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Medical Terminology_101

Quiz yourself by thinking what should be in each of the black spaces below before clicking on it to display the answer.
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Question
Answer
Abduction   lateral movement of the limbs away from the median plane of the body  
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Adduction   movement of a limb or eye toward the median plane of the body.  
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Adverse reaction   harmful or unintended effect of a medication, diagnostic test, or therapeutic intervention.  
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Aerobic   of or pertaining to the presence of air or oxygen; requiring oxygen for the maintenance of life.  
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Afebrile   without fever.  
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Alopecia   Partial or complete loss of hair; baldness.  
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Anaerobic   absence of oxygen.  
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Anemia   disorder characterized by a decrease in hemoglobin in the blood  
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Angioedema   a condition marked by the development of edematous areas of skin, mucous membranes, or internal organs.  
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Anorexia   condition in which ill or debilitated clients have poor appetites.  
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Aphasia   neurological disorder influencing the production and understanding of language.  
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Apical impulse   point at which the apex of the heart touches the anterior chest wall; best site for auscultation of heart sounds; also called the point of maximal impulse (PMI).  
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Asepsis   absence of germs or microorganisms  
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Ataxia   defective muscular coordination, especially manifested when voluntary muscular movements are manifested.  
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Atelectasis   collapse of alveoli, preventing the normal respiratory exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.  
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Atrophy   wasting or diminution of size or physiological activity of a part of the body caused by disease or other influences  
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Autonomy   ability or tendency to function independently.  
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Biopsy   removal of a small piece of living tissue from an organ or other part of the body for microscopic examination  
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Blanching   whitening of the skin from pressure, vasoconstriction, or hypotension  
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Bruit   abnormal sound or murmur heard while auscultating an organ, gland, or artery  
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Buccal   of or pertaining to the inside of the cheek or the gum next to the cheek  
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Cachexia   general ill health and malnutrition marked by weakness and emaciation  
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Cyanosis   bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes caused by deoxygenated hemoglobin in the blood or a structural defect in hemoglobin.  
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Defecation   passage of feces from the digestive tract through the rectum  
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Dehiscence   separation of a wound's edges that reveals underlying tissues  
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Dehydration   excessive loss of water from the body tissues, accompanied by a disturbance of body electrolytes.  
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Diaphoresis   secretion of sweat, especially profuse secretion associated with an elevated body temperature, physical exertion, or emotional stress  
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Diarrhea   increase in the number of stools and the passage of liquid, unformed feces  
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Distal   farthest from the center, from a medial line, or from the trunk.  
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Distention   swelling of a body cavity; may be caused by fluid, gas, or a mass  
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Diuresis   increased formation and excretion of urine  
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Dysphagia   difficulty swallowing.  
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Dysphasia   impairment of the speech resulting from a brain lesion or neurodevelopmental disorder  
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Dyspnea   shortness of breath or difficulty in breathing that may be caused by certainheart or lung conditions or strenuous exercise  
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Dysrhythmia   heartbeat that deviates from the normal pattern.  
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Ecchymosis   a bruise, that is, superficial bleeding under the skin or a mucous membrane  
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Edematous/Edema   abnormal accumulation of fluid in interstitial spaces of tissues  
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Embolus   a foreign object, a quantity of air or gas, a bit of tissue or tumor, or a piece of thrombus that circulates in the bloodstream until it becomes lodged in a vessel  
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Empathy   ability to understand and accept another person's reality.  
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Endoscopy   visualization of the interior of body organs and cavities with an endoscope  
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Epistaxis   hemorrhage from the nose; nosebleed.  
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Erythema   redness or inflammation of the skin or mucous membranes that is a result of dilation and congestion of superficial capillaries; sunburn is an example  
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Eupnea   normal respiration that is quiet, effortless, and rhythmic  
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Evisceration   protrusion of visceral organs through a surgical wound  
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Excoriation   injury to the skin's surface caused by abrasion  
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Extension   a movement that brings the members of a limb into or toward a straight line.  
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Febrile   pertaining to or characterized by an elevated body temperature  
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Fever of Unknown Origin (FUO)   refers to a fever whose cause cannot be determined  
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Flaccid   relaxed; flabby; having defective or absent muscle tone.  
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Flatulence   condition characterized by the accumulation of gas within the lumen of the intestines.  
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Flexion   the act of bending or condition of being bent in contrast to extension  
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Halitosis   offensive breath resulting from poor oral hygiene, dental or oral infection, ingestion of certain foods, or systemic disease  
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Hematemesis   vomiting of blood; indicates upper gastrointestinal bleeding  
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Hematocrit   measure of the packed cell volume of red cells, expressed as a percentage of the total blood volume  
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Hematoma   collection of blood trapped in the tissues of the skin or an organ.  
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Hematuria   abnormal presence of blood in the urine  
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Hemiparesis   muscular weakness of one half of the body  
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Hemiplegia   paralysis of one side of the body  
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Hemoglobin   the iron-containing pigment of red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues.  
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Hemoptysis   coughing of blood from the respiratory tract  
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Hemorrhage   external or internal loss of a large amount of blood in a short period of time.  
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Hemostasis   termination of bleeding by mechanical or chemical means or by the coagulation process of the body.  
