Basic Medical Terms Flashcards
Diagnosis
state of complete knowledge or the identification of the cause and nature of a disease.
Prognosis
state of prior knowledge or the prediction about the outcome of a disease.
Sign
Objective evidence of a disease or the physical manifestation of injury, illness, or disease. Objective mean the sign can be evaluated or measured by the patient or others.
Symptoms
Subjective evidence of a disease or what the patient experiences about the injury; subjective means it can be evaluated or measured only by the patient/
Acronym
A word formed by combining the initial letters of a multipart name or major parts of a compound term, such as GERD from Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease.
Abbreviation
A shortened form of a word or phrase used chiefly in writing to represent the complete form, such as AMI, for Acute Myocardial Infarction.
Eponym
One whose name is or is thought to be the source of the name of something such as a disease, structure, operation, or procedure named for the person who discovered it first, for example, Marfan syndrome, Fallopian tube, Rinne test, Huntington disease.
Acute disease
Rapid, severe, and of relatively short duration.
Chronic disease
Lasting for a long period of time or marked by frequent
recurrence, as certain diseases, may be controlled but almost never cured.
Relapse
A return of a disease or its symptoms after partial recovery from it.
Exacerbation
An increase in the severity of the disease or any of its symptoms.
Remission
The period during which the symptoms of a disease abate or subside without having achieved a cure.
Differential diagnosis
The differences between diseases in terms of clinical
signs and epidemiological parameters; used as a basis for selecting as a diagnosis the one with the best fit to those seen in the subject. It is also known as to rule out (R/O).
Sarcoma
A cancerous tumor of fleshy tissue.
Carcinoma
A cancerous tumor of epithelial tissue.
Malignant
Tending to become progressively worse and to result in death; having
the properties of anaplasia, invasiveness, and metastasis; said of tumors. You
can also simply define it by a cancerous tumor that spreads like fire.
Benign
Not malignant; not recurrent; favorable for recovery. You can also define
it by a non-cancerous tumor that does not spread.
Myocardial infarction (MI)
Death of the cells of an area of the heart muscle as
a result of oxygen deprivation, which in turn is caused by obstruction of the
blood supply; commonly referred to as a “heart attack.”
Cerebrovascular accident (CVA)
An abnormal condition of the brain
characterized by occlusion by an embolus, thrombus, or cerebrovascular
hemorrhage or vasospasm, resulting in ischemia of the brain tissues normally
perfused by the damaged vessels, commonly referred to as a “stroke.”
Ischemia
A condition in which blood supply is held back from a part of the body.
ilium
one of the bones of each half of the pelvis
ileum
third part of the small intestine
intervertebral
pertaining to lying between two vertebrae (intervertebral disc)
intravertebral
situated or occurring within a vertebra (intravertebral vacuum)
peritoneum
membrane that surrounds the abdomen and holds the abdominal organs in place
perineum
the area between the anus and the scrotum (or vulva in females)
mucous
(adjective) pertaining to membrane that secretes mucus
mucus
(noun) secretion from mucous membrane
palpation
process of touching and feeling
palpitation
having the heart throb, a feeling that your heart is beating too hard or
too fast
albumen
the white of an egg
albumin
protein molecule in the blood
humerus
(noun) bone of upper arm
humorous
(adjective) a general English word that means amusing or funny
humeral
(adjective) pertaining to bone of upper arm
humoral
pertaining to immunity to infection from antibodies in blood
contraction
normal tensing and shortening of muscle from nerve impulse
contracture
abnormal, fixed position of permanently flexed muscle
reflex
involuntary, automatic response of muscular–nervous pathway
reflux
backward flowing of fluid
ureter
(noun) tube that connects kidney to bladder
ureteral
(adjective) ureteral obstruction, ureteral stent, ureteral catheter
urethra
tube that connects bladder to outside of body
urethral
pertaining to the tube that connects bladder to outside of body
vesical
pertaining to the urinary bladder
vesicle
small fluid-filled blister on skin
prostate
gland that surrounds urethra in males
prostrate
lying in a face-down position
breath
(noun) air that flows in and out of lungs
breathe
(verb) action of inhaling and exhaling
arteri/o
artery
ather/o
plaque or fatty substance
arthr/o
joint
fissure
groove or crack-like sore of the skin; it also describes normal folds in the
contour of the brain
fistula
abnormal passage between two internal organs
infection
the invasion of the body by a pathogenic organism
inflammation
localized response to an injury or destruction of tissues
laceration
torn, ragged wound
lesion
a pathologic change of the tissues to disease or injury
myc/o
fungus
myel/o
bone marrow or spinal cord
my/o
muscle
pyel/o
renal pelvis
py/o
pus
pyr/o
fever or fire
supination
the act of rotating the arm so that the palm of the hand is forward or
upward
suppuration
the formation of discharge or pus
trauma
wound or injury
tumor
a swelling of a part of the body caused by an abnormal growth of tissue
viral
pertaining to a virus
virile
possessing masculine traits
lithotomy
incision to remove the stones from the kidney
or
an examination position in which the patient is lying on back with the
feet and legs raised and supported in stirrups
calculus
kidney stone
or
a name of heel bone
colic
spasm of smooth muscle around ureters and bladder
or
spasm of smooth muscle around intestines
pelvis
funnel-shaped area in kidney
or
hipbones with sacrum and coccyx
scler
whitening of the eye
scler/o: hardening
myel/o
spinal cord or bone marrow
cyst/o
urinary bladder
cyst
filled sac or pouch
