medical vocabulary

Question 1

anamnesis / case history

Answer 1

All the information provided to the physician by the patient or by those close to the patient about the history of an illness or the circumstances that preceded it.

etymology: ancient Greek anamnēsis, “return of memory”.
example: The patient’s anamnesis and physical examination must allow a precise diagnosis to be made.

Question 2

etiology

Answer 2

Study of the causes of a disease.

etymology: from the Greek aitia “cause” and logoie, “to study” which gave in ancient Greek aitiologia, “search for causes”.
example: Saturnism has as etiology a lead poisoning.

Question 3

semiology

Answer 3

part of medicine that studies the signs of diseases (= semiology).

etymology: from the Greek semio- “sign” and logoie, “to study”, “study of signs”.
example: Parkinson’s tremor has the following semiological characteristics: present at rest and disappearing during movement […].

Question 4

syndrome

Answer 4

Association of several symptoms.
Signs or abnormalities constituting a recognizable clinical entity.

etymology: Greek sundromê “meeting”.
example: the meningeal syndrome is composed of several symptoms: stiffness of the neck, intense headaches and increased sensitivity to strong stimuli with sometimes projectile vomiting.

Question 5

symptom

Answer 5

Phenomenon, perceptible or observable characteristics, linked to a state or an evolution, which it makes it possible to detect.
Subjective symptoms: disorders perceived and reported by the patient.
Objective symptoms, discovered by the doctor.

Etymology: from the ancient Greek sumptōma, “accident, coincidence, sign of a disease”. (from sun (→ Sy-), and piptein “to arrive, to arise”).

example: Flu symptoms usually appear suddenly.

Question 6

pathognomonic

Answer 6

singular symptom that occurs only in a specific disease and is sufficient to establish the diagnosis (synonymous with diacritic).

etymology: pathognômonikos “who knows the disease”.

example: Köplik’s sign is a pathognomonic sign of measles: it is enough to see it to pronounce the diagnosis of the disease.
(presence of small whitish and bluish, slightly raised, slightly elevated spots, 2-3 mm in diameter, on an erythematous background, opposite the first molar on the oral mucosa)

Question 7

diacritic

Answer 7

Which characterizes a disease. (synonymous with pathognomonic)

etymology: from the Greek diakritikos “that distinguishes”.
example: The diacritical symptom of a pathology.

Question 8

prodrome

Answer 8

Warning symptoms, indisposition that precedes a disease

etymology: ancient Greek prodromos, “forerunner”.
example: an asthma attack can be preceded by prodromes: general malaise, irritability, conjunctivitis, digestive problems, sneezing, runny nose…

Question 9

paresthesia

Answer 9

Sensitivity disorder resulting in abnormal sensations (tingling, tingling, burning).

etymology: para-, and from the Greek aisthêsis “sensitivity / sensation” = abnormal sensation
example: 12 years ago, he suffered from “paresthesia-like neurological disorders” with numbness in his lower limbs.

Question 10

extemporaneous

Answer 10

Immediately,
at the time of being taken or at the time of being practiced / Which is done at the very moment

etymology: from latin extemporaneus (syn. of extemporalis « improvised »), from ex-, and temporaneus « which is done on time », from tempus, -oris. → Time.
example: A magistral formula is extemporaneous, therefore not prepared in advance, unlike the officinal formula.

Question 11

galenic form

Answer 11

Refers to the form of a medicinal product presented in a pharmacy.

etymology: from the Latin name, Galenus, of Galen, famous Greek physician of Antiquity, (131-201)

Question 12

per os

Answer 12

= ingestion
by mouth, by oral route

etymology: from Latin, from per “by means of”, and os “mouth”.

Question 13

IV

Answer 13

= Intravenous injections
These injections involve needle insertion directly into the vein and the substance is directly delivered into the bloodstream

Question 14

IM

Answer 14

=Intramuscular injections

These injection deliver a substance deep into a muscle, where they are quickly absorbed by blood vessels.

Question 15

SubQ

Answer 15

= Subcutaneous injection

In a subcutaneous injection, the medication is delivered to the tissues between the skin and the muscle.

Question 16

IT

Answer 16

= Intrathecal administration
Intrathecal administration is a route of administration for drugs via an injection into the spinal canal, or into the subarachnoid space so that it reaches the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and is useful in spinal anesthesia, chemotherapy, or pain management applications.

etymology: intra- and from Greek thēkē ( case, box, crate )