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
