Medical Abbreviations, Laboratory Values, and Disease Terminology

Cardiology

heart and blood vessels

Pulomonology

lungs and respiratory system

Nephrology/ Renal

kidneys

Urology

urinary tract, male reproductive system

Gastroenterology

digestive tract

Neurology

brain and nervous sytem

Psychiatry

mental health

Ophthalmology

eyes and vision

Otolaryngology (ENT)

ear, nose, throat, head, neck

Hematology

blood

Dermatology

Skin

Endocrinology

Hormones

Anesthesiology

Pain relief and anesthesia

Infectious disease

infections

Rheumatolofy

joints, muscles, connective tissue, autoimmune conditions

Orthopedics

bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, muscles

Oncology

cancer/ neoplasm

Obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN)

female reproductive system, pregnancy and childbirth

Radiology

Imaging for diagnosis/ treatment

Pathology

Diagnosis by lab/ tissue biopsy

Family medicine

Patient of all ages

Internal medicine

Adult care

Pediatrics

Health of infants, children, adolescents

Neonatolofy

Pre-term or babies within 28 days of birth

Geriatics

Elderly patients

Inflammation of skin

dermatitis

Inflammation of kidney

nephritis, glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis (infection)

Inflammation of liver

hepatitis

Inflammation of stomach

stomitis

Inflammation of pancreas

pancreatitis

Inflammation of colon

colitis

Inflammation of lungs

bronchitis (airway)

pneumonitis (lung tissue)

Inflammation of sinus

sinusitis

Inflammation of heart

myocarditis (muscle)

endocarditis (valves)

Inflammation of brain

encephalitis

PO

By mouth

IV

Intravenous

IM

Intramuscular

SC

Subcutaneous

SL

Sublingual

PR

Per rectum

TOP

Topical

INDH

Inhalation

ID

Intradermal

Qday

Every day

BID

Twice a day

TID

Three times a day

QID

Four times a day

PRN

As needed (WHAT IS IT FOR)

HS

At bedtime

AC

Before meals

PC

After meals

Q4C

Every 4 hours

Q6H

Every 6 hours

Q8H

Every 8 hours

Q12H

Every 12 hours

AAA

Apply to affected area (skin)

OU

Oculus uterque (BOTH eyes)

OS

Oculus sinister (LEFT eye)

OD

Oculus dexter (RIGHT eye)

AU

Auris uterque (BOTH ears)

AS

Auris sinister (LEFT ear)

AD

Auris dexter (RIGHT ear)

Prescription directions

drug name - dose - route - frequency - PRN indication

Etiology

The cause of the disease

Idiopathic

A disease of unknown cause

Iatrogenic

A disease caused by medical treatment

Nosocomical

A disease that is acquired in a hospital or healthcare facility

Risk Factor

Conditions of behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing a disease (BUT NOT CAUSE)

Pathogenesis

The biological mechanism/ process on HOW the disease developed

Pathophysiology

The changes in the body's physiology during or after the disease has developed

Signs

Abnormal features that the patient and/other people can notice (vomiting)

Symptoms

Abnormal features that commonly only the patient can notice (nausea, pain)

Clinical presentations

Signs and symptoms, laboratory, imaging, biopsy findings of a disease together

Complications

Other medical conditions that often (but not always) develop

Comorbidities

Other medical conditions that often co-exist with the first disease

Diagnosis

Identification of a disease based on clinical presentations and testing

Disease Course

The stags and profession of a disease

Prognosis

The likely course and outcome of a disease

Epidemiology

The study of how much and how often a disease is present in a population

Incidence

The number of new cases of a disease in a population

Prevalence

The total number of new AND existing cases of a disease in a population

Mortality

The rate of death of a population caused by disease

Morbidity

The rate of being ill/ have the disease of a population

Onset of a disease

How quickly does a disease occur or be detected

Duration of a disease

How long does the disease process last

Insidious onset

Disease onset that is gradual, subtle and often unnoticed

Acute disease

Disease with short duration, often with quick onset

Chronic disease

Disease with LONG duration, often with slow onset

Hyponatremia

low Na+

Hypernatremia

high Na+

Hypokalemia

low K+

Hyperkalemia

high K+

Hypochloremia

low Cl-

Hyperchloremia

high Cl-

Plasma

liquid, cell-free part of the blood that has been treated with anti-coagulants

Serum

the liquid part of blood AFTER coagulation, therefore devoid of clotting factors as fibrinogen

Agranulocytosis

lack of granulocytes, group of white blood cells

-emia

In blood

-oma

An abnormal mass, usually cancer (not always)