Human health and medicine

Progressive overload

Progressive overload: the exercise principle of gradually increasing training stress (load, volume, frequency) as the body adapts, from Milo of Croton and DeLorme's 1948 Progressive Resistance Exercise to ACSM's 2–10% load-increase rules.

Progressive pseudobulbar palsy

Progressive pseudobulbar palsy (ICD-11 8B60.2) is a motor neuron disease from bilateral corticobulbar tract degeneration, causing spastic dysarthria, dysphagia, and pseudobulbar affect without tongue wasting, distinct from progressive bulbar palsy.

Progressive pseudorheumatoid dysplasia

Progressive pseudorheumatoid dysplasia (PPRD, also called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia tarda with progressive arthropathy) is a rare autosomal recessive CCN6-related skeletal dysplasia causing non-inflammatory cartilage degeneration, joint stiffness, platyspondyly, and short stature, often misdiagnosed as juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Progressive supranuclear palsy

Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), or Steele-Richardson-Olszewski syndrome, is a rare 4-repeat tau neurodegenerative disease causing vertical gaze palsy, backward falls, and dementia, beginning around age 65 with severe disability within 3 to 5 years.

Progressive symmetric erythrokeratodermia

Progressive symmetric erythrokeratodermia (PSEK, Darier-Gottron disease, ORPHA:316) is a rare autosomal dominant cornification disorder with fixed symmetric erythematous hyperkeratotic plaques, palmoplantar keratoderma in about half of cases, and genes including GJB3, GJB4, KDSR, KRT83, and TRPM4.

Prolactin

Prolactin (PRL), a 23 kDa polypeptide hormone from anterior pituitary lactotrophs, drives lactation and over 300 other actions; tonically inhibited by hypothalamic dopamine via D2 receptors; excess causes hyperprolactinemia, treated with dopamine agonists.

Prolactinoma

Prolactinoma, a prolactin-secreting pituitary adenoma (lactotroph tumor), causes hyperprolactinemia with galactorrhea, amenorrhea, and infertility; treated first-line with dopamine agonists cabergoline or bromocriptine.

Prolapse of the vaginal apex

Prolapse of the vaginal apex is the descent of the uppermost vagina, either the uterus or the vault after hysterectomy, and is a common complication of hysterectomy.

Prolapsed urethral mucosa

Prolapsed urethral mucosa, or urethral prolapse, is circumferential eversion of distal urethral mucosa through the meatus, affecting prepubertal girls and postmenopausal women; treated conservatively or by excision.

Prolidase deficiency

Prolidase deficiency (hyperimidodipeptiduria, OMIM 170100): autosomal recessive PEPD gene disorder causing chronic leg ulcers, recurrent infections, facial dysmorphism, intellectual disability, and splenomegaly; prevalence about 1 in 1,235,000.

Proliferating trichilemmal cyst

Proliferating trichilemmal cyst, also called proliferating pilar tumor or pilar tumor of the scalp, is a rare usually benign hair follicle tumor of the scalp in women over 50, marked by trichilemmal keratinization and mimicry of squamous cell carcinoma.

Proliferative diabetic retinopathy

Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), also called retinitis proliferans, is the advanced neovascular stage of diabetic retinopathy and a leading cause of working-age blindness; treated with panretinal photocoagulation, anti-VEGF injections, or vitrectomy.

Proliferative vitreoretinopathy

Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR), also called massive periretinal proliferation, is a fibroproliferative complication of retinal detachment in which contractile membranes cause tractional redetachment; it affects 5–10% of RRD cases and has no approved drug therapy.

Prolonged first stage of labour

Prolonged first stage of labour (ICD-11 JB03.0), also called protracted or long first stage, is slow cervical dilation in labor, under 1 cm per hour for at least 4 hours, a leading indication for intrapartum cesarean section.

