Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

diathermy
See 
cauterization.
diathesis
An elegant term for a predisposition or
tendency. For example, hemorrhagic diathesis
means a tendency to bleed.
dicentric chromosome
See 
chromosome,
dicentric.
diet
Food and drink. A specific diet can be pre-
scribed for medical reasons according to a certain
type, volume, and timing. For examples, specific
diets are commonly prescribed for persons affected
by hypoglycemia, gout, celiac disease, dermatitis
herpetiformis, lactose intolerance, diabetes, hyper-
cholesterolemia, heart disease, kidney disease, and
difficulty in swallowing.
diet, DASH
See 
DASH diet.
dietary supplement
A substance that can be
added to the diet, usually in pill, liquid, or powder
form, ostensibly to promote health. Dietary supple-
ments range from natural weight-gain concoctions
used by body-builders, to joint pain relievers, vita-
mins, herbs, minerals, and salts that claim health
benefits. Many dietary supplements are harmless
when taken as directed, and the health benefits of
some have been substantiated. Dietary supplements
can interact with prescription medications, and
some are not suitable for people with certain med-
ical conditions.
diethylstilbestrol
The earliest synthetic form of
the female hormone estrogen. Abbreviated DES.
DES was widely prescribed between 1940 and 1971
to prevent miscarriages. The use of DES during
pregnancy declined and was halted when it was
found that, when given during the first 5 months of
pregnancy, DES can interfere with the development
of the fetal reproductive system. Women whose
mothers were given DES during pregnancy are at
increased risk for an uncommon form of cancer
called clear cell adenocarcinoma of the vagina and
cervix. Daughters of women who took DES also have
an increased risk of having the most common forms
of cancer of the cervix. They are also at increased
risk of having anatomic abnormalities of the vagina,
cervix, and uterus and of having tubal (ectopic)
pregnancies, infertility, miscarriages, or premature
births. Sons of women who took DES are predis-
posed to abnormalities of the testicles, such as
abnormally small testes and failure of the testes to
descend into the scrotum; these abnormalities
increase the risk of testicular cancer. People who
believe they may have been exposed to DES before
birth should inform their physicians of their expo-
sure so that they can be appropriately examined and
monitored. DES is still available for prescription in
the US for the palliative treatment of breast and
prostate cancer.