Medical Terms Flashcards
A metabolic disease in which the body’s inability to produce any or enough insulin causes elevated levels of glucose in the blood.
Diabetes
A condition in which the heart beats with an irregular or abnormal rhythmn.
Arrhythmia
A group of lung diseases that block airflow and make breathing difficult.
COPD
Disease of the retina that results in impairment or loss of vision.
Retinopathy
A viral infection that attacks your respiratory system—nose, throat, and lungs
Influenza
Each of two upper chambers of the heart from which blood is passed to the ventricles. The right receives deoxygenated blood from the veins of the body; the left receives oxygenated blood from the pulmonary vein
Atrium
Most common tick-bourne illness in North America and Europe. Caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi. The skin, joints, and nervous system are affected most often.
Lyme disease
Lung inflammation caused by bacterial or viral infection in which air sacs fill with pus and become solid.
Pneumonia
One of a group of tumors usually arising from connective tissue such as muscles, fat, bones, the linings of joints, or blood vessels. Most are malignant.
Sarcoma
Cancer made up of cells that normally develop into skeletal muscles.
Rhabdomyosarcoma
A highly contagious skin infection that mainly affects infants and children. Usually appears as red sores on the face, especially around a child’s nose or mouth.
Impetigo
A secondary infection originating from the site of an infection already present in the body.
Autoinoculation
An inflammation of the membranes (meninges) surrounding your brain and spinal cord.
Meningitis
Cancer of the lymphatic system which is part of your immune system.
Hodgkin’s lymphoma
A life-threatening disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs and digestive system. An inherited condition that affects the cells that produce mucus, sweat, and digestive juices.
Cystic fibrosis
Abnormally low count of neutrophils a type of white blood cell that helps fight off infections.
Neutropenia
A condition that can cause extended or excessive bleeding. Cause is a deficiency in or impairment of a protein component in your blood-clotting process.
Von Willebrand’s disease
A neurological disorder characterized by jerky involuntary movements affecting especially the shoulders, hips, and face.
Chorea
A hereditary disease marked by degeneration of the brain cells and causing chorea and progressive dementia.
Huntington chorea
A classic motor neuron disease. Motor neuron diseases are progressive chronic diseases of the nerves that come from the spinal cord responsible for supplying electrical stimulation to the muscles.
Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)
Paralysis of facial nerve causing muscular weakness in one side of the face.
Bell’s palsy
A rare disorder in which your body’s immune system attacks your nerves. Weakness and tingling in your extremities are usually the first symptoms.
Guillain-Barre syndrome
Drooping of one or both eyelids
Ptosis
Double vision
Diplopia
Characterized by weakness and rapid fatigue of any of the muscles under your voluntary control.
Myasthenia gravis
Autoimmune disease that attacks the lungs and kidneys. The body’s immune system mistakenly produces antibodies against collagen in the lungs and kidneys.
Goodpasture’s syndrome
A swelling of the neck from enlargement of the thyroid gland.
Goiter
A condition in which your immune system attacks your thyroid, a small gland at the base of your neck below your Adam’s apple. Most common cause of hypothyroidism.
Hashimoto’s disease
Deficiency of all types of blood cells caused by failure of bone marrow development.
Aplastic anemia
A condition in which the immune system attacks the red blood cells.
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
A deficiency in the production of red blood cells through a lack of vitamin B12. Your intestines cannot properly absorb vitamin B12.
Pernicious anemia
Inherited form of anemia in which there aren’t enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen throughout your body. Red blood cells become rigid and sticky and are like sickles or crescent moons.
Sickle cell anemia
Fist-shaped, purple, and 4 inches long protected by rib cage. Acts as a filter for blood as part of the immune system. Old red blood cells are recycled and platelets and white blood cells are stored there. Also helps fight certain kinds of bacteria that cause pneumonia and meningitis.
Spleen
Soft, fatty, vascular tissue that fills most bone cavities and is the source of red blood cells and many white blood cells and platelets.
Bone marrow
Bedsore; pressure ulcer in an area of the skin that breaks down when something keeps rubbing or pressing against the skin.
Decubitus ulcer
A thin sheet of fibrous tissue enclosing a muscle or other organ.
Fascia
Severe form of pneumonia
Legionnaires’ disease
Contagious bacterial infection that involves the lungs. May spread to other organs. A chronic, systemic disease whose initial infection is in the lungs.
Tuberculosis
A contagious skin disease marked by itching and small red spots caused by the itch mite.
Scabies
Infestation of the scalp by head lice.
