Medical Terms Flashcards
Myorrhaphy
Surgical suturing of a muscle wound
Myorrhexis
rupture of a muscle
Medical Terminology
collection of all terms used by medical professionals to describe work
Disease
condition in which one or more body parts are not working normally; some diseased are normal for their signs & symptoms
Sign
evidence of a disease; examiner can see, hear, or otherwise measure/ observe signs (ex: fever = measurable)
Diagnosis
identification of a disease; to diagnose is the process of reaching a diagnosis
Differential Diagnosis
To try to determine which of several diseased is causing signs and symptoms; aka ‘rule out’
Prognosis
prediction of likely course & outcome of a disease
Triage
screening patients medically to see who needs priority treatment
Syndrome
set of signs & symptoms that occur together
Chronic
condition of long duration
Acute
condition with rapid onset, short duration, and severe causes
Trauma
wound or injury
Inflammation
swelling
Infection
invasion of disease-producing organism
Malaise
feeling of general discomfort, often the first sign of an infection
Exudate
fluid, pus
Lesion
pathologic change of the tissues due to an injury or disease
Laceration
torn or jagged wound/ accidental cut
Mucus (noun)
fluid secreted by mucous membranes
Mucous (adjective)
specialized membranes that line body cavities
Palpitation
an exam method; examiner’s hands feel the texture, size, consistency & location of body parts to help diagnose a condition or disease
Percussion
a procedure used by providers to examine patients; the examiner uses a tapping/ drumming method
Cyanosis
blue skin due to lack of oxygen
Leukocyte
White blood cell
Pathology
study of all aspects of a disease or condition
Microghathia
smaller-than-normal lower jaw
Myopia
nearsighted, close objects are clear/ far objects are blurred
Glaucoma
Increased pressure in the eyeball
Conductive Hearing Loss
elevated air-conduction threshold
Sensorineural Hearing Loss
elevated air conduction with headphones or insert earphones, elevated bone-conduction thresholds
Treacher Collin’s Syndrome
(may include) receding chin, malformed pinna, large mouth, depressed cheekbones, and space between eyelids by slope downward, malformed middle ear bones, may not have ear canals
Anatomy
study of body structures
Pinna
the external part of the ear (auricle)
Physiology
study of body functions
Pathologist
a physician (medical doctor) who specializes in the lab analysis of diseased tissue samples to confirm or identify a diagnosis
Etiology
study of causes of diseases
Glands
group of specialized cells capable of producing secretions
Exocrine
secrete chemical substances out of cells into ducts
Endocrine
produce hormones (secretions stay within cells)
Adenosis
any disease or condition of a gland
Adenitis
inflammation of gland
Adenomalacia
abnormal softening of a gland
Adenosclerosis
abnormal hardening of a gland
adenectomy
Surgical removal of gland
aplasia
absence of an organ or tissue at birth
Hypoplasia
deficient number of cells that leads to incomplete development of a tissue or organ
Anaplasia
change in structure of cells & their orientation to each other
Dysplasia
abnormal growth of cells, tissue or organs
Hyperplasia
increase in number of cells that results in the enlargement of a tissue or organ
hypertrophy
increase the bulk of an organ or body part due to an increase in the size of cells
cell membrane
the membrane that surrounds the cell
cytoplasm
fluid material within cell membrane, not part of the nucleus
nucleus
controls the cells activity (brain of the cell)
ribosomes
the cells “factories” that translate RNA into proteins
stem cells
different cells that can renew themselves, change into cells with specialized functions
system
organization of the body organs with specialized functions
organs
mass of tissue cells that conduct a specific function
tissues
a group of similar cells that work together to conduct certain functions
epithelial tissue
protective layer for external and internal body surfaces
connective tissues
binds and connects tissues and organs
muscular tissue
contracts and relaxes for movement
nervous tissues
responds to stimuli and conducts electrical impulses
body structure
cells, tissues, organs, and glads that make up body system that work together for proper functioning
body structure
cells, tissues, organs, and glads that make up body system that work together for proper functioning
body planes (planes of reference)
imaginary vertical and horizontal lines used to divide the body into descriptive sections that are used for reference
mid-sagittal
divides the body into equal right and left halves
sagittal
divides body into right and left portions (not always equal portions)
frontal
divides body into front and back portions
transverse
divides body into upper and lower portion
base, apex
base: bottom
apex: tip
dorsal cavity
the cranial and spinal cavities combined
cranial cavity
contains brain
spinal cavity
contains spinal cord and column
ventral cavity
body of organs along the front of the body
thoracic cavity
surrounds and protects the heart and lungs
abdominal cavity
contains digestive organs
pelvic cavity
formed by hipbones and contains organs for reproduction and excretion
cytologist
a specialist in the study and analysis of cells
histologist
a non-physician provider who specializes in the study of the microscopic structure of tissues
general practitioner
