Question | Answer |
-algia | pain and suffering |
dys- | difficult, painful or bad |
-ectomy | surgical removal |
hyper- | over, above or increased |
hypo- | below, under or decreased |
-itis | inflammation |
-osis | a disease or abnormal condition |
-otomy | a surgical incision |
-plasty | surgical repair |
-rrhage/-rrhagia | sudden abnormal or excessive flow |
-rrhaphy | to suture or stitch |
-rrhexis | rupture |
-sclerosis | abnormal hardening |
arteri/o | artery |
arthr/o | joint |
gastr/o | stomach |
-malacia | abnormal softening |
-megaly | large or enlargement |
myel/o | spinal cord or bone marrow |
my/o | muscle |
-necrosis | tissue death |
neur/o | nerve |
-ology | study of |
-pathy | disease |
-stenosis | abnormal narrowing |
-ostomy | creation of an artificial opening to the body surface |
diff Dx | differential diagnosis |
Inflam | Inflammation |
Aden/o | gland |
Anter/o | front or before |
Caud/o | tail or lower part of the body |
Carcin/o | cancerous |
Cephal/o | head |
Chondr/o | cartilage |
Hist/o | tissue |
Path/o (-pathy) | disease |
Poster/o | back or toward the back |
Ventr/o | belly side of the body |
-oma | tumor |
-plasia | formation |
A- | without |
Ana- | excessive |
Epi- | above |
Genetic Disorders | pathologic conditions caused by absent or defective genes |
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) | condition in which the lungs and pancreas are clogged with abnormally thick mucus |
Hemophilia (hemo) | bleeding disorder |
Huntington’s Disease | condition characterized by nerve degeneration |
Muscular Dystrophy (MD) | condition characterized by progressive weakness and degeneration of the skeletal muscles that control movement |
Phenylketonuria (PKU) | condition characterized by a missing essential digestive enzyme that can lead to severe mental retardation if left undectected/untreated |
Tay-Sachs Disease | fatal condition in which harmful quantities of fatty substance build up in tissues and nerve cells in the brain |
Aplasia | the defective development or congenital absence of an organ/tissue |
Hypoplasia | incomplete development of an organ/tissue |
Anaplasia | change in the structure of cells and their orientation to each other |
Dysplasia | abnormal development of tissues/cells |
Hyperplasia | abnormal increase in the number of normal cells in normal arrangement in a tissue |
Hypertrophy | general increase in the bulk of a body part/organ due to an increase in size of cells in the tissues |
Endemic | ongoing presence of a disease within a population (Ex: the common cold) |
Epidemic | sudden/widespread outbreak of a disease within a specific population group or area (Ex: measles) |
Pandemic | outbreak of disease occurring over a large geographic area or worldwide (Ex: AIDS) |
Functional disease | symptoms for which no physiological/anatomical cause can be identified (Ex: irritable bowel syndrome) |
Iatrogenic illness | unfavorable response to medical treatment (Ex: side effects from medication) |
Idiopathic disease | illness without known cause (Ex: Crohn’s disease) |
Infectious disease | caused by living pathogenic organisms (Ex: flu) |
Nosocomial Infection | infection acquired in a hospital or clinical setting |
Organic Disirder | caused by detectable physical changes in the body (Ex: Diabetes) |
Congenital Disorder | abnormal condition that exists at the time of birth |
-ologist | specialist |
Umbilic/o | umbilicus (belly button) |
CD | communicable disease |
P | physiology or posterior |
Midsagittal Plane | divides body along the midline into right and left |
Frontal Plane | divides body into anterior and posterior |
Transverse Plane | divides body into superior and inferior |
Histologist | specialist in the structure and composition of tissues |
Pathologist | specialist in the analysis of tissue samples to establish a diagnosis |
CF | Cystic Fibrosis |
PKU | Phenylketonuria |
Ankyl/o | crooked, stiff, bent |
Burs/o | bursa (sac of fluid near the joint) |
Cost/o | rib |
Kyph/o | hump |
Lord/o | swayback curve/bent backward |
Oste/o | bone |
Por/o | pore (small opening) |
Scoli/o | curved |
Spondyl/o | vertebrae (backbone) |
Synovi/o; Synov/o | synovial membrane (membrane that lubricates the joints) |
-lysis | loosening / setting free (therapeutic) or breaking down/destruction (diseased condition) |
Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) | used to treat certain types of cancers (leukemia |
Allogenic BMT | uses healthy bone marrow from a compatible donor |
Autologous BMT | the patient receives his own marrow cells that have been previously harvested |
Hallux valgus | abnormal enlargement of the joint at the base of the great toe (bunion) |
Luxation | total dislocation of a bone from its joint |
Subluxation | partial displacement of a bone from its joint |
Rheumatoid Arthritis | joint inflammation caused by the body’s immune system attacking its own joint tissues |
Osteoarthritis (OA) | bone/joint inflammation caused by “wear-and-tear” of cartilage at the joints |