Pediculosis capitis
Scler/o
Hard
Narrowing of the heart’s mitral valve. Rheumatic fever is the most common cause.
Mitral valve stenosis
A weakness of the heart that leads to a buildup of fluid in the lungs and surrounding tissue.
Congestive heart failure
Shortness of breath
Dyspnea
A parasitic disease that involves high fevers, chills, flu-like symptoms and anemia.
Malaria
Type of skin cancer that begins in basal cells. Occurs most often on areas of the skin exposed to the sun.
Basal cell carcinoma
Type of skin cancer arising from the melanocyte cells of the skin; most dangerous type of skin cancer.
Malignant melanoma
Common form of skin cancer that develops in the thin, flat squamous cells that make up the outer layer of the skin; usually not life threatening.
Squamous cell carcinoma
Three types of skin cancer
Basal cell carcinoma
Malignant melanoma
Squamous cell carcinoma
Aggressive type of lung cancer
Oat cell carcinoma (small cell lung cancer)
Presence of air or gas in the cavity between the lungs and the chest wall, causing collapse of the lung.
Pneumothorax
A condition affecting the fingers and toes in which the extremities are broadened and the nails are shiny and abnormally curved.
Clubbing
A cancer arising in epithelial tissue of the skin or of the lining of the internal organs.
Carcinoma
A benign tumor formed from glandular structures in epithelial tissue.
Adenoma
A benign tumor of fatty tissue.
Lipoma
A malignant tumor of connective or other nonepithelial tissue.
Sarcoma
A hereditary disorder causing progressive deafness due to overgrowth of bone in the middle ear.
Otosclerosis
When hearing loss is due to problems with the ear canal, ear drum, or middle ear and its little bones.
Conductive hearing loss
When hearing loss is due to problems of the inner ear; also known as nerve-related hearing loss.
Sensorineural hearing loss
Combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss.
Mixed hearing loss
Hardening of the arteries
Atherosclerosis
A disease in which your immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers your nerves.
Multiple sclerosis
The fatty substance that coats and protects nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord.
Myelin
The left lower chamber of the heart that receives blood from the left atrium and pumps it out under high pressure through the aorta into the body.
Left ventricle
The main artery of the body supplying oxygenated blood to the circulatory system.
Aorta
An artery with its origin in the aorta and with distribution to the kidney.
Renal artery
The artery carrying blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs for oxygenation.
Pulmonary artery
Large vein carrying deoxygenated blood into the heart. There are 2 in humans carrying blood from the lower body and upper body.
Vena cava
Fast growing type of lung cancer. Also called oat cell cancer.
Small cell carcinoma
A cancer that develops in the lining or inner surface of an organ and usually has glandular (secretory) properties.
Adenocarcinoma
Cancer that begins in squamous cells —thin, flat cells that look under the microscope like fish scales. Are found in the tissue that forms the surface of the skin, the lining of hollow organs of the body and the passages of the respiratory and digestive tracts.
Squamous cell cancer
Tiny air sacs within the lungs where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place.
Alveoli
Oxygen-carrying pigment of red blood cells that give them their red color and serves to convey oxygen to the tissues.
Hemoglobin
A weak acid formed when carbon dioxide combines with water
Carbonic acid
The clear yellowish fluid portion of blood or lymph in which the red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are suspended.
Plasma
The clear liquid that can be separated from clotted blood.
Serum
Three fluid-filled bony channels in the inner ear. They are situated at right angles to each other and provide information about orientation to the brain to help maintain balance.
Semicircular canals
The section of the digestive tract that extends from the mouth and nasal cavities to the larynx where it becomes continuous with the esophagus.
Pharynx
A muscular and cartilaginous structure lined with mucous membranes at the upper part of the trachea where the vocal cords are located.
Larynx
A thin-walled cartilaginous tube descending from the larynx to the bronchi and carrying air to the lungs; windpipe.
Trachea
Dizziness, light-headed, giddiness
Vertigo
Any of 3 tubular and looped structures of the inner ear together functioning in maintenance of the sense of balance in the body.
Semicircular canal
The causative organism for SARS is a
Coronavirus
Hereditary condition that causes your body to absorb too much iron from the food you eat.
Hereditary hemochromatosis
Life-threatening disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs and digestive system. An inherited condition that affects the cells that produce mucus, sweat, and digestive juices.
Cystic fibrosis
A medical condition in which the ability of the blood to clot is severely reduced causiythe sufferer to bleed severely from even a slight injury. Typically caused by a hereditary lack of a coagulation factor, most often factor VIII.
