Medical Terms

Thursday, June 7, 2018 2:12 PM

Abscess - collection of pus in any part of the body

- From bacteria or other pathogen
- Can disrupt function in adjacent tissues and can be life threatening in some
circumstances - ex. In the lungs

Pus - dead white blood cells

Adhesion
- A fibrous band of scar tissue holding parts together that are normally separated
○ Abnormal union of an organ or part to another - ex a bump

Amniotic fluid - a clear fluid that surrounds the fetus in the amniotic fluid
- Its primary functions are to suspend and protect the growing fetus, allow freedom of
movement, maintain constant temperature, and aid normal development of the fetal
lungs
- Doctors can collect samples of amniotic fluid to identify fetal chromosomal abnormalities,
state of health, and maturity

Atrophy -
- A decrease in size of an organ or tissue; it is wasting away
- Atrophy may result from death and resorption of cells

Biopsy -
- a tissue sample removed from the body for microscopic examination, usually to establish
a diagnosis
Carcinoma - a malignant tumor
- It occurs in epithelial tissue (skin) and may infiltrate local tissues or produce metastases
(secondary growth arising from the primary growth in a new location)

Dehydration
- Low water content in the body
- Fluid intake fails to match fluid loss

Hematoma -
- a swelling (collection) of clotted blood caused by bleeding from a blood vessel

Prefixes and Suffixes

• hypo - low

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 • hypo - low
• hyper - high
• -itis - an infection in that area (inflammation of ___)
• osteo- -bone
• -scope - instrument for viewing or examining (for exam)
• -pathy - disease
• oligo- - small, few
• ot- - ear
• peri- - around
○ Usually has to do with the heart
Toxin - poison
- usually caused by bacteria in the body
Metastasis - spreading -
- secondary growth arising from the primary growth in a new location
Benign - not spreading or recurrent
- Nonmalignant
Sclerosis - hardening of an organ or tissue
Syncope - fainting
Toxemia - bacteria in the blood
- Bacteria distributed throughout the body growing in a focal or local site, producing
generalized symptoms

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - ALS

- Limits the ability to use the upper and lower extremities and/or to speak and swallow
- Typically occurs in males - characterized by degeneration in anterior horn cells of the
spinal cord, motor cranial nerve nuclei, and the corticospinal tracts (the nerve pathway
from the motor cortex that travels to the spinal cord)
- Can be inherited
Anemia
- Reduction in the mass of circulating red blood cells
- Patients are considered anemic when their hemoglobin levels are more than two standard
deviations below the mean level in their hospital's laboratory
- Diagnosis of anemia is affected by variables such as the patient's age, gender, residential
altitude, and ethnic or racial background - the mass of red blood cells considered 'normal'
varies based on these and other factors
Aneurysm
- Abnormal dilation of a blood vessel, usually an artery, due to a congenital defect or
weakness in the wall of the vessel. As aneurysms dilate, they become more and more
vulnerable to rupture
Angina pectoris
- An oppressive pain or pressure in the chest caused by inadequate blood flow and
oxygenation of the heart muscle - suffocation of the heart muscle

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Anorexia
- Loss of appetite
Anoxia
- Decrease in amount of oxygen in organ tissue; complete oxygen deprivation
Aorta
- Great vein from the heart
Apnea
- Temporary absence of breathing.- so the body is not getting oxygen nor releasing carbon
dioxide (ex. Sleep apnea)
Appendicitis
- Inflammation of the appendix
Ascites
- Accumulation of excess fluid in the peritoneal cavity ( The peritoneal cavity is the space
between the membrane lining the cavity of the abdomen and covering the abdominal
organs and the lining that surrounds the internal organs)
Asphyxia
- An insufficient intake of oxygen - causes the loss of consciousness
- Can result from choking, drowning, electric shock, etc.

Asthma - spasms in the bronchial tubes

- Extrinsic asthma - due to external sources such as allergies in the air in the form of pollen,
dust, smoke, etc.
- Intrinsic asthma - internal cause

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 -

COPD - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

- Increased resistance to air movement, prolongation of the expiratory phase of respiration and the
loss of normal elasticity of the lung
- Difficulty breathing during exertion

Bronchus
- The major airways of the lungs that diverge from the windpipe
- If you have a problem with one side of the bronchus, the lung will collapse

Bronchitis - infection of the Bronchus

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Bronchitis - infection of the Bronchus

Cerebrum - brain
- Covered in a skull -> medically called cranium

Cholecystitis - infection of the gallbladder

Capillary - blood vessels that connect the smallest arteries with the beginnings of the smallest
veins
- Arteries break down into capillaries
- Think of the artery as a big truck bringing supplies and it cant go any further - so everyone brings
their bicycles to get supplies

Carcinogenic
- A substance or agent that produces cancer of increases the risk of developing cancer in humans or
animals.

