Medical and Healthy Living Glossary - KThis page of our online glossary of medical and healthy living is for medical and healthy living terms beginning with the letter 'K'.
- Keratin - A tough, protective protein found horny tissue such as the outer surface of the skin, hair, and fingernails.
- Keratoprosthesis - A surgical operation which replaces the central area of the cornea of an eye with clear plastic, when it has become opaque.
- Ketogenesis - The normal production of ketones in the body because of metabolism of fats.
- Ketogenic Diet - A diet with a high fat content, producing ketosis.
- Ketone Bodies - Organic compounds produced when fats are broken down for energy because the body's supply of carbohydrate is low. These compounds normally provide energy, via ketogenesis, for the body's peripheral tissues. Prolonged fasting or starvation, and diseases such as diabetes mellitus, can cause the level of ketone bodies in the blood and tissues to rise, causing the condition known as ketosis.
- Ketonuria - The presence of ketone bodies in the urine as a result of starvation or diabetes mellitus, causing ketogenesis and ketosis.
- Ketosis - A state in which ketone bodies such as acetone and acetic acid accumulate in the tissues. Ketosis is a late complication of Type I diabetes mellitus.
- Kidney Dialysis - The process which removes waste matter from the blood by passing it through a kidney machine.
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