Hemophilia
Causes warts on different parts of the body.
HPV (human papillomavirus)
A primary sore or ulcer at the site of entry of a pathogen; the initial lesion of syphilis.
Chancre
A cell filled with basophil granules found in numbers in connective tissue and releasing histamine and other substances during inflammatory and allergic reactions.
Mast cells
A large phagocytic cell found in stationary form in the tissues or as a mobile white blood cell, especially at sites of infection.
Macrophage
An anti-body secreting cell derived from B cells that plays a major role in antibody-mediated immunity.
Plasma cell
A complex of signs and symptoms representing a less severe stage of HIV characterized by chronic generalized lymphadenopathy, fever, weight loss, prolonged diarrhea, minor opportunistic infections, cytopenia, and t-cell abnormalities of the kind associated with AIDS.
Aids-related complex(ARC)
An antiviral drug used to treat HIV patients
Zidovudine (AZT)
A lithium salt used in the treatment of depression and mania associated with bipolar disorder.
Lithium carbonate
Generic name is Digoxin. Helps make the heart beat stronger and with a more regular rhytmn. Used to treat heart failure. Also used to treat atrial fibrillation.
Lanoxin
Generic name is Furosemide. Treats fluid retention (edema) and high blood pressure (hypertension). This medicine is a diuretic (water pill).
Lasix
This drug treats anxiety, anxiety with depression, and insomnia (trouble sleeping). A benzodiazepine.
Lorazepam
Cancer made up of cells that normally develop into skeletal (voluntary) muscles.
Rhabdomyosarcoma
A cancer that starts in the retina. Most common type of eye cancer in children.
Retinoblastoma
An inflammatory disease characterized at first by a rash, headache, fever, and chills and later by possible arthritis and neurological and cardiac disorders, caused by bacteria that are transmitted by ticks.
Lyme disease
Deficiency of all types of bood cells caused by failure of bone marrow development.
Aplastic anemia
Occurs when the bone marrow is unable to replace the red blood cells that are being destroyed.
Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia
Infestation of the scalp by head lice
Pediculous capitis
A contagious itching skin disease occurring in small circular patches caused by any of a number of fungi and affecting chiefly the scalp or the feet. The most common form is athlete’s foot.
Ringworm
Cells that are found in the tissue that forms the surface of the skin, the lining of hollow organs of the body, and the passages of the respiratory and digestive tracts. Flat cells that look like fish scales.
Squamous cells
a chronic inner ear condition that causes vertigo or extreme dizziness, loss of balance, ringing in the ears, and hearing loss. Attacks occur due to changes in the fluid in the inner ear, which affects balance
Meniere’s disease
A rare but serious condition that causes swelling in the liver and brain. Most often affects children and teenagers recovering from a viral infection most commonly the flu or chickenpox.
Reye’s syndrome
disease causes some areas of your body — such as your fingers and toes — to feel numb and cold in response to cold temperatures or stress. Smaller arteries that supply blood to your skin narrow, limiting blood circulation to affected areas (vasospasm).
Raynaud’s disease
also called German measles or three-day measles, is a contagious viral infection best known by its distinctive red rash.
Rubella
the softening and weakening of bones in children, usually because of an extreme and prolonged vitamin D deficiency.
Rickets
Also called urothelial cell carcinoma is a type of cancer that typically occurs in the urinary system: the kidney, urinary bladder, and accessory organs.
Transitional cell carcinoma
an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It causes inflammation of the lining of your digestive tract, which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss and malnutrition.
Crohn’s disease
A life-threatening disease spread to humans by rodents. It has symptoms similar to influenza.
Hantavirus
A disease of children caused by vitamin D deficiency characterized by imperfect calcification, softening, and distortion of the bones typically resulting in bow legs.
Rickets
A rickettsial disease transmitted by ticks
Rocky Mountain spotted fever
A yellowish pigment found in bile, a fluid made by the liver. A waste product of the normal breakdown of red blood cells.
Bilirubin
a life-threatening condition that develops when cells in the body are unable to get the sugar (glucose) they need for energy because there is not enough insulin.
Diabetic ketoacidosis
develops when the adrenal glands, which are above the kidneys, are not able to make enough of the hormones cortisol and, sometimes, aldosterone.
Addison’s disease
a disorder that occurs when your body produces insufficient amounts of certain hormones produced by your adrenal glands. Your adrenal glands produce too little cortisol and often insufficient levels of aldosterone as well.
