidic diseases, especially oesophageal reflux disease. The S-isomer form of this drug, s-tenatoprazole has a prolonged effect compared to the older PPIs and might be slightly more efficient especially in the treatment of severe reflux oesophagitis.

Tenesmus An urgent and painful desire to defecate

Tetrathiomolybdate A drug under investigational use in the initial treatment of Wilson´s disease.

Ter (Lat) Three times

Terminal ileitis Another name for Crohn´s disease.

Thalidomide A drug used in the treatment of nausea during pregnancy and as a sedative. The use of this drug was discontinued in the 1960s because of severe teratogenic effects. Thalidomide inhibits Tumor Necrosis Factor-alfa-producttion by monocytes and other cells and can be used as a treatment in diseases where TNF-alfa is of pathogenetic importance. Among other diseases thalidomide has been shown to be effective in refractory Crohn´s disease.

Thaysen, Thorwald Einar (1883 - 1936) A danish physician working in Copenhagen, known for his investigations concerning the disease now known as the coeliac disease.

Therapeutic trial Usually drug treatment of a disease in order to establish the diagnose and find out the terapeutic response.

Thromboangiitis obliterans A occlusive inflammatory disease of arteries and veins, mostly affecting the lower and upper limbs, causing thrombosis of the affected vessels. Smoking predisposes to this condition. The disease can also - although rarely - affect the intestinal vessels, causing strictures and perforations of the bowel. Synonym: Buerger disease

TIA (Abbr) Transient Ischaemic Attack

TID Three times a day

Tietze, Alexander(1864 - 1927) A German surgeon, who wrote the first description of a disease now known ads Tietze´s syndrome.

Tietze´s syndrome A painful swelling of one or several of the costal cartilages. The etiology is unknown and the pain ususally resolves in weeks or months. The chest pain can be severe and mimic coronary heart disease or reflux oesophagitis.

TIPS (Abbr) Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic shunt

Timoprazole The first proton pump inhibitor invented by Astra in 1974. Not in clinical use, but this invention eventually lead to the development of omeprazole, which set a new standard in the treatment of ulcer and reflux disease.

TLC (Abbr) Thin-layer chromatography

TLESR (Abbr) Transient lower esophageal sphincterl relaxation, a phenomen with and pathogenic role in esophageal reflux disease.

TNF (Abbr) Tumor Necrosis Factor

TNM (Abbr) Tumour Node Metastasis Classification, a classification used in cancer

TNS (Abbr) Transcutaneous Nerve Stimulation

Toddler´s Diarrhea see Functional diarrhea

Toupet fundoplication A surgical procedure used as treatment for reflux disease, where a240 - 270 degrees partial wrap of the gastric fundus is made. Mainly used in patients with impaired oesophageal c/learance.

Toxic megacolon A dilatation of the colon due to severe inflammation, without any obstruction. Toxic megacolon can be a complication of ulcerative colitis, and surgical treatment can be necessary, as this condition othervise can cause bowel perforation and peritonitis.

Toxin Poison

TPN (Abbr) Total Parenteral Nutrition

Transient elastography An ultrasound method by which the fibrotic component of the liver can be measured, used in the workup of liver cirrhosis.

Transverse colon The part of the large bowel between the hepatic and splenic flexure.

Trauma Injury or damage caused by an accident or other harmful event. The damage can be both physical and emotional.

TRH (Abbr) Thyreotropin Releasing Hormone

Trichophagia Ingestion of hair, often one´s own. Trichophagia can cause a trichobezoar.

Tropheryma whippelii Whipple´s bacillus, the bacteria causing Whipple´s disease

Trypanosoma cruzi A protozoan parasite, which cause Chagas´ disease. See Chagas´ disease

TTP (Abbr) Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura

Tumour An abnormal mass of tissue resulting from an uncontrolled cell division. Tumours can be benign or malignant. Malignant (cancerous) tumours can spread (via the lymphatic vessels or via the blood stream) to other parts of the body, causing metastases.

Tumour-associated trypsin inhibitor TATI, see Tumour marker

Tumour marker A substance that can be found in serum, urin or any other body fluid or in tissues, which can be used in the diagnostic workup when a malignant tumour is suspected adn in the monitoring the size of the tumour and the effect of treatment. The diagnostic usefulness of any tumour marker is determined by its sensitivity and specificity. Slightly elevated levels of the tumour markers are often found also in benign conditions. Typical tumour markers and the tumours they correlate to are

AFP, Alfa-1-fetoprotein (Liver cancer)
CA 125 (ovarial cancer)
CA 15-3 (Breast cancer, ovarial cancer)
CA 19-9 (Pancreas cancer)
CA 242 (Pancreas cancer, Colorectal cancer)
CEA, Carcinoembryonal antigen (Colorectal cancer)
PSA, Prostatespesific antigen (Prostate cancer)
TATI, Tumour-associated trypsin inhibitor (ovarial cancer, pancreas cancer, colorectal cancer)

Twinrix Trademark för the first combined hepatitis A and B vaccine, manufactured by the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline