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Dyscrasias

Dyscrasia is a nonspecific term that refers to a disease or disorder, especially of the blood. The latter is called a blood dyscrasia.

Before modern medicine, it meant an imbalance of four body fluids: blood, bile, lymph, and phlegm.

References

Stone RM. Myelodysplastic syndromes. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 167.

Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary. Dyscrasia. 24th ed. Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis Company; 2021. www.tabers.com/tabersonline/view/Tabers-Dictionary/751737/0/dyscrasia?. Accessed April 16, 2025.

Review Date 2/3/2025

Updated by: Warren Brenner, MD, Oncologist, Lynn Cancer Institute, Boca Raton, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.