Common Terms in Medicine

Question 1

acute

Answer 1

just started recently or is a sharp, severe symptom

Question 2

chronic

Answer 2

it has been going on for a while now

Question 3

exacerbation

Answer 3

getting worse

Question 4

abrupt

Answer 4

all the sudden

Question 5

febrile

Answer 5

have a fever

Question 6

afebrile

Answer 6

to not have a fever

Question 7

malaise

Answer 7

not feeling well

Question 8

progressive

Answer 8

more and more each day

Question 9

symptom

Answer 9

something a patient feels

Question 10

noncontributory

Answer 10

not related to specific problem

Question 11

lethargic

Answer 11

a decrease in level of consciousness , in a medical record , this is an indication a patient is very sick

Question 12

genetic/hereditary

Answer 12

runs in family

Question 13

alert

Answer 13

able to answer questions, responsive and interactive

Question 14

oriented

Answer 14

being aware of who he or she is, where he or she is and the current time

Question 15

marked

Answer 15

it really stands out

Question 16

unremarkable

Answer 16

another way of saying normal

Question 17

auscultation

Answer 17

to listen

Question 18

percussion

Answer 18

to hit something and listen to the resulting sound or feel for the resulting vibration

Question 19

palpation

Answer 19

to feel

Question 20

impression

Answer 20

another way of saying assessment

Question 21

diagnosis

Answer 21

what the health care professional thinks the patient has

Question 22

differential diagnosis

Answer 22

a list of conditions the patient may have based on the symptoms exhibited and the results of the exam

Question 23

benign

Answer 23

safe

Question 24

malignant

Answer 24

dangerous; a problem

Question 25

degeneration

Answer 25

to be getting worse

Question 26

remission

Answer 26

to get better or improve

Question 27

idiopathic

Answer 27

no known specific cause; just happens

Question 28

localized

Answer 28

stays in a certain part of the body

Question 29

systemic/generalized

Answer 29

all over the body (most of it)

Question 30

prognosis

Answer 30

the chances for things getting better or worse

Question 31

occult

Answer 31

hidden

Question 32

lesion

Answer 32

diseased tissue

Question 33

recurrent

Answer 33

to have again

Question 34

sequela

Answer 34

a problem resulting from a disease or injury

Question 35

pending

Answer 35

waiting for

Question 36

pathogen

Answer 36

the organism that causes the problem

Question 37

morbidity

Answer 37

the risk for being sick

Question 38

mortality

Answer 38

the risk for dying

Question 39

etiology

Answer 39

the cause

Question 40

disposition

Answer 40

what happened to the patient at the end of the visit, usually used at the end of ED notes to reference where the patient went after visit (home, ICU, normal hospital bed)

Question 41

discharge

Answer 41

to unload; two meanings - to send home - fluid coming out of a part of the body

Question 42

palliative

Answer 42

treating symptoms but not actually getting rid of the cause

Question 43

reassurance

Answer 43

to tell the patient that the problem is not serious or dangerous

Question 44

supportive care

Answer 44

to treat the symptoms and make the patient feel better

Question 45

sterile

Answer 45

extremely clean, germ-free conditions.

Question 46

prophylaxis

Answer 46

preventative treatment