Spondylosis | “wear-and-tear” of the cartilage of the vertebrae |
Lumbago | pain in the lumbar region of the spine (may be caused by anything) |
Spina Bifida | congenital defect where the spinal canal fails to close around the spinal cord |
Kyphosis | abnormal increase of the outward curvature of the spine (humpback) |
Lordosis | abnormal increase of the forward curvature (swayback) |
Scoliosis | abnormal lateral curvature of the spine (sideways) |
Comminuted fracture (Fx) | bone is splintered/crushed into pieces |
Greenstick fracture (Fx) | bone is bent/partially broken (usually in children) |
Open fracture (Fx) | bone is broken out to the surface of the skin |
Spiral fracture (Fx) | bone is broken by a twisting motion (usually in sports injuries) |
Stress fracture (Fx) | small crack in the bone from overuse or chronic/excessive impact |
Arthrodesis | surgical fixation (fusion) of a joint (to stiffen the joint due to severe deformities) |
Arthrolysis | surgical loosening of a (stiffened) joint |
Arthroplasty | surgical repair of a joint (may also be an artificial joint replacement) |
Bursectomy | surgical removal of bursa |
Chondroplasty | surgical repair of (damaged) cartilage |
Synovectomy | surgical removal of synovial membrane from a joint |
Ostectomy | surgical removal of bone |
Osteoplasty | surgical repair of bone/bones |
Osteorrhaphy | surgical suturing (wiring together) of bones |
Osteotomy | surgical incision or sectioning of bone |
Bursitis | inflammation of a bursa |
Chondromalacia | abnormal softening of cartilage |
Chondroma | benign tumor in cartilage |
Costochondritis | inflammation of the cartilage that connects a rib to the sternum |
Synovitis | inflammation of the synovial membrane |
Ostealgia | bone pain |
Osteitis | inflammation of bone |
Osteomalacia | abnormal softening of bones in adults (caused by Vitamin D deficiency) |
Osteomyelitis | inflammation of the bone and bone marrow |
Osteonecrosis | death of bone tissue (due to insufficient blood supply) |
Myeloma | cancer found in bone marrow |
Osteochondroma | benign bony projection covered with cartilage |
Osteoporosis (OP) | abnormal condition of porous bone (loss of bone density) |
Chiropractor | specializes in spinal manipulation to treat various disorders |
Orthopedic surgeon | specializes in diseases/disorders involving the bones |
Osteopath | uses traditional forms of medical treatment in addition to spinal manipulation |
Arthrosclerosis | abnormal hardening of a joint |
Ankylosis | stiff; abnormal condition (loss of joint mobility) |
Myeloma | tumor found in bone marrow |
Osteochondroma | benign tumor of bone and cartilage (cartilage-capped bony growth) |
BMT | Bone Marrow Transplant |
Fx | Fracture |
OA | Osteoarthritis |
OP | Osteoporosis |
Brady- | slow |
Tachy- | fast |
-cele | hernia |
-desis | bind/tie together; surgical suturing |
-emia | blood condition |
-ia | condition |
-ic | pertaining to |
-al | pertaining to |
CFS | Chronic Fatigue Syndrome |
prog | prognosis |
A | anterior |
ADL | Activities of Daily Living |
RT | Related To |
caudal | towards the lower part of the body |
cephalic | towards the head |
anterior | situated in the front (opposite of posterior) |
posterior | situated in the back (opposite of anterior) |
dorsal | refers to the back of the organ or body |
ventral | refers to the front, or belly side, of the organ or body |
cranial cavity | surrounds and protects the brain |
spinal cavity | surrounds and protects the spinal cord |
thoracic cavity | surrounds and protects the heart and lungs |
abdominal cavity | contains primarily the major organs of digestion |
pelvic cavity | contains primarily the organs of teh reproductive and excretory systems |
rt & lt hypochondriac region | on right and left side of body and covered by the ribs |
rt & lt lumbar region | located on the left and right sides near teh inward curve of the spine. The part between ribs and pelvis. |
rt & lt iliac region | right and left sides over the hip bones |
epigastric region | above the stomach |
umbilical | center; middle of the stomach (belly button) |
hypogastric region | below the stomach |
sign | objective evidence of a disease |
symptom | patient reported (subjective) evidence of diease |
laceration | torn/jagged wound |
lesion | change of the tissues due to disease or injury |
palpation | examination technique in which the examiner's hands are used to feel the texture, size and location of certain body parts |
palpitation | pounding or racing of the heart |
diagnosis (Dx) | the identification of disease |
prognosis (prog) | the prediction or probable course/outcome of a disease |
infection | invasion of the body by pathogens |
inflammation (inflam) | localized response to an injury or destruction of tissues |
chronic illness | illness that has a long duration and rarely cured |
acute illness | illness that has a quick onset and/or lasts for a short duration |
remission | temporary/partial or complete disappearance of the symptoms of disease without achieving a cure |