Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

Behcet’s syndrome
A chronic disease featuring
inflammation of small blood vessels and character-
ized by a triad of features: ulcers in the mouth,
ulcers of the genitalia, and inflammation of the eye
(uveitis). The mouth ulcers typically present as
recurring crops of aphthous ulcers. Arthritis is also
commonplace. The cause of Behcet’s syndrome is
not known. It is more frequent and severe in
patients from the Eastern Mediterranean and Asia
than in those of European descent.
belching
A normal process of releasing through
the mouth air that accumulates in the stomach,
thereby relieving distention. Upper abdominal dis-
comfort associated with excessive swallowed air
may extend into the lower chest, producing symp-
toms that suggest heart or lung disease.
Bell’s palsy
Paralysis of the nerve that supplies
the facial muscles on one side of the face (the sev-
enth cranial nerve, or facial nerve). Bell’s palsy
often starts suddenly. The cause may be a viral infec-
tion. Treatment includes protecting the eye on the
affected side from dryness during sleep. Massage of
affected muscles can reduce soreness. Sometimes
cortisone medication, such as prednisone, is given
to reduce inflammation during the first weeks of ill-
ness. The outlook is generally good; the vast major-
ity of patients recover within weeks or months.
belly
See 
abdomen.
belly button
The navel or umbilicus; the former
site of attachment of the umbilical cord.
benign
Not malignant. A benign tumor is one that
does not invade surrounding tissue or spread to
other parts of the body; it is not a cancer.
benign intracranial hypertension
See
pseudotumor cerebri.
benign partial epilepsy with centro-temporal