''Idiopathic'' is a medical adjective that indicates that a recognized cause has not yet been established. The combination of Greek roots means approximately "a disease of its own kind." It is technically a term from nosology, the classification of disease. For most medicine conditions, one or more causes are somewhat understood, but in a certain percentage of people with the condition, the cause may not be readily apparent or characterized. In these cases, the origin of the condition is said to be "idiopathic." With some medical conditions, the medicine cannot establish a root cause for a large percentage of all cases (''e.g.'' scoliosis, fully half of which is idiopathic); with other conditions, however, idiopathic cases account for a small percentage (''e.g.'', pulmonary fibrosis). As medical and science advances are made with relation to a particular condition or disease, more root causes are discovered, and the percentage of cases designated as ''idiopathic'' shrinks. Nosology
Could someone link to an explanation of "two-dollar word" ? The page linked to just reiterates the point the WP article makes (I clicked the link expecting an explanation of the term, but all I got was somebody else calling it a "two-dollar word"), and is also linked to twice in the same article. User:Evilweevil 02:14, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC) I fixed the problem by removing the "$2 term". Idiopathic has a precise and useful meaning and snide remarks simply mislead the reader. $2 term suggests that the word is used by doctors primarily to pretend to knowledge they do not have by use of Greek words that conceal their ignorance, thus justifying a large $2 fee (perhaps the term was coined a few years ago). A similar sort of joke goes like this: Patient: "I have a headache. What do you think is causing it?" Doctor: "You have cephalalgia. You have to expect headache with that." The point of course is that ''cephalalgia'' is simply ''headache'' in Greek. It's easy to caricature medical jargon that way, but pretty lowbrow humor. I am saving the reputation of whomever put it in there because it suggests that large words make them defensive. You're welcome. User:Alteripse 03:34, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC) That was me.. After reading the comments and gaining more experience on Wikipedia, I accept the criticism that it is inappropriate for Wikipedia, though I will personally always refer to it as a $2 word. : ) User:Tarek 05:34, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC) Glad you are not offended. User:Alteripse 12:47, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC)
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
Words begining with Idiopathic:
Idiopathic
Idiopathic
Idiopathic_craniofacial_erythema
Idiopathic_hypertrophic_subaortic_stenosis
Idiopathic_hypoglycemia
Idiopathic_hypoglycemia
Idiopathic_postprandial_syndrome
Idiopathic_Short_Stature
Idiopathic_short_stature
Idiopathic_thrombocytopenic_purpura
Idiopathic_thrombocytopenic_purpura
Idiopathic
''Idiopathic'' is a medical adjective that indicates that a recognized cause has not yet been established. The combination of Greek roots means approximately "a disease of its own kind." It is technically a term from nosology, the classification of disease. For most medicine conditions, one or more causes are somewhat understood, but in a certain percentage of people with the condition, the cause may not be readily apparent or characterized. In these cases, the origin of the condition is said to be "idiopathic." With some medical conditions, the medicine cannot establish a root cause for a large percentage of all cases (''e.g.'' scoliosis, fully half of which is idiopathic); with other conditions, however, idiopathic cases account for a small percentage (''e.g.'', pulmonary fibrosis). As medical and science advances are made with relation to a particular condition or disease, more root causes are discovered, and the percentage of cases designated as ''idiopathic'' shrinks. Nosology
Idiopathic
Could someone link to an explanation of "two-dollar word" ? The page linked to just reiterates the point the WP article makes (I clicked the link expecting an explanation of the term, but all I got was somebody else calling it a "two-dollar word"), and is also linked to twice in the same article. User:Evilweevil 02:14, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC) I fixed the problem by removing the "$2 term". Idiopathic has a precise and useful meaning and snide remarks simply mislead the reader. $2 term suggests that the word is used by doctors primarily to pretend to knowledge they do not have by use of Greek words that conceal their ignorance, thus justifying a large $2 fee (perhaps the term was coined a few years ago). A similar sort of joke goes like this: Patient: "I have a headache. What do you think is causing it?" Doctor: "You have cephalalgia. You have to expect headache with that." The point of course is that ''cephalalgia'' is simply ''headache'' in Greek. It's easy to caricature medical jargon that way, but pretty lowbrow humor. I am saving the reputation of whomever put it in there because it suggests that large words make them defensive. You're welcome. User:Alteripse 03:34, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC) That was me.. After reading the comments and gaining more experience on Wikipedia, I accept the criticism that it is inappropriate for Wikipedia, though I will personally always refer to it as a $2 word. : ) User:Tarek 05:34, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC) Glad you are not offended. User:Alteripse 12:47, 8 Dec 2004 (UTC)
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
I
IA | IB | IC | ID | IE | IF | IG | IH | IJ | IK | IL | IM | IN | IO | IP | IR | IS | IT | IU | IW | IX | IY | IZ |Words begining with Idiopathic:
Idiopathic
Idiopathic
Idiopathic_craniofacial_erythema
Idiopathic_hypertrophic_subaortic_stenosis
Idiopathic_hypoglycemia
Idiopathic_hypoglycemia
Idiopathic_postprandial_syndrome
Idiopathic_Short_Stature
Idiopathic_short_stature
Idiopathic_thrombocytopenic_purpura
Idiopathic_thrombocytopenic_purpura
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