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Medical Terminology

Common medical prefixes, suffixes, and terms every healthcare student should know.

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What does the prefix "hyper-" mean?
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Above, excessive, beyond normal. Examples: hypertension (high blood pressure), hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), hyperthermia (high body temperature).
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What does the suffix "-itis" mean?
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Inflammation. Examples: arthritis (joint inflammation), bronchitis (bronchial inflammation), appendicitis (appendix inflammation).
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What does "tachycardia" mean?
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Abnormally fast heart rate (over 100 bpm at rest). Tachy- = fast, -cardia = heart condition. Opposite: bradycardia (slow heart rate, under 60 bpm).
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What does the suffix "-ectomy" mean?
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Surgical removal. Examples: appendectomy (removal of appendix), tonsillectomy (removal of tonsils), cholecystectomy (removal of gallbladder).
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What does "edema" mean?
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Swelling caused by excess fluid trapped in body tissues. Can be localized (sprained ankle) or generalized (heart failure, kidney disease).
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What does the prefix "hemo-" or "hemato-" mean?
Last reviewed 21 days ago
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Related to blood. Examples: hemorrhage (bleeding), hematology (study of blood), hemoglobin (oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells).
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What is the difference between a sign and a symptom?
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Sign: objective, observable by others (fever, rash, swelling). Symptom: subjective, felt by the patient (pain, nausea, fatigue).
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What does "diagnosis" vs "prognosis" mean?
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Diagnosis: identifying a disease from signs/symptoms. Prognosis: predicting the likely course and outcome of a disease.
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