Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

spikes
See 
epilepsy, benign rolandic.
benign prostatic hyperplasia
A common, non-
cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland. The
enlarged prostate may compress the urinary tube
(urethra), which courses through the center of the
prostate, impeding the flow of urine from the blad-
der through the urethra to the outside. Abbreviated
BPH. If BPH is severe enough, complete blockage
can occur. BPH generally begins after age 30,
evolves slowly, and causes symptoms only after age
50. Half of men over age 50 develop symptoms of
BPH, but only a minority need medical or surgical
intervention. Medical therapy includes drugs such
as finasteride and terazosin. Prostate surgery has
traditionally been seen as offering the most bene-
fits—and the most risks—for BPH. BPH is not a
sign of prostate cancer. Also known as benign pro-
static hypertrophy and nodular hyperplasia of the
prostate.
benign rolandic epilepsy of childhood
See
epilepsy, benign rolandic.
bereavement
The period after a loss during
which grief is experienced and mourning occurs.
The duration of bereavement depends on both how
attached the person was to the person (or pet) who
died, and the amount of preparation time anticipat-
ing the loss.
beriberi
Inflammation of multiple nerves
(polyneuritis), heart disease (cardiopathy), and
edema (swelling) due to a deficiency of thiamine
(vitamin B1) in the diet.
Bernard-Soulier syndrome
A disorder in
which the platelets crucial to normal blood clotting
lack the ability to adequately stick to injured blood
vessel walls, leading to abnormal bleeding.
Bernard-Soulier syndrome usually appears in the
newborn period, infancy, or early childhood, with
bruises, nosebleeds, and gum bleeding. Bernard-
Soulier syndrome is an inherited disease, transmit-
ted as an autosomal recessive trait. There is no
specific treatment. Bleeding episodes may require
platelet transfusions. Specific platelet function tests,
as well as tests for the glycoproteins common to
Bernard-Soulier syndrome, can confirm the diagno-
sis. Also known as giant platelet syndrome.