physician who provides care for all ages
internist
physician who specializes in disorders of internal organs
physicians associate
a licensed provider who works under physician supervision
arthritis
joint inflammation
stomach inflammation
gastritis
tonsillectomy
surgical removal of tonsils
muscle pain
myalgia
gene
the fundamental functional/physical unit of heredity
geneticist
person who specializes in the field of genetics
genetic disorder
a condition resulting from a defective or absent gene
dominant gene
if inherited from either parent, passes the condition to the child
recessive gene
if a child inherits a recessive gene from both parents, then will have condition; if a child inherits a recessive gene from one parent (and a normal gene from the other parent), then the child will not inherit the condition
genome
a complete set of genetic information (i.e., Human Genome Project)
chromosomes
genetic structures in the cell nucleus that are made up of DNA molecules that contain genes
DNA
molecule located in chromosome pairs; double-helix structures have thousands of genes
genetic mutation
a change in the DNA sequence
cystic fibrosis
disease present at birth that affects the respiratory & digestive systems
Down syndrome
genetic condition associated with characteristic facial appearance, developmental delays, and physical abnormalities
hemophilia
an inherited bleeding disorder (in which the blood does not clot)
hemophilia
an inherited bleeding disorder (in which the blood does not clot)
huntingtons disease
condition that results in degeneration of the nerves
muscular dystrophy
group of diseases that includes progressive muscle weakness and degeneration
Phenylketonuria (PKU)
rare disease with a missing digestive enzyme, results in severe intellectual disability
pathogen
micro-organism that causes diseases
transmission
spread of disease
contamination
likelihood that a pathogen is present; higher probability if infection control methods are lacking
communicable disease
spread from one person to another via direct or indirect contact
indirect contact transmission
person is infected by a contaminated surface
droplet transmission
disease spreads via respiratory droplets (coughing/sneezing)
airborne transmission
disease spreads by germs in the air
food borne or water borne transmission
disease spreads by contaminated food or water
vector borne transmission
disease spreads from a vector (carrier), such as a mosquito or raccoon w/ rabies
epidemiologist
specialist who studies disease outbreaks
endemic
on-going presence of disease
epidemic
sudden outbreak or a disease
pandemic
disease outbreak over a large geographic area
infectious
caused by pathogen
laterogenic
cause by an unfavorable response to a prescribed medical treatment
idiopathic
illness or disease without known cause
nosocomial infection
disease acquired in a hospital
congenital disorder
condition present at birth
developmental disorder
malformation present at birth (by age 22 years)
anomaly
deviation from what is typical
ex: atresia- absence of normal body opening
speech-language pathology
Branch of health care devoted to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of speech and language disorders (and swallowing disorders)
speech-language pathologist
Health care professional who is credentialed in the practice of speech-language pathology to provide a comprehensive array of services related to prevention, evaluation, and rehabilitation of speech and language disorders; may treat & diagnose individuals with swallowing disorders
audiology
Branch of health care devoted to the study, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing disorders, tinnitus, and balance dysfunction
audiologist
Health care professional who is credentialed in the practice of audiology to provide a comprehensive array of services related to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of hearing impairment and its associated communication disorder, and in the assessment and treatment of balance impairment
sanctions
penalties for unethical and/or illegal behaviors
ex: fines, license revoked
ethics
Systematizing, defending, & recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior
professional ethics
Standards of behavior or judgments that provide guidance to members of the profession about how to act when they have to make decisions
disability
a functional limitation that interferes with a person’s ability to walk, lift, hear, learn, etc.
word root
conveys the basic meaning of the word, usually describes what part of the body is involved, roots cannot stand alone
combining form
root plus a combining vowel which is often “o”; adding the combining vowel makes the word easier to pronounce
suffix
added to the end of words to complete the term, some suffixes make the root a noun, others make the root an adjective; noun suffixes may indicate a condition, disorder, disease, or procedure
prefix
added to the beginning of a word, often indicates the number, time or location
prefix
added to the beginning of a word, often indicates the number, time or location
culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) Patients
Clients/patients who come from a home environment where a language other than English is spoken
mircroaggressions
statements or behaviors that communicate a negative message about a non-dominant group
health literacy
understanding basic health information to make appropriate decisions
