Medical Terminology

Professional Practice 1

What is pyrexia?

A fever or body temperature above the normal range

What is febrile?

A person who has pyrexia

What is afebrile?

A person with a normal body temperature

What is hypothermia?

A body temperature below 35 degrees C

What is hyperthermia?

A body temperature above 37.5 degrees C

What is axillary?

Under the arm

What is normotensive?

Normal blood pressure

What is hypertensive?

High blood pressure above 140 systolic and 90 diastolic

What is hypotensive?

Low blood pressure below 90 systolic

What is dysphagia?

Trouble swallowing

What is aspiration?

Where food makes its way into the lungs instead of the oesophagus

What is dehydration?

A loss or deficiency of water, salts and electrolytes that are essential for body function

What is oedema?

An excessive amount of fluid in the cells or tissues of the body causing swelling

What is skin turgor?

Referring to the skin’s elasticity, measured by monitoring the amount of time it takes for the skin on the forearm to return to position after being released

What is diuresis?

Diluted urine

What is polyuria?

Many urine (excessive)

What is oliguria?

A low amount of urine

What is anuria?

No urine

What is nocturia?

Urinating at night

What is haematuria?

Blood in the urine

What is dysuria?

Difficult or painful urination

What is enuresis?

Involuntary urination beyond developmental stages

What is a neurogenic bladder?

Inability to perceive bladder fullness or control urinary sphincters

What is flatus/flatulence?

Passing wind

What is steatorrhoea?

Fatty stools

What is malaena?

Blood in the stool

What is encopresis?

Faecal incontinence

What is a colostomy?

An opening made to the colon (formed stool)

What is ileostomy?

An opening into the ileum (watery stool)

What is a stoma?

An artificial opening, sometimes made with a portion of the small or large intestine

What are haemorrhoids?

Occurs when someone strains too hard to pass stool and the veins bulge out of the anus