Cardiogram -
- A record of the electrical activity of the heart waves
- An EKG can figure out if you have a heart attack
- If you go to a doctor and complain of chest pain they should perform this test on you
○ An abnormal depression could indicate an impending heart attack

Carotid Artery
- Large arteries on the side of the neck
- Provides blood supply to the head and neck
- If the artery becomes blocked, it can become calcified and hardens (becomes sclerotic) if
the blockage breaks apart and goes to the brain people can get a stroke depending on
what is blocked

Carpal - wrist

Catheter - a small tube made of rubber plastic used to cleanse or drain part of the body

Clavicle - bone in shoulder

Occyx - last bone in the spinal cord

Colitis - infection of the colon

Colon - large intestine

Conjunctivitis - pink eye

Contusion - a bruise produced by a blow to the body

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 - The blow you had affected the cells in that area - not normally followed by bleeding or
fracture

Cyanosis - a dark blueish coloration of the skin and mucus membrane dur to deficiency of
oxygen
- Sign of something happening with the heart or the lungs

Cystitis - infection on inflammation of the bladder

Dysphagia difficulty in swallowing

• Can be due to a tumor,

Dyspnea - difficulty in breathing usually accompanied by pain

• Usually get dyspnea with Cyanosis

Ecchymosis - blood in the sub (under) cutaneous tissues - black and blue
• When the blood pours out it becomes blue and black ( same thing as a hematoma )

Ectopic -
• Abnormal position or displacement

Cant have an ectopic pregnancy

The fallopian tube could explode - can't remove have to abort
The mother could die
Can't readjust the baby because it could be missing an essential part of it
Baby is supposed to develop in the uterus
But if the egg gets fertilized a the fallopian tube have to abort

Edema - excessive accumulation of Fluid -> resulting in swelling

• Something is wrong with the heart of kidney
• ON A SCALE OF 1 - 10 !THE HIGHER THE NUMBER THE MORE SWELLING U WILL HAVE

Embolism - sudden obstruction

• You are driving on a one way road with 50 cars ahead of you and 50 cars behind you
○ Suddenly the guys in front of you have an accident
○ All you can do is wait
○ SO WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING USE YOUR COMMON SENSE -
○ When there is a divider and they divide into 1 or two lanes, use the one that is NOT
ONE LANE ROAD
• Embolism will kill you instantly - they will die in a few seconds

Aneurysm - weakness in the tissue will cause it to collapse

• A lot of aneurysms are discovered by accident

Emphysema - distention of tissue by gas

Caused by cigarette smoking or you can get it some other way

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 • Caused by cigarette smoking or you can get it some other way
• There is no other treatment
• Swelling of the tissue - the only way is to get a new set of lungs
• Bronco dilators - relaxes the contraction of the muscles
○ Can use it but it is kind of weak

Encephalitis- inflammation of the brain - caused by some sort of external factor

• Fluid in the spine - Cerebral Spinal Fluid
• -infection caused by bacteria - can treat bacteria with antibiotics
• Haven't yet come up with a treatment for virus

Erythema - redness of the skin; inflammation

Esophagus - tube from pharynx to the stomach

Gangrene - death of a body part due to lack of blood supply

• Amputation - surgically remove

Gastro-enterologist - physician who specializes in diseases of the stomach and intestinal tract

Gastroscope - instrument to examine the stomach

Glaucoma - disease of the eye

Grand mal seizure - the firing mechanisms in the brain are misfiring
• Epileptic convulsion
• Usually their tongue is
• Electrotherapy used to be a form of
Petit Mal seizure - not manifested by a lot of symptoms
• People are frothing at the mouth, choking
Anesthesiologist -
• Physician specializing in the science of anesthetics during operation
• One of the areas where these is a lot of malpractice b/c if he gives you too much
anesthesia you will die
• One of the most important persons during the operation

