Medical Glossary: Definitions and Symptoms
Bias:
a statistical sampling or testing error caused by systematically favoring some outcomes over others
Bind:
To stick together
Breathlessness:
a lack or shortage of breath.
Celiac disease:
caused by allergic reaction in the intestine to Gluten.
Cephalosporin:
a type of antibiotic used for penicillin-resistant bacteria.
Clubbing:
thickening, usually at ends of fingers.
Dizziness:
vertigo, a feeling of being unstable, about to fall.
Dullness:
a dead sound heard when the chest is tapped.
Dura:
one of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord.
Dysarthria:
slurred, unclear speech.
Exophthalamus:
staring eyes
Flaring:
dilating, expansion or opening of the nostrils.
Fasting:
the act or practice of abstaining from or eating very little.
Glucosuria:
Presence in the urine of abnormal sugar.
Hissing:
tinnitus, a sound like air escaping from a tire
Hot flush:
a hot sensation.
Hyperhidrosis:
Heavy sweating.
Hypoglycemia:
low blood sugar
Lobe:
Rounded projection of a body organ or part
Lump:
Tumor, swelling.
Mean:
average
Muscle wasting:
loss of the tissue of the muscles.
Night sweats:
profuse sweating during sleep.
Nystagmus:
involuntary eye movements.
Ophthalmoscope:
an instrument used to examine the eyes
Oral agents:
medication taken by mouth.
Otoscope:
an instrument used to examine ears.
Phlegm:
Mucus, a moist excretion that protects mucus membranes
Podiatrist:
a specialist in caring for the feet.
Polyphagia:
excessive hunger.
Polyuria:
Frequent urination.
Rash:
Red spots or marks on the skin.
Ringing:
a sound like a bell in the ears.
Stabbing:
describing a pain like a knife entering the body
Stridor:
a sound made when breathing out
Tachycardia:
rapidly beating heart.
Tingling:
a feeling of pins and needles
Vertigo:
Dizziness
Vital signs:
temperature, blood pressure, pulse and respiration rate.
Weighted:
adjusted to reflect value or proportion.
Wheezing:
breathing with difficulty, making a hoarse whistling sound.
Aeration:
supply of air to the lungs.
Airway:
the breathing passage, larynx, trachea, and bronchi.
Bronchiolitis:
inflammation of the air sacks of the lungs caused by virus
C/O:
Complaints of
Cachexic:
underweight, thin
Cascade:
one event leading to another and so on.
Cerebrospinal fluid:
The fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord.
Comatose:
unconscious.
Constricting:
Tightening.
Cramping:
a painful sensation felt in the muscles after excessive exercise.
Crest:
The top or peak of a curve.
Crown:
The visible part of the tooth.
CSF:
Cerebrospinal fluid.
CSF/serum glucose ratio
Dose:
the recommended amount of a drug taken by a patient.
Drowsy:
Sleepy
Edema:
Swelling caused by excessive lymph fluid in the tissues.
Flared:
Dilated, open.
Flex:
to bend.
Flushing:
a reddening of the skin.
Hematoma:
a blood-filled swelling.
Hypoxemia:
abnormally low oxygen in the blood.
Intercostal:
between the ribs.
Subcostal:
below…
Lethargy:
lacking energy.
Lever:
to lift out a tooth.
Lignocaine:
a local analgesic.
Mandibular:
referring to the mandible (jaw bone)
Manometer:
a meter for measuring pressure.
Midline:
an imaginary line drawn down the center of the body.
Murmur:
a heart sound like someone speaking very quietly.
Non-tender:
not painful
Numb:
to make part of the body lose its ability to feel.
Shift:
the part of the day in which a person works
Suprasternal:
above the chest bone.
Swelling:
Tumor, an abnormal enlargement.
Swollen:
being abnormally enlarged.
Syncope:
Fainting, brief loss of consciousness.
Aching:
dull, lasting (pain)
Aggravating:
making something worse.
Alleviating:
Better
Auscultation:
listening to something, usually with a stethoscope.
Blunt:
not sharp
Cavity:
hole often in a tooth.