Addison’s disease
A common skin disorder that is characterized by benign, painless, often wart-like skin lesions that appear to be ‘stuck on.’ The raised spots are usually yellow or brown. Treatment, if warranted, involves surgical or cryo-surgical removal. Also known as seborrheic warts and verruca.
Seborrheic keratoses
A rare genetic disorder in which the body cannot break down an amino acid called phenylalanine which is a part of protein. This substance is found in breast milk, many types of baby formula, and most foods, especially those with a lot of protein, such as meat, eggs, and dairy products.
Phenylketonuria
Happens when too much iron builds up in the body, leading to damage of the liver and heart. The condition tends to run in families, but people sometimes get it from having a lot of blood transfusions, liver disease, or alcoholism, or from taking too many iron pills.
Hereditary hemochromatosis
A rare, neurodegenerative disorder in which deficiency of an enzyme (hexosaminidase A) results in excessive accumulation of certain fats (lipids) known as gangliosides in the brain and nerve cells. This abnormal accumulation of gangliosides leads to progressive dysfunction of the central nervous system.
Tay-Sachs disease
A hormone found in the pancreas that promotes the breakdown of glycogen to glucose in the liver.
Glucagon
Inflammation of bone or bone marrow usually due to infection.
Osteomyelitis
Bone density test.
DEXA Scan (dual energy xray absorptiometry)
A by-product of the breakdown of hemoglobin from red blood cells.
Bilirubin
A condition in which one or more arteries in the lungs become blocked by a blood clot.
Pulmonary embolism
Also called oral candidiasis is a condition in which the fungus Candida albicans accumulates on the lining of your mouth.
Thrush
A birth defect in which a developing baby’s spinal cord fails to develop properly.
Spina bifida
a set of evolutionarily primitive brain structures located on top of the brainstem and buried under the cortex which are involved in many of our emotions and motivations, particularly those that are related to survival. Such emotions include fear, anger, and emotions related to sexual behavior.
Limbic system
Either of two masses of gray matter lying between the cerebral hemispheres on either side of the third ventricle, relaying sensory information and acting as a center for pain perception.
Thalamus
A section of the brain responsible for hormone production. The hormones produced by this area of the brain govern body temperature, thirst, hunger, sleep, circadian rhythm, moods, sex drive, and the release of other hormones in the body. This area of the brain controls the pituitary gland and other glands in the body.
Hypothalamus
The main endocrine gland. It is a small structure in the head. It is called the master gland because it produces hormones that control other glands and many body functions including growth and development.
Pituitary gland
The part of the brain at the back of the skull. It’s function is to coordinate and regulate muscular activity.
Cerebellum
The portion of the brain that is continuous with the spinal cord and comprises the medulla oblongata, pons, midbrain, and parts of the hypothalamus, functioning in the control of reflexes and such essential internal mechanisms as respiration and heartbeat.
Brainstem
An infection that causes warts in various parts of the body, depending on the strain.
HPV (human papillomavirus)
The part of the involuntary nervous system that serves to slow the heart rate, increase intestinal and glandular activity, and relax the sphincter muscles. The parasympathetic nervous system, together with the sympathetic nervous system, constitutes the autonomic nervous system.
Parasympathetic nervous system
A part of the nervous system that serves to accelerate the heart rate, constrict blood vessels, and raise blood pressure. The sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system constitute the autonomic nervous system.
Sympathetic nervous system
A rare disorder in which your body’s immune system attacks your nerves. Weakness and tingling in your extremities are usually the first symptoms.
Guillain-Barre syndrome
a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects your movement. It develops gradually, sometimes starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand.
Parkinson’s disease
Enlargement of the thyroid
Goiter
A procedure in which sutures are used to close the cervix during pregnancy to help prevent premature birth.
Cervical cerclage
A condition in which the head becomes persistently turned to one side often associated with painful muscle spasms.
Torticollis
A fragment of dead bone separated from healthy bone as a result of injury or disease.
Sequestrum
Surgical excision of a salivary gland
Sialoadenectomy
a parasitic disease that involves high fevers, shaking chills, flu-like symptoms, and anemia.
Malaria
A hormome produced in the human placenta that maintains the corpus luteum during pregnancy.
Human chorionic gonadotropin
is a highly contagious respiratory tract infection. In many people, it’s marked by a severe hacking cough followed by a high-pitched intake of breath that sounds like “whoop.”