Audiologist - the hearing loss person

Cardiologist - specializing in treatment of disease of the heart

Chiropractor - one who treats the nervous system by treating nerves and tissues of the affected
area
• Make sure they are doctors because otherwise they might mess something up

EENT specialist - doctor who specializes in diseases of the eye, ear, nose, throat

Gastro-enterologist - physician who specializes in diseases of the stomach and intestinal tract

Gynecologist - physician who specializes in female genital tract areas

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Neurologist - doctor who treats the nervous system
• See him for the seizures (grand mal and petit mal)

Mediastinum - dividing wall of the thoracic cavity

• The breast bone between the ribs

Mastitis - inflammation of the breast - more prominent in women but men and women can get
this

Neuritis - an inflammation of the nerve

Nephritis - inflammation of kidney

Occiput - back of head

Opthalmia - inflammation of the eye

The force displaces the vertebrae sometimes

HERNEATED DISC
• IF IT DOESN’T GO BACK YOU HAVE TO GO FOR A LAMINECTIMY (SP)
○ THEY TAKE THE DISC OUT IF IT IS HERNEATED AND DOESN’T GO BACK
○ THEY CUT YOUR BACK AND asuifdhefuh
○ Lamina - spinal cord
○ AHHHHH wtf
○ IN THE MIDLE OF THE BONE YOU HAVE A NERVE SO YOU CANNOT CUT THE SPINAL
CORD
○ THEY HAVE TO CUT THE BOANE AND REMOVE THE BONE FROM THE CORD

Osteomyelitis- inflammation bone marrow

Laminectomy 0 surgical procedure to remove a portion of the vertebrae
Laparotomy 0 an incision through the abdominal wall
• Sometime shte doctor doesntk now whats wrong with you and will go look to see what is
wrong

Laryngectomy - excision 9 removal) of the larynx (voice box)

Laryngitis - infection of the Larynx

• Usually when you have a cold

Leukemia - a disease of the bone marrow characterized by abnormal increase in white blood
cells
• Think of the bone marrow as a factory
• In the blood you have red blood cells carry oxygen
• White blood cells - abnormal shaped cells (soldiers)
• Platelets
○ We don’t know what causes it? It can't really be treated

Obstetrician - physician who is skilled in medical care of women in childbirth

Every an obstetrician is also a gynecologist ( you have to be a gynecologist to be an

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 • Every an obstetrician is also a gynecologist ( you have to be a gynecologist to be an
obstetrician)

Optician - a maker of optical instruments

Orthopedist - physician skilled in the treatment of the joint spine and misoskeletal spine
• he branch of medicine that deals with the prevention and correction of injuries or
disorders of the skeletal system and associated muscles, joints, and ligaments,

Osteopath - physician who practices osteopathy

• Osteopathic school - different way of treating patients - don't beleive in invasive surgery -
more into the herbal,

MD - doctor of medicine - surgery, treat u the traditional way - medicine

DO - doctor of osteopath

Otitis - inflammation of the ear

Pancreatitis - inflammation of the pancreas

• If enough insulin is not produced by the pancreas, you do not have enough insulin to
metastasize the sugar with diabetes if your blood leaks out you get gangrene because
there is a spill of sugar in the blood - there is a problem with the pancreas
○ The pancreas is like a car wash???

Paraplegia - paralysis of the legs and lower body

• The spinal cord is disrupted

Peptic ulcer - erosion of the lining of the gastrointestinal tract caused by hydrochloric acid
• In the body we have this thin area and sometimes you have an erosion of it (due to
alcohol, bleeding ulcers, sometimes if you are not accustomed to spicy foods)
○ Cause of hydrochloric acid and phlegm

Pericardium - membrane covering the heart

Hernia - structural defect -protrusion of an organ or part

ALL THE ORGANS ARE CONTAINED IN A SAC IN THE BODY -protrusion of an organ of part
through the wad of cavity
• Sometimes the bowl goes into the groin - the wall breaks

Pneumothorax - Injection of gas into the pleural cavity

Prone - lying face down

Ptosis - dropping of any organ: more specifically upper eyelid

Quadriplegia - paralysis of all 4 limbs

Proctologist - treats the anus and rectum
Urologist treats the genital -urinary tract

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Urologist treats the genital -urinary tract

Rales - abnormal sounds heard on auscultation

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