Basic Medical Abbreviations

Cardiology

Heart and blood vessels

Pulmonology

Lungs, respiratory sytem

Nephrology/Renal

Kidneys

Urology

urinary tract, male reproductive system

Gastroenterology (GI)

Digestive Tract

Neurology

Brain and nervous system

Psychiatry

Mental health/mental disorders

Opthalmology

Eyes and vision

Otolaryngology (ENT)

Ear, nose, throat (ENT), and head, neck

Hematology

blood

Dermatology

Skin

Endocrinology

Hormones and hormone glands

Anesthesiology

pain relief and anesthesia

infectious disease

infections

rheumatology

joints, muscles, connective tissues, and autoimmune conditions

orthopedics

bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, and muscles

oncology

cancer/neoplasm

obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN)

female reproductive system; pregnancy and childbirth

radiology

imaging for diagnosis/treatment

pathology

diagnosis by laboratory/tissue biopsy

family medicine

patients of all ages

internal medicine

adult care

pediatrics

health of infants, children, and adolescents; under 18

neonatology

pre-term or babies with 28 days of birth

geriatrics

elderly patients

dermatitis

skin

nephritis, glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis (infection)

Kidney

hepatitis

liver

stomatitis

stomach

pancreatitis

pancreas

colitis

colon

bronchitis (airway), pneumonitis (lung tissue)

lungs

sinusitis

sinus

myocarditis (muscle), endocarditis (valves)

heart

encephalitis

brain

etiology

the cause of a disease (genes, infections, lifestyle)

idiopathic

a disease caused by unknown causes

iatrogenic

disease caused by medical treatment or procedures

nosocomial

disease acquired in a hospital or healthcare facility

risk factor

conditions or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing a disease (not the cause)

pathogensis

biological mechanisms/process on how the disease develops

pathophysiology

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

signs

abnormal features that commonly only the patient can notice

symptoms

abnormal features that ocmmonly only the patient can notice

clinical presentations

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

complications

other medical conidtions 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 stages and progression 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 a 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 goes unnoticed

acute disease

disease with short duration; often with quick onset and can end quickly

chronic disease

disease with long duration; often with slow onset