sensitivity

sensitivity

1. the state or quality of being sensitive; often used to denote a state of abnormal responsiveness to stimulation, or of responding quickly and acutely.

2. analytical sensitivity, the smallest concentration of a substance that can be reliably measured by a particular analytical method.

3. diagnostic sensitivity; the conditional probability that a person having a disease will be correctly identified by a clinical test, i.e., the number of true positive results divided by the total with the disease (which is the sum of the numbers of true positive plus false negative results). See also specificity.

3. In clinical pathology and medical screening, the proportion of affected patients who give a positive test result for the disease that the test is intended to reveal, that is, true-positive results divided by total true-positive and false-negative results, usually expressed as a percentage. Compare: specificity (2).

[L. sentio, pp. sensus, to feel]

sensitivity

/sen·si·tiv·i·ty/ (sen″sĭ-tiv´ĭ-te)

1. the state or quality of being sensitive.

2. the smallest concentration of a substance that can be reliably measured by a given analytical method.

3. the probability that a person having a disease will be correctly identified by a clinical test.

sensitivity

(sĕn′sĭ-tĭv′ĭ-tē)

n.

1. The quality or condition of being sensitive.

2. The capacity of an organ or organism to respond to a stimulus.

3. The proportion of individuals in a population that will be correctly identified when administered a test designed to detect the presence of a particular disease.

sensitivity

(sĕn′sĭ-tĭv′ĭ-tē)

n.pl.sensitivi·ties

1.

a. The quality or condition of being sensitive: sensitivity to the concerns of others.

b. The capacity to respond to changes in the environment.

2. The degree of response of a receiver or instrument to an incoming signal or to a change in the incoming signal, as in FM radio.

3. The degree of response to light, especially to light of a specified wavelength, as in photographic film.

4. The degree of response to light, especially to light of a specified wavelength, as in photographic film.

5. The proportion of individuals in a population with a particular disease or condition that are correctly identified when administered a test for that disease or condition.

sensitivity

3 the lowest level of a substance that can be detected by a laboratory test procedure. diagnostic sensitivity, sensitive,adj.

sensitivity

Cardiac pacing The degree to which a pacemaker responds to electrical activity in the heart. See Sensing Threshold Lab medicine PID rate, positivity in disease rate, true positive rate The degree to which a test or clinical assay is capable of confirming–or supporting–the diagnosis of disease X–ie, the analyte is appropriately abnormal in a person with disease. See Analytical sensitivity, Predictive value, Two-by-two table. Cf Specificity Neurology The degree to which one can sense a stimulus with a sense organ. See Contact sensitivity, Functional sensitivity, Insulin sensitivity, Multiple chemical sensitivity, Subsensitivity.

sen·si·tiv·i·ty

(sen'si-tiv'i-tē)

1. The ability to appreciate by means of one or more of the senses.

2. State of being sensitive.

3. clinical pathology The proportion of patients with a given disease or condition in which a test intended to identify that disease or condition yields positive results. Sensitivity (%) = (number of diseased people with a positive test result ÷ total number of diseased people tested) × 100. Compare: specificity (2)

Sensitivity

The proportion of people with a disease who are correctly diagnosed (test positive based on diagnostic criteria). The higher the sensitivity of a test or diagnostic criteria, the lower the rate of 'false negatives,' people who have a disease but are not identified through the test.

sensitivity

measure of accuracy of a clinical test, i.e. how well false-positive results are highlighted; calculated as ratio of true-positive results and the sum of the number of true-positive plus false-negative results, expressed as a percentage; i.e. sensitivity = (true-positive/[true-positive + false-negative]) × 100 (seespecificity)

sen·si·tiv·i·ty

3. In clinical pathology and medical screening, proportion of affected patients who give a positive test result for disease test is intended to reveal, i.e., true-positive results divided by total true-positive and false-negative results, usually expressed as a percentage.

[L. sentio, pp. sensus, to feel]

sensitivity,

n1. the ability to feel or experience physical stimuli. 2. compassion or thoughtfulness toward a person or situation.

sensitivity, tactile,

n a capacity to sense the transference of vibrations from the parts of the instrument (e.g., handle, shank, and working end) to the fingers of the clinician.

sensitivity test,

n a laboratory method for testing antibiotic effectiveness.

sensitivity, tooth,

n the state of responsiveness of teeth to external influences such as heat, sugar, and trauma. May result from occlusal trauma, especially if the anatomic relation of the apical foramen to the traumatized tissue is such that the circulation of the pulp is disturbed.

sensitivity, tooth, hydrodynamic theory,

n a theory that attributes tooth sensitivity to the expansion and contraction of fluids within the dentinal tubules, thus causing the nerve endings to trigger pain responses in the tooth pulp. See hypersensitivity, dentin.

sensitivity, tooth, neurophysiology theory of,

n a theory that attributes tooth sensitivity to the stimulation of either A-type fibers, which cause short, sharp, localized pains, or C-type fibers, which produce dull, aching pains that may be spread across a wide area.

sensitivity training,

n the use of group dynamics to experiment with and alter behavioral patterns and interpersonal reactions. Also called T group.

sensitivity

the state or quality of being sensitive.

antibiotic sensitivity, antimicrobial sensitivity

the degree of susceptibility of a bacterial isolate to individual antibiotics. Measured by growth in liquid culture media with serial dilutions of the antimicrobial, or on agar plates as measured by the width of the zone of growth inhibition around a special disk impregnated with the antimicrobial.

the probability that a test will correctly identify the patients which are infected or have a specified non-infectious condition. A fundamental parameter for all diagnostic tests. A sensitive test will pick up the minutest quantity of antibody or other agent in a biological fluid. There are times when this is a desirable characteristic but the loss of specificity that usually accompanies the high sensitivity, needs to be taken into account. See also specificity.

radioimmunoassay sensitivity

the smallest amount of hormone which the assay can accurately detect above a zero amount.

Patient discussion about sensitivity

Q. I had cataract surgery with iol implant, and ever since I have awful light sensitivity. Any ideas? I can't go into a "super store" without my sunglasses. My eyes ache at the end of the day.
My doctor says "I don't know!"

A. May sound a bit silly question, but have you tried to consult your ophthalmologist (eye doctor, e.g. the one that performed the operation) about it? Cataract surgery, although considered very successful, isn't problem-free. Primary physician may not have the necessary specialization to deal with these subjects.

Q. I heard that patients are highly sensitive to their senses? what are the most common symptoms of fibromyalgia and can they be aggravated? I heard that patients are highly sensitive to their senses?

A. Great answeer...couldn't agree more!

Q. when my aunt went through chemo (for colon cancer) her palms became VERY sensitive and had a burning feeling is there any way to prevent this from happening to my mom who is starting her chemo now? If not, what it the best treatment for it?

A. What you describe sounds like peripheral neuropathy, a well known side effect of platinum chemotherapy which is used for colon cancer. Several measures, including giving infusion of calcium and magnesium, and glutathione were found to reduce the rate of this complication, although further studies are necessary.

However, the information is only general advice, since I haven't examined your mother so if you have any questions about this subject, it may be wise to consult a doctor (e.g. oncologist).

You may read more here:http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cancerchemotherapy.html

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