Human health and medicine

Lujo hemorrhagic fever

Lujo hemorrhagic fever (LUHF), caused by Lujo virus (LUJV), is a rare Old World arenaviral hemorrhagic fever from the 2008 Zambia-South Africa outbreak, 80% fatal, rodent-borne with unknown reservoir, resembling severe Lassa fever without typical bleeding.

Lukoskin

Lukoskin is a DRDO-developed polyherbal Ayurvedic ointment and oral liquid for vitiligo (leucoderma), made from Himalayan herbs, transferred to AIMIL Pharmaceuticals, and marketed in India since 2011.

Luliconazole

Luliconazole (NND-502, LUZU) is a topical imidazole antifungal, the R-enantiomer of lanoconazole, inhibiting lanosterol demethylase. Approved in Japan 2005 and by FDA in 2013 for tinea pedis, cruris, and corporis.

Lumacaftor

Lumacaftor (VX-809), a CFTR corrector combined with ivacaftor as Orkambi, treats cystic fibrosis in F508del-homozygous patients; approved 2015, modest FEV1 gains, superseded by triple therapy.

Lumasiran

Lumasiran (Oxlumo) is Alnylam's GalNAc-conjugated siRNA silencing HAO1 (glycolate oxidase) to cut oxalate in primary hyperoxaluria type 1; FDA-approved November 2020, EU November 2020, all ages, ILLUMINATE trials.

Lumateperone

Lumateperone (Caplyta, ITI-007) is an atypical antipsychotic approved by the FDA in 2019 for schizophrenia and later for bipolar depression and adjunctive major depressive disorder. It modulates serotonin, dopamine, and glutamate neurotransmission with low D2 occupancy, at 42 mg once daily, with low weight, metabolic, and extrapyramidal side-effect rates.

Lumbago with sciatica

Lumbago with sciatica (ICD-11 ME84.20) is low back pain with radiating leg pain, historically called sciatica; usually caused by lumbar disc herniation, now preferably termed radicular pain or radiculopathy.

Lumbar arteries

The lumbar arteries (arteriae lumbales) are usually four pairs of arteries arising from the abdominal aorta that supply the spinal cord and posterior abdominal wall.

Lumbar discectomy

Lumbar discectomy is a surgical procedure that removes herniated disc material pressing on a nerve root in the lower spine, relieving the leg pain of sciatica.

Lumbar interbody fusion

Lumbar interbody fusion is a spine operation that removes a damaged lumbar disc and inserts a cage or bone graft so the vertebrae fuse into one solid block.

Lumbar laminectomy

A lumbar laminectomy is a surgical procedure that removes the spinous process and lamina of a lower-spine vertebra to decompress nerves compressed by spinal stenosis.

Lumbar nerves

Lumbar nerves: five pairs of mixed spinal nerves L1-L5 exiting below their vertebrae, dividing into dorsal and ventral rami, forming the lumbar plexus (T12-L4) and, via the lumbosacral trunk, the sacral plexus.

Lumbar plexus

Lumbar plexus: somatic nerve network from L1-L4 ventral rami (often with T12 subcostal contribution) lying within psoas major; six branches including femoral and obturator nerves; mean variation prevalence 20.1%.

Lumbar puncture

Lumbar puncture: needle into the lumbar subarachnoid space (L3–L4/L4–L5) to collect CSF, measure pressure, or give intrathecal drugs; central to meningitis diagnosis, with PCR-first testing and atraumatic needles reducing headache risk.

Lumbar spinal stenosis

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS), degenerative narrowing of the lumbar spinal canal causing neurogenic claudication in older adults; diagnosed by symptoms plus MRI, treated conservatively or by decompression, with fusion and spacers showing no added benefit.

Lumbar vertebrae

Lumbar vertebrae (L1-L5), the five largest vertebrae of the lower back between T12 and the sacrum; large thick bodies for weight bearing, lumbar lordosis, common sites of disc herniation and transitional vertebrae.

Lumbosacral radiculoplexopathy

Lumbosacral radiculoplexopathy, including diabetic lumbosacral radiculoplexus neuropathy (diabetic amyotrophy, Bruns-Garland syndrome), is a painful, asymmetric proximal lower-limb neuropathy from microvasculitic ischemic nerve injury, with no proven immunotherapy.

Lumiracoxib

Lumiracoxib, sold as Prexige, is a COX-2 selective NSAID developed by Novartis to treat osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and acute pain. It was withdrawn worldwide in 2007 after serious liver injury.

Lumpectomy

Lumpectomy, also called partial mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery, removes a breast tumor with a rim of healthy tissue while leaving the rest of the breast.

Lunatic asylum

Lunatic asylum: the historic institution for confining and treating people judged insane, also called madhouse and later mental hospital; defined by legal detention, moral treatment at the York Retreat, the 1845 Lunacy Act, peak populations of about 150,000 in 1950s Britain, and twentieth-century closure under deinstitutionalization.

LUNCH trial

LUNCH (NCT04253951) is an Italian double-blind randomized controlled trial testing lung ultrasound-monitored feeding against standard care for detecting silent and apparent aspiration in infants and young children with cerebral palsy or developmental disabilities; 150 participants, 6-month follow-up.

Lung

Lung: paired respiratory organ exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide across ~70 m² of alveolar surface; right lung three lobes, left two; five diseases dominate global lung deaths; 2025 WHO lung health resolution.

Lung biopsy

Lung biopsy is a diagnostic procedure that removes a sample of lung tissue, through the chest wall, a bronchoscope, or surgery, to diagnose lung cancer, interstitial lung disease, or infection.

Lung cancer

Lung cancer: cancer of lung tissues lining air passages; two main types, non-small cell (NSCLC) and small cell (SCLC). Smoking causes about 85% of cases; leading cause of cancer death worldwide, about 2.6 million cases and 1.9 million deaths in 2024.

Lung clearance index

The lung clearance index (LCI) is a pulmonary function test that counts how many breaths it takes to wash an inert tracer gas out of the lungs.

Lung Institute

Lung Institute is the name of two unrelated American organizations: an academic lung center of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and a Dallas stem cell clinic chain.

Lung irradiation

Lung irradiation is radiation therapy delivered to lung tissue, mainly as stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for localized tumors or whole-lung irradiation for diffuse metastases.

Lung resection

Lung resection is the surgical removal of part or all of a lung, from a wedge or segment to a whole lung, most often to treat lung cancer.

Lung transplantation

Lung transplantation replaces one or both diseased lungs with donor lungs for end-stage disease such as COPD, cystic fibrosis, or pulmonary fibrosis; first done 1963, routine since the 1983 Toronto success.