OT-200 Medical Terms

Word root

Usually the primary body part involved with the word. the basic meaning of the word.

Combining form

the vowels (a, e, i, o, u, sometimes y) added to word roots when combining with another word root/when a suffix starts with a consonant

consonant: alphabet letter that restricts the flow of air during pronunciation

suffix

Usually tells what procedure, condition, disease, or disorder. Comes after everything else in the entire word.

There is ALWAYS a suffix in a medical term.

ex. -itis, -logy

prefix

Usually tells the location, time, status, or number. Comes before anything else in the entire word.

Ex. hyper-, Dys-

Pathology

study of diseases

Sign

objective evidence of disease

Symptom

Subjective evidence of disease

Syndrome

Set of signs and symptoms as a pattern

Diagnosis

Identification of disease

Differential diagnosis

“rule out”

determine which one of many possible diseases is causing the signs and symptoms

Prognosis

Probable course and outcome of the disease

Acute condition

Short duration, rapid onset, severe

chronic condition

long duration

Remission

Temporary disappearance of some or all symptoms without a cure

Disease

one or more body parts are not functioning properly

Eponnym

Disease/structure/operation or procedure named after the person who discovered it first

Infection

Invasion of body by pathogenic organism. Either localized or systemic.

Inflammation

Localized response to an injury. there is usually erythma(redness), (hyperthermia)heat, (edema)swelling.

Malaise

The first sign of disease, feeling of general discomfort

Exudate

Like pus; any fluid that leaks out of an injection

Ileum

Last and longest portion of small intestine

Illium

Part of hip bone

Laceration

jagged or torn wound

accidental cut - oopsies

Lesion

Tissues changing because of disease (pathological)

Palpation

Examining a body part with hand

Palpitation

racing heart

Supination

rotating the arm so the palms face upwards

Suppuration

Pus forming

“soup”eration .. ew..

Triage

Assigning priority to patients based on need

Trauma

wound or injury

Virile

Having the qualities of an adult male

Sagittal Plane

Unequally, vertically divides the body

Midsagittal plane “midline”

midline divides the body vertically into equal halves

Frontal plane

Vertically divides the body into front and back

Anterior

Front

Posterior

back

Transverse plane

Divides the body into upper/lower halves.

Superior: head to belly button

Inferior: lower wrist to feet

Ventral

Front

Cephalic

toward the head

Caudal

Toward the lower part of body

Proximal

near the point of attachment

Distal

farther from the point of attachment

Medial

toward the midline (aka midsaggital)

Lateral

away from the midline

Dorsal Cavity meaning, it includes

back of the body, it includes cranial cavity and spinal cavity

Ventral cavity

front of the body, includes the thoracic cavity(chest or thorax), Abdominal cavity(abdomen), Pelvic cavity(reproductive/excretory system)

Hypochondriac region

area below the lower ribs

Epigastric region

Area above the stomach

Hypogastric region

area below the stomach

lumbar regions

area near the lower back curve, right or left

Umbilical region

Area surrounding belly button

Iliac regions

Near the hip bones

Adenocarcinoma

malignant cancer that starts in the glandular cells

adenoma

benign tumor that starts in the epithelial tissue

anaplasia

“growing backwards” cells returning to primitive state, one of the features of aggressive malignant cancer

aplasia

“without growing” something in the body discontinues growing

atresia

“without hole” congenital condition where tubes/valves in the body are blocked.

autopsy

trying to find out what led to death

communicable disease

congenital disorder

dysplasia

endemic

endocrine glands

epidemic

epigastric region

etiology

exocrine glands

functional disorder

hemophilia

histology

homeostasis

hyperplasia

hypertrophy

hypogastric region

hypoplasia

iatrogenic illness

idiopathic disease

inguinal

medial

mesentery

nosocomial infection

pandemic

pelvic cavity

peritoneum

peritonitis

retroperitoneal

stem cells

umbilicus

vector-borne transmisison