Prolonged grief disorder

Prolonged grief disorder (PGD, ICD-11 6B42) is a diagnosable mental disorder of persistent, impairing grief after bereavement, added to DSM-5-TR in March 2022, with yearning and preoccupation as core symptoms and grief-focused CBT as leading treatment.

Prolonged second stage of labour

Prolonged second stage of labour (ICD-11 JB03.1, ICD-10 O63.1): no delivery within 3 hours of pushing in nulliparous or 2 hours in multiparous women; raises maternal and neonatal morbidity risks.

Prolotherapy

Prolotherapy (proliferation therapy, regenerative injection therapy) injects irritant solutions, usually 12.5-25% hypertonic dextrose, into ligaments and tendon attachments for chronic musculoskeletal pain; evidence is mixed and dextrose use is off-label.

Promestriene

Promestriene (Colpotrophine) is a minimally absorbed estradiol diether used as a low-dose vaginal estrogen for atrophy and genitourinary syndrome of menopause; sold in Europe and Latin America, not approved in the US.

Promethazine

Promethazine (Phenergan, 3277 RP) is a phenothiazine H1 antihistamine synthesized in 1944, first marketed by Rhône-Poulenc, used for allergy, nausea, motion sickness, and sedation, with boxed warnings for pediatric respiratory depression and injection-site gangrene.

Prominent veins

Prominent veins (隆起した静脈, ICD-11 MC88) are unusually visible or bulging superficial veins, caused by low body fat, exercise, heat, aging, or varicose veins from valve failure; duplex ultrasound evaluates reflux.

PROMISE 2 trial

PROMISE 2 (NCT02974153) was a phase 3 trial of intravenous eptinezumab (ALD403, Vyepti) 100 mg and 300 mg versus placebo in 1,072 adults with chronic migraine, reducing monthly migraine days by 2.0 to 2.6 over placebo.

PROMISE trial (NCT06416215)

PROMISE (NCT06416215, PROMISE_BO_2024) is a University of Bologna randomized pilot trial testing a Well-Being Therapy-based group intervention plus nutrition education versus basic nutritional intervention for weight loss in adults with obesity; 50 participants, completed December 2024.

PROMISE trial (NCT07680595)

PROMISE (NCT07680595, RX-2006-001) is a phase 1/2 exploratory cohort trial at Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai, testing atorvastatin 20 mg daily with or without folic acid 5 mg daily for 6 months on carotid plaque stability in 180 adults; distinct from other PROMISE-named trials.

PROMISSE study

PROMISSE (Predictors of pRegnancy Outcome: bioMarkers In antiphospholipid antibody Syndrome and Systemic lupus Erythematosus, NCT00198068) is an NIH-funded multicenter prospective cohort led by Jane E. Salmon studying pregnancy outcomes in SLE and antiphospholipid antibody patients; it identified lupus anticoagulant and early complement activation as predictors of adverse outcomes.

PROMOTE-PIs trial

PROMOTE-PIs (NCT00993031) was a phase 3 open-label randomized trial in Tororo, Uganda, testing lopinavir/ritonavir versus efavirenz-based ART in 389 HIV-infected pregnant women; it found no reduction in placental malaria or adverse birth outcomes.

Sep 29, 2026

Promoting Resilience in Stress Management

Promoting Resilience in Stress Management (PRISM) is a brief behavioral intervention that teaches stress management and resilience skills to adolescents and young adults with serious illness.

Promotion of anorexia

Promotion of anorexia, commonly called pro-ana, is the advocacy and glorification of anorexia nervosa through online communities presenting it as a lifestyle choice rather than an illness.

Promotoer trial

Promotoer trial (NCT04353297): randomized, assessor-blinded, single-center superiority RCT at Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, testing EEG-BCI-assisted hand motor imagery training versus MI alone in 49 subacute stroke patients, primary outcome UE-FMA.

Pronation

Pronation: inward/downward rotation of the forearm (palm down, via pronator teres and quadratus) or of the foot (arch flattening during gait); opposite of supination, relevant to running shoes and injury.