Medical Glossary

Terms starting with F

Amniotic fluidFruchtwasser: The amniotic fluid is the liquid inside the amniotic sac that surrounds the unborn baby in the womb. It protects the baby from knocks, keeps it warm and allows it to move.
DischargeFluor: Fluor vaginalis is the term for increased or altered discharge from the vagina. It can be harmless, but it can also indicate an infection if the colour, smell or amount changes.
Dorsum of footFussrücken: The dorsum of the foot is the upper side of the foot between the ankle joint and the toes. Tendons, nerves and blood vessels run across it, and the foot pulse can be felt here.
Early diagnosisFrühdiagnostik: Early diagnosis comprises examinations intended to detect a disease as early as possible, often before symptoms appear. The aim is to improve the chances of successful treatment, for example in cancer screening examinations.
Facial palsyFazialisparese: Facial palsy is a paralysis of the facial nerve that causes a drooping corner of the mouth and incomplete eyelid closure on one side of the face. It often comes on suddenly and resolves again in many cases.
Family historyFamilienanamnese: The family history records illnesses that have occurred in close relatives. It helps to assess your personal risk of hereditary conditions or illnesses that run in families.
FastingFasten: Fasting means temporarily going without food. In medicine, it usually refers to being fasted before examinations or operations, for example before a blood test or an anaesthetic.
Fatigue: Fatigue is a persistent, pronounced exhaustion and tiredness that hardly improves with sleep or rest. It often occurs with chronic illnesses, during or after cancer treatment, and following infections.
Fatty liverFettleber: In fatty liver disease, increased amounts of fat are deposited in the liver cells. Common causes are excess weight, diabetes and alcohol. A fatty liver often causes no symptoms for a long time, but it can lead to inflammation of the liver.
Femur: The femur is the thigh bone, the longest and strongest bone in the human body. It extends from the hip joint to the knee joint.
Ferritin: Ferritin is the storage protein for iron in the body. The ferritin level in the blood shows how well your iron stores are filled. A low value indicates an iron deficiency.
FeverFieber: Fever is a rise in body temperature above approximately 38 degrees Celsius. It is usually a sign that the body is fighting an infection.
Fibrillation: Fibrillation refers to uncoordinated, very rapid twitching of muscle fibres. In the heart, a distinction is made between atrial fibrillation, which is usually less dangerous, and life-threatening ventricular fibrillation.
Fibrin: Fibrin is a thread-like protein that forms a mesh during blood clotting and thus closes the wound. It is formed from its precursor fibrinogen.
Fibrinogen: Fibrinogen is a protein produced in the liver that is important for blood clotting. When an injury occurs, it is converted into fibrin, which forms a blood clot.
FibromaFibrom: A fibroma is a benign lump made of connective tissue that can occur on the skin or on internal organs. It grows slowly and is generally harmless.
FibromyalgiaFibromyalgie: Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition involving widespread pain in the muscles and connective tissue. It is often accompanied by exhaustion, sleep problems and tenderness to pressure at certain points on the body.
FibrosisFibrose: In fibrosis, connective tissue in an organ increases abnormally and replaces functioning tissue. As a result, the organ becomes increasingly hardened and limited in its function, for example in pulmonary fibrosis.
Fibula: The fibula is the thinner of the two lower leg bones and runs along the outer side next to the shin bone. It forms part of the outer ankle.
FissureFissur: A fissure is a fine tear or crack in tissue, for example a painful tear in the lining of the anus (anal fissure) or a fine crack in a bone.
FistulaFistel: A fistula is an unnatural, tube-shaped passage between two organs or between an organ and the body surface. It often develops as a result of inflammation and may discharge fluid or pus.
Flank painFlankenschmerz: Flank pain is pain in the side of the abdomen and back between the lowest rib and the iliac crest. Among other things, it can originate from the kidneys, for example with kidney stones or an inflammation of the renal pelvis.
FlatulenceFlatulenz: Flatulence refers to increased intestinal gas, noticeable as bloating and the passing of wind. It is usually harmless and often related to diet or digestion.
FocusFokus: In medicine, a focus is a site of disease in the body from which an inflammation originates and which can put a strain on the whole organism. One example is an inflamed tooth acting as a hidden focus.
FoetusFötus: A foetus is the unborn child from the ninth week of pregnancy until birth. During this phase, the organs that have already formed continue to mature.
FollicleFollikel: A follicle is a small vesicle in the ovary in which an egg cell matures. Hair roots are also referred to as follicles.
FolliculitisFollikulitis: Folliculitis is an inflammation of the hair follicles that appears as small, reddened pustules around the hairs. It is often caused by bacteria, for example after shaving or friction.
Fontanelle: Fontanelles are the soft spots between the skull bones of an infant that have not yet turned to bone. They allow the skull to grow and close during the first months to years of life.
Foramen: A foramen is a natural opening or hole in a bone or tissue through which, for example, nerves or blood vessels pass. A well-known example is the large opening at the base of the skull (foramen magnum).
FractureFraktur: A fracture is a broken bone, meaning a partial or complete break in the bone. It usually results from a fall or accident and causes pain, swelling and restricted mobility.
Fracture healingFrakturheilung: Fracture healing is the natural process by which a broken bone knits back together. First soft tissue forms, which later ossifies into the callus that stabilises the fracture site.
Fremitus: Vocal fremitus is the vibration of the chest wall while speaking, which the doctor can feel with the hand. Changes provide clues to diseases of the lungs or the pleura.
Frozen shoulderFrozen Shoulder: Frozen shoulder is a painful stiffening of the shoulder joint with markedly restricted mobility. It typically progresses in phases over several months and often resolves on its own.
Fructose intoleranceFruktoseintoleranz: In fructose intolerance, the body has difficulty tolerating fruit sugar. After eating it, abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhoea may occur. A distinction must be made between the more harmless absorption disorder and the rare hereditary form.
FundoscopyFunduskopie: Funduscopy is the examination of the back of the eye using an illuminated instrument. The eye specialist assesses the retina, the optic nerve head and the blood vessels, for example in cases of diabetes or high blood pressure.
Fundus: In medicine, fundus refers to the base or rearmost part of a hollow organ, such as the back of the eye or the upper part of the stomach. The eye fundus is examined by the ophthalmologist.
FuruncleFurunkel: A boil is a painful, pus-filled inflammation of a hair follicle and the surrounding tissue, usually caused by bacteria. It appears as a reddened, tightly swollen lump.
MiscarriageFehlgeburt: A miscarriage is the premature loss of a pregnancy before the baby is able to survive. It is common and in most cases is not caused by anything the pregnant woman did.
PhototherapyFototherapie: Phototherapy is a treatment using targeted light. In newborns with jaundice, blue light breaks down the elevated bile pigment; in dermatology, UV light is used to treat certain skin conditions.
Plantar reflexFusssohlenreflex: The plantar reflex is triggered by stroking the outer side of the sole of the foot and is used to test the nervous system. A particular response, an upward movement of the big toe, can indicate damage to certain nerve pathways.
Premature birthFrühgeburt: A preterm birth is when a baby is born before the 37th week of pregnancy has been completed. Depending on their degree of maturity, premature babies require special medical care.
Remote diagnosisFerndiagnose: A remote diagnosis is a diagnosis made without a personal examination, for example based solely on a description. It is considered unreliable because important examination findings are missing.
SpecialistFacharzt: A specialist is a doctor who has completed advanced training in a particular field, for example cardiology or dermatology. In Switzerland, this involves obtaining a federally recognised specialist title.