Dull:
not intense (pain)
ECG:
electrocardiogram
Excruciating:
extremely painful
Flank:
the side of the abdomen
GAD..:
a test to find if there are antibodies to the enzyme GAD
Halitosis:
Bad smelling breath
Lockjaw:
involuntary contraction of the jaw muscle.
Metastasis:
secondary cancer growths.
Mild:
not severe.
Mucocele:
small harmless bluish-colored swelling on the lips or in the mouth.
Neuropathy:
an abnormality in the nervous system.
Posture:
the way the body is held.
Precipitate:
to start, to set off.
Pressing:
a feeling like something is pushing a part of the body.
Retrosternal:
behind the breastbone.
Rippling:
like waves on water.
Sharp:
a sensation like a needle.
Shooting:
a sensation that travels quickly from one part of the body to another.
Slight:
not severe.
Spasm:
involuntary contraction of a muscle.
Stabilize:
to use a pin or plate to stop a fractured bone moving.
Startle response:
involuntary reaction to a sudden, unexpected stimulus.
Suture:
stitch used for sewing a wound.
Swab:
a small piece of cotton used to clean wounds.
Throbbing:
like a heart beat.
Tingling:
partially numb, parasthesia
Trigger:
to start, to initiate something.
Unbearable:
a pain which the patient cannot tolerate.
LOCATION:
Where is the pain now?/ Where does it hurt?
DURATION:
How long have you had the pain? How long does the pain last?
INTENSITY:
From one to ten, How strong is the pain?
ONSET:
How did the pain start?/ how would you describe the pain?
TIMING:
When did the pain start?
ALLEVIATING:
Does anything make the pain better?
AGGRAVATING:
worse?
PREVIOUS:
Have you ever had this pain before?
TRIGGERING FACTORS:
Are there any other symptoms besides pain?
ATAXIA:
muscular incoordination especially manifested when voluntary muscular movements are attempted.
CARTILAGE:
a firm, elastic, flexible type of connective tissue of a translucent whitish or yellowish color; gristle.
CONTRACTURE:
occurs when a joint loses motion due to structural changes in the muscle, ligament or tendon.
CERVICAL:
pertaining to the neck.
CORE:
pertaining to the trunk.
A DEFORMITY:
is a major difference in the shape of a body part compared to what is normal for that body part.
EXTENSION:
a straightening or backward movement of the spine or limbs.
FINE MOTOR:
is the action involving the small muscles of the hands, as in handwriting, sewing or knitting.
FLEXION:
a bending or forward movement of the spine or limbs.
GROSS MOTOR:
involves the movements of large muscle groups of the body to perform bigger movements such as walking or kicking a ball.
HYPERMOBILITY:
movement beyond normal range of motion.
HYPERTONIC:
muscle tone higher than normal resistance to passive movement in extreme form.
HYPOTONIC:
less than normal tone, floppy.
INTERNAL ROTATION:
An inward turning of the limb towards the body.
INSTABILITY:
lack of firmness in weight-bearing.
KINESTHESIA:
Conscious awareness of body movement detected by joints.
LIGAMENTS:
are the soft tissue that hold two or more bones together.
LUMBAR:
pertaining to the low back.
MIDLINE:
the theoretical lines that divide the body into two equal halves vertically or horizontally.
MOTOR CONTROL:
the ability of the central nervous system to regulate or direct the musculoskeletal system in a purposeful act.
QUADRICEPS:
a large muscle group on the anterior/ front surface of the thigh responsible for knee extension.
REFLEX:
an involuntary automatic response to a stimulus.
SPASTICITY:
hypertension of muscles causing stiff and awkward movements.
STATIC:
At rest; in equilibrium; not in motion.
SUPINE:
lying on the back.
TACTILE DEFENSE:
a negative response or increased sensitivity to touch.
THORACIC:
pertaining to or affecting the chest or upper back.
TENDON:
a cord or band of dense, tough, inelastic, white, fibrous tissue, serving to connect a muscle with a bone or part; sinew.
TONE:
the degree of tension normally present in the resting state of a muscle.
UNILATERAL:
affecting or occurring on only one side of the body.