Medical Terminology Flashcards
Anthelmintic
Anthul-mintick
A drug that kills helminths (parasites) in an animal
Antiseptic
A substance that can be applied to a surface to make it free from germs.
Arrhythmia
A heart beat that does not have a normal rhythm
Ascites:
Uh-site-ees
An abnormal build up of fluid in the abdomen often causing it to look distended.
Ataxia:
An abnormal gait when walking or running.
Aural:
Relating to the ears or sense of hearing
Auscultation:
Aw-school-tay-shun
The act of listening with a stethoscope.
Benign:
A word used to describe tumours which do not spread. Not cancerous.
Bilateral:
Meaning on both sides.
Biopsy:
Taking a small sample for further testing, usually refers to tumours or the skin
Bradycardia:
Bray-duh-cardeuh
A heart beat that is slower than normal.
Cardiac:
Relating to the heart.
Cestodes:
Another word for tapeworms.
Chronic:
: Used to describe an illness that has been going on for a prolonged period of time. Persistent/recurring
Colitis:
Inflammation of the large intestine producing diarrhea, often with blood.
Congenital:
A condition that has been present since birth.
Cryptorchid:
: One or both testicles have not descended and are retained in the abdomen.
Cystitis:
Inflammation of the bladder resulting in discomfort when urinating.
Cytology:
The study of cells through a microscope.
Debride:
Removing dead tissue from a wound.
Defecation:
The act of passing feces.
Diuretics:
Drugs used to prevent or reduce water retention in the body.
Dyspnoea:
(Disp-nea)
Difficulty with breathing.
Dystocia:
Dis-toe-shuh
Difficulties in giving birth or whelping.
Ectoparasites:
Parasites that live on the skin such as fleas, lice and ticks.
Endocrine:
Enduh-Krin
Relating to hormones.
Endoscope
An instrument used to look inside hollow organs or parts such as the bladder or esophagus for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes that typically has one or more channels to allow the passage of surgical tools such as scissors or forceps.
Extra-cranial:.
Anything outside the skull
Faeces:
: Solid waste produced from the rectum
Fibrosis
The thickening and scarring of tissue
FLUTD:
Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease
Flystrike:
When blowfly lay larvae on damaged skin which hatch into maggots and cause tissue damage, often extensive
Gastric:
relating to the stomach eg. Gastritis is inflammation of the stomach.
Gestation:
The period of time for which an animal is pregnant.
Gingivitis:
Inflammation of the gums.
Hematology:
The study of anything relating to the blood
Hematuria:
Hema-tur-eh-ah
Blood in the urine.
Hernia:
Abnormal movement of organs or fat through a hole such as the umbilicus.
Hormone:
A chemical messenger produced by an organism the travels through bodily fluid (blood $ to stimulate cells and tissue into action.
Hyper-:
Too much or an excess of something eg.
Hyperthyroidism is an excess of thyroid hormone.
Hypo-:
Not enough or a deficit in something eg.
Hypoglycaemia is a low blood glucose level.
Hypertension:
High blood pressure.
Hypotension:
Low blood pressure.
latrogenic:
An adverse affect caused by a medical treatment. Usually results from a mistake made by a healthcare provider
Icterus:
Ick-ter-us
Another word for jaundice or yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes.
Immune Mediated:
A disease process that is caused by the body’s own immune system.
Intestine:
The intestines refers to the guts from the stomach to the rectum.
Intra-cranial:
Inside the skull.
Intravenous:
Into a vein, used to describe routes of administration of drugs.
Jugular:
The main vein in the body, returning to the heart.
Lactation:
Lack-tay-shun
Producing milk from the mammary glands.
Laparotomy:
Opening the abdominal cavity.
Lateral:
On the side eg. lateral recumbence means lying on the side.
Lethargy:
Reduction in the activity of an animal.
Malignant:
A word to describe a tumour that is likely to spread to other parts of the body. Cancerous
Mastitis:
Inflammation in the mammary glands usually cause by infection
Mucous Membranes:
Moist membranes such as the gums and inside the nose.
Nasal:.
Relating to the nose
Necrosis:
Death of tissues eg. Necrotic tissue is often found in wounds and abscesses.
Neoplasia:
Neo-play-shuh
Another word for tumours.
NSAID:
Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory, a pain relief drug similar to Ibuprofen.
Oncology:
A branch of medicine that studies the cause, prevention, symptoms of cancer.
Oral:
Relating to the mouth.
Orchitis:
Or-kye-tis
Inflammation of the scrotum.
