9781422280379

Words to Understand

acute: severe symptoms or disease that happen quickly or for a short time. autoimmune: type of disorder where the body’s immune system attacks the body’s tissues instead of germs. cell metabolism: chemical reactions that take place inside cells to turn food into energy. chronic: symptoms or disease that are ongoing, lasting a long time. complications: a damaging condition or illness that occurs as a result of an injury or disease. endocrine system: the collective term for the glands that produce hormones in the human body. glands: organs in the body that produce substances such as hormones. glucose: a simple sugar molecule that serves as a primary energy source for most living creatures. hormones: substances the body produces to instruct cells and tissues to perform certain actions. insulin: a hormone produced in the pancreas that controls cells’ ability to absorb glucose. mutation: a change in the structure of a gene; some mutations are harmless, but others may cause disease. progressive disease: a disease that generally gets worse as time goes on.

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