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Hirsutism   excessive body hair in a masculine distribution caused by heredity, hormonal dysfunction, or medication  
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Hyperglycemia   abnormally high blood sugar levels, as are found in people with diabetes mellitus or people treated with some drugs such as steroids  
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Hyperthermia   situation in which body temperature exceeds the set point; fever  
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Hypoglycemia   an abnormally low level of glucose in the blood, often associated with neurological side effects and arousal of the sympathetic nervous system.  
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Hypothermia   abnormal lowering of body temperature below 95° F (35° C),usually caused by prolonged exposure to cold  
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Hypovolemia   decreased circulatory blood volume resulting from extracellular fluid losses  
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Hypoxemia   abnormal deficiency of oxygen in arterial blood  
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Ideal Body Weight (IBW)   estimate of what a person should weigh  
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Incontinence   inability to control urination  
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Indurated   hardened tissue, particularly skin, due to edema, inflammation, or infiltration by a tumor.  
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Inferior   beneath; lower  
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Intake   that which is taken in, especially food and liquids  
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Ischemia   a temporary deficiency of blood flow to an organ or tissue  
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-itis   suffix meaning inflammation of  
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Jaundice   yellow discoloration of the skin, mucous membranes, and sclera, caused by greater than normal amounts of bilirubin in the blood  
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Kyphosis   exaggeration of the posterior curvature of the thoracic spine.  
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Leukocytosis   abnormal increase in the number of circulating white blood cells  
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Lordosis   increased lumbar curvature  
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Malaise   a subjective sense of discomfort, weakness, fatigue, or feeling rundown that may occur alone or accompany other symptoms and illnesses  
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Meatus   opening through any part of the body (e.g., the urethral meatus).  
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Metastasize   to spread.  
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Necrotic   of or pertaining to the death of tissue in response to disease or injury  
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Neuropathy   abnormal condition characterized by inflammation and degeneration of peripheral nerves that alter sensory or motor function  
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Nocturia   urination at night; can be a symptom of renal disease or may occur in persons who drink excessive amounts of fluids before bedtime  
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Nystagmus   involuntary rhythmic movements of the eyes; the oscillations may be horizontal, vertical, rotary, or mixed  
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Occlusion   blockage in a canal, vessel, or passage of the body.  
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Oliguria   diminished capacity to form and pass urine.  
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Orthopnea   abnormal respiratory symptom in which a person must sit or stand to breathe deeply or comfortably.  
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Orthostatic Hypotension   drop in systolic blood pressure of 15 mm Hg or more when a person rises from a recumbent position to a sitting or standing position  
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Output   end product of a system.  
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Palliative Care   the prevention, relief, reduction, or soothing of symptoms of disease or disorders without effecting a cure  
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Pancytopenia   a reduction in all cellular elements of the blood  
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Perfusion   passage of a fluid, such as blood, through a specific organ or an area of the body.  
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Peristalsis   coordinated, rhythmic, serial contractions of smooth muscle that force food through the digestive tract.  
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Petechiae   tiny purple or red spots that appear on the skin as minute hemorrhages within dermal layers.  
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Phlebitis   inflammation of a vein.  
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Pneumothorax   collection of air or gas in the pleural space  
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Polyps   small tumorlike growths that projects from a mucous membrane surface  
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Polyuria   excretion of an abnormally large volume of urine  
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Prone   horizontal with the face downward  
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Proximal   nearest the point of attachment, center of the body, or point of reference  
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Pruritis   symptom of itching  
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Purulent   producing or containing pus.  
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Sanguineous   fluid containing red blood cells  
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Scoliosis   lateral spinal curvature  
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Sepsis   a systemic inflammatory response to infection, in which there is fever or hypothermia, tachycardia, tachypnea, and evidence of inadequate blood flow to internal organs  
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Serosanguineous   containing both serum and blood  
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Serous   a clear (like plasma) fluid that forms an exudate at the site of an inflammation.  
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Sloughing   shedding off of dead tissue cells  
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Stoma   artificially created opening between a body cavity and the body's surface (e.g., a colostomy) formed from a portion of the colon pulled through the abdominal wall.  
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Strabismus   abnormal ocular condition in which the eyes are crossed  
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Stria   streak or linear scar that results from rapidly developing tension in the skin, commonly seen on the abdomen after pregnancy  
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Sublingual   route of medication administration in which the medication is placed underneath the client's tongue  
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Superior   higher than; situated above something else  
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Supine   lying on the back with the face upward  
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Syncope   transient (and usually sudden) loss of consciousness, accompanied by an inability to maintain an upright posture  
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Thrombocytopenia   an abnormal decrease in the number of platelets  
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Thrombus   accumulation of platelets, fibrin, clotting factors, and the cellular elements of the blood attached to the interior wall of a vein or artery, sometimes occluding the lumen of the vessel.  
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Turgor   normal resiliency of the skin caused by the outward pressure of the cells and interstitial fluid.  
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Urticaria   multiple swollen raised areas on the skin that are intensely itchy and last up to 24 hr; they may appear primarily on the chest, back, extremities, face, or scalp  
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Urosepsis   condition caused by bacteria in the urine that may lead to the spread of organisms into the bloodstream or kidneys.  
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Vertigo   the sensation of moving around in space or of having objects move about the person  
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