Otitis:
Inflammation of the ear canal.
Ovariohysterectomy:
Removal of the ovaries and uterus as performed in routine neutering.
Palpation:
Another word for feeling eg. abdominal palpation is feeling the abdomen for abnormal masses.
Palliative:
Care aimed at keeping an animal comfortable rather than treating a condition.
Paralysis:
Loss of use of a part of the body often the limbs.
Parasite:
An organism that lives off another animal eg. worms living in the intestines.
Pathogen:
An agent capable of causing disease such as a bacteria or virus.
Perineal:
Per-in-e-al
Relating to the area around the anus.
Peritoneal:
Relating to the inside of the abdominal cavity.
Pinna:
The external flap of the ear.
Platelets:
Small blood cells responsible for blood clotting.
Polydipsia:
Excessive thirst.
Polyphagia:
Excessive hunger.
Polyuria:
Urinating larger volumes than normal.
Probiotic:
Bacteria that are beneficial to the health of the intestines.
Purulent:
Pyoura-lint
Relating to pus eg. Purulent discharge is pus like discharge.
Pyometra:
Infection in the uterus in un-neutered females
Radiograph:
The proper term for an x-ray image.
Regurgitation:
.
The Voluntarily or involuntarily return of food from the stomach to the mouth.
Renal:
Relating to the kidneys.
Respiration:
The act of breathing.
Sclera:
Skler-uh
The white part of the eye.
Septic shock
Critical reduction of tissue perfusion (the passing of fluids through the circulatory system.) Acute failure of organs such as the kidneys, lungs, liver can occur.
Splenic:
Relating to the spleen.
Tachycardia:
Tack-uh-card-ee-uh
A heart beat that is faster than normal.
Thorax:
Another word for the chest.
Thrombus:
A blood clot.
Torsion:
A twist, sometimes in an organ eg. a gastric torsion is a twisted stomach.
Toxin:
A poisonous substance capable of causing harm.
Trachea:
The wind pipe leading from the back of the mouth to the lungs.
Unilateral:
On one side.
Ureter:
The tube leading from the kidney to the bladder.
Urethra:
The tube leading from the bladder to the outside.
Urination:
The act of passing urine.
Uveitis:
You-vee-eye-tis
Inflammation of the back and inside of the eye.
Vascular:
Relating to the blood vessels.
Viscus
Another word for in internal organs
Zoonoses:
Diseases that can be passed from animals to humans.
Helminth
parasitic worm (such as a tapeworm, liver fluke, ascarid, or leech)
especially : an intestinal worm
Mammary
Breast/udder
Membrane
a thin soft pliable sheet or layer especially of animal or plant origin
referring to the outer boundary of a cell or of an internal cell compartment or lining an organ or connecting parts
Agent
something that produces or is capable of producing an effect
Gait
a manner of walking or moving on foot
2 : a sequence of foot movements (such as a walk, trot, pace, or canter) by which a horse or a dog moves forward
Hormone
product of living cells that circulates in body fluids (such as blood) or sap and produces a specific often stimulatory effect on the activity of cells usually remote from its point of origin
Fibrous
characterized by fibrosis
Word used to describe the scar tissue that results from fibrosis
Pathology
the study of the determining cause of diseases and especially of the structural and functional changes produced by them
Blowfly
any of a family (Calliphoridae) of dipteran flies (maggots) that deposit their eggs especially on meat or in wounds
Umbilicus
The navel
Metabolic
Of, relating to, based on metabolism
Gastritis
Inflammation of the stomach
Umbilicus
Naval
Sepsis
When your immune system has a severe reaction to an infection.
A systematic response of the immune system that results from the spread of pathogenic agents (such as bacteria or viruses) and their toxins into the bloodstream from a localized infection
(
: a potentially life-threatening, systemic response of the immune system that results from the spread of pathogenic agents (such as bacteria or viruses) and their toxins to the bloodstream from a localized infection (as of the lungs), that involves both inflammatory and immunosuppressive activity, that is marked especially by fever, chills, rapid heart rate and breathing, fatigue, confusion, increased blood coagulation, hypotension, impaired microcirculation, and organ dysfunction, and that may progress to septic shock
Physiological
characteristic of or appropriate to an organism’s healthy or normal functioning
Physiology
A branch of biology that deals with the normal or healthy functioning of the body/ all living matter (organs, tissue,cells) and all of the chemical and physical phenomena involved
Sepsis
A systemic inflammatory condition of the that results from complications of infection. In severe cases causing acute and life threatening organ dysfunction
