Medical Terminology
CHAPTER 1
Word parts
-algia
pain, suffering
dys-
bad, difficult, or painful
-ectomy
surgical removal, cutting out
hyper-
excessive, increased
hypo-
deficient, decreased
-itis
inflammation
-osis
abnormal condition, disease
-ostomy
the surgical creation of an artificial opening to the body surface
-otomy
cutting, surgical incision
-plasty
surgical repair
-rrhage
bleeding, abnormal excessive fluid discharge
-rrhaphy
surgical suturing
-rrhea
flow, discharge
-rrhexis
rupture
-sclerosis
abnormal hardening
Guidelines to Unusual Plural Forms
If the singular term ends in the suffix
-a
, the plural is usually formed by changing the
ending to -
ae
.
If the singular term ends in the suffix -
ex
or -
ix
, the plural is usually formed by
changing these endings to -
ices
.
If the singular term ends in the suffix -
is
, the plural is usually formed by changing the
ending to -
es
.
If the singular term ends in the suffix -
itis
, the plural is usually formed by changing
the -is ending to -
ides
.
If the singular term ends in the suffix -
nx
, the plural is usually formed by changing
the -xending to -
ges
.
If the singular term ends in the suffix -
on
, the plural is usually formed by changing
the ending to -
a
.
If the singular term ends in the suffix -
um
, the plural usually is formed by changing
the ending to -
a
.
If the singular term ends in the suffix -
us
, the plural is usually formed by changing
the ending to -
i
.
Basic Medical Terms to Describe Disease Conditions
Sign
:
objective evidence of
disease. Objective means the
sign can be evaluated or
measured by patient or others
Ex: fever
Symptom:
is subjective
evidence of a disease, such as
pain or a headache. Subjective
means that it can be evaluated
or measured only by a patient
Syndrome:
is a set of signs and
symptoms that occur together
as part of a specific disease
process
Diagnosis:
identification of a
disease. To diagnose is the
process of reaching a diagnosis
Differential diagnosis:
also
known as a rule out, is an
attempt to determine which
one of several possible diseases
is causing the signs and
symptoms that are present
Prognosis:
is a prediction of
the probably course and
outcome of a disease
Acute:
condition has a rapid
Chronic:
long duration, such
Remission:
is the temporary,
onset, a severe course, and a
relatively short duration
diseases can be controlled but
rarely cured
partial, or complete
disappearance of the symptoms
of a disease without having
achieved a cure
Disease:
a disease is a
condition in which one or more
body parts are not functioning
normally.
Eponym:
is a disease, structure,
operation, or procedure named
for the person who discovered
or described it first
Acronym:
is a word formed
from the initial letter of the
major parts of a compound
term
Look-Alike/Sound-Alike Words and Word Parts
-arteri/o
means artery
-end
means within
-ather/o
means plaque or fatty substance
-al
means pertaining to
-arthr/o
means joint
col
means colon
-ectomy
means surgical removal
-oma
means tumor
-ostomy
means the surgical creation of an artificial opening to the body surface
-otomy