Whooping cough (pertussis)
Infection is caused by a strain of staph bacteria that’s become resistant to the antibiotics commonly used to treat ordinary staph infections.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
an operation for hernia that involves opening the hernial sac, returning the contents to their normal place, obliterating the hernial sac, and closing the opening with strong sutures
Herniorrhapy
A surgical incision into the abdominal cavity for diagnosis or in preparation for surgery
Laparotomy
A solid swelling of clotted blood within tissues.
Hematoma
The treatment of cancer especially prostate cancer by the insertion of radioactive implants directly into the tissue.
Brachytherapy
Dialysis technique that uses the patient’s own body tissues inside the abdominal cavity as a filter
Peritoneal dialysis
A cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell. Plasma cells help you fight infections by making antibodies that recognize and attack germs. It causes cancer cells to accumulate in the bone marrow, where they crowd out healthy blood cells. Rather than produce helpful antibodies, the cancer cells produce abnormal proteins that can cause kidney problems.
Multiple Myeloma
A mild but chronic form of depression
Dysthymia
a psychotic condition typical of withdrawal in chronic alcoholics, involving tremors, hallucinations, anxiety, and disorientation.
Delirium tremens
From time to time
Paroxysmal
a cataract operation in which the diseased lens is reduced to a liquid by ultrasonic vibrations and drained out of the eye
Phacoemulsification
a chronic disease of unknown cause characterized by the enlargement of lymph nodes in many parts of the body and the widespread appearance of granulomas derived from the reticuloendothelial system.
Sarcoidosis
blood pressure when the heart is contracting. It is specifically the maximum arterial pressure during contraction of the left ventricle of the heart. The time at which ventricular contraction occurs is called
Systole
The time period when the heart is in a state of relaxation and dilatation (expansion)
Diastole
circulation disorders that affect blood vessels outside of the heart and brain. PVD typically strikes the veins and arteries that supply the arms, legs, and organs located below your stomach. These are the blood vessels that are distant from the heart. They are known as peripheral vessels.
Peripheral vascular disease
a condition in which cramping pain in the leg is induced by exercise, typically caused by obstruction of the arteries; limping
Claudication
Swollen veins
Varices
small, bulging pouches that can form in the lining of your digestive system. They are found most often in the lower part of the large intestine (colon).
Diverticulitis
The treatment of varicose blood vessels by the injection of an irritant that causes inflammation, coagulation of blood, and narrowing of the blood vessel wall.
Sclerotherapy
a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestines, especially the colon and ileum, associated with ulcers and fistulae.
Crohn’s disease
Enlargement of the prostate that is not cancerous
Benign prostate hypertrophy
Another name for infectious arthritis. Pyogenic means that pus is formed during the disease process.
Pyogenic arthritis
A contagious bacterial skin infection forming pustules and yellow crusty sores
Impetigo
Big toe
Hallux
A rare condition caused by a combination of four heart defects that are present at birth. These defects, which affect the structure of the heart, cause oxygen-poor blood to flow out of the heart and into the rest of the body. Infants and children with usually have blue-tinged skin because their blood doesn’t carry enough oxygen.
Tetralogy of Fallot
absence or abnormal narrowing of an opening or passage in the body.
Atresia
An abnormal or surgically made passage between a hollow or tubular organ and the body surface, or between hollow or tubular organs.
Fistula
a congenital defect of the spine in which part of the spinal cord and its meninges are exposed through a gap in the backbone. It often causes paralysis of the lower limbs, and sometimes mental handicap
Spins bifida
Technical term for club foot
Talipes
The enlargement of an organ or tissue by the proliferation of cells of an abnormal type, as a developmental disorder or an early stage in the development of cancer.
Dysplasia
Lymphoid organ situated in the neck of vertebraes that provides T-cells for the immune system.
Thymus
The failure of an organ or tissue to develop or function normally
Aplasia
Another term for Down Syndrome
Mongolism
Another term for Down Syndrome
Mongolism
The failure of an organ or tissue to develop or function normally
Aplasia
Lymphoid organ situated in the neck of vertebraes that provides T-cells for the immune system.
Thymus
The enlargement of an organ or tissue by the proliferation of cells of an abnormal type, as a developmental disorder or an early stage in the development of cancer.
Dysplasia
The loss of consciousness that results due to metabolic alterations associated with liver failure. When the liver fails to function normally, some byproducts of metabolism accumulate in the blood and may reach levels toxic to the brain. Represents the final stage (stage IV or grade IV) of a progressive brain dysfunction (encephalopathy) secondary to the accumulation of substances toxic to the brain.
Hepatic coma
