Medical terminologies
Lateral position: The recovery position refers to one of a series of variations on a lateral
recumbent or three-quarters prone position of the body, in to which an unconscious but
breathing casualty can be placed as part of first aid treatment.
Medial Position: Pertaining to the middle; in or toward the middle; nearer the middle of the
body. Medial is as opposed to lateral. For example, the medial side of the knee is the side
closest to the other knee whereas the lateral side of the knee is the outside of the knee.
Ventral Position: Pertaining to the front or anterior of any structure. The ventral surfaces of the
body include the chest, abdomen, shins, palms, and soles. Ventral is as opposed to dorsal.
From the Latin "venter" meaning belly.
Acute Disease: A disease or disorder that lasts a short time, comes on rapidly, and is
accompanied by distinct symptoms.
Chronic disease: A chronic condition is a human health condition or disease that is
persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. The term
chronic is often applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months.
Angina: Chest pain due to an inadequate supply of oxygen to the heart muscle. The pain is
typically severe and crushing, and it is characterized by a feeling of pressure and suffocation
just behind the breastbone. Angina can accompany or be a precursor of a heart attack.
Anemia: The condition of having a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells or quantity
of hemoglobin. Anemia diminishes the capacity of the blood to carry oxygen. Patients with
anemia may feel tired, fatigue easily, appear pale, develop palpitations, and become short of
breath.
Allergy:An abnormally high acquired sensitivity to certain substances, such asdrugs, pollens,
or microorganisms, that may include such symptoms assneezing, itching, and skin rashes.
Coma: A coma is a prolonged state of unconsciousness. During a coma, a person is
unresponsive to his or her environment. The person is alive and looks like he or she is sleeping.
However, unlike in a deep sleep, the person cannot be awakened by any stimulation, including
pain.
Cerebrovascular accident: The sudden death of some brain cells due to lack of oxygen when
the blood flow to the brain is impaired by blockage or rupture of an artery to the brain. A CVA is
also referred to as a stroke. Symptoms of a stroke depend on the area of the brain affected.
Hematemesis:vomiting of bright red blood, indicating rapid upper GI bleeding, commonly assoc
iated with esophageal varices or pepticulcer.
Hemoptysis: Spitting up blood or blood-tinged sputum from the respiratory tract. Hemoptysis
occurs when tiny blood vessels that line the lung airways are broken. Hemoptysis can be
harmless such as from irritated bronchial tubes with bronchitis, or be serious such as
from cancer of the lung.
Aids: Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, a syndrome caused by infection with the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV), with ensuing compromise of the body's immune system. Features
include deficiency of certain types of leukocytes, especially T cells; infection with opportunistic
infections that take advantage of the impaired immune response, such as tuberculosis,
bacterial pneumonia, human herpes virus, or toxoplasmosis; certain types of cancer, particularly
Kaposi sarcoma; inability to maintain body weight (wasting); and in advanced cases,
AIDS dementia complex
Infarct: The formation of an infarct, an area of tissue death, due to a local lack of oxygen.
Ischemia: Inadequate blood supply to a local area due to blockage of blood vessels leading to
that area. Treatment is directed toward increasing the circulation to the affected body area.
Insomnia: Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterized by difficulty falling and/or staying
asleep. People with insomnia have one or more of the following symptoms: Difficulty falling
asleep. Waking up often during the night and having trouble going back to sleep. Waking up too
early in the morning. Feeling tired upon waking
Morbidity: refers to the unhealthy state of an individual, while mortality refers to the state of
being mortal. Both concepts can be applied at the individual level or across a population. For
example, a morbidity rate looks at the incidence of a disease across a population and/or
geographic location during a single year.
Mortality: is the rate of death in a population. The two are often used together to calculate
the prevalence of a disease e.g., measles and how likely that disease is to be deadly,
particularly for certain demographics.
Neonate: A newborn baby, specifically a baby in the first 4 weeks after birth. After a month, a
baby is no longer considered a neonate.
Infant: A young baby, from birth to 12 months of age.
Edema: Edema is swelling caused by excess fluid trapped in your body's tissues. Although
edema can affect any part of your body, it's most commonly noticed in the hands, arms, feet,
ankles and legs. Edema can be the result of medication, pregnancy or an underlying disease
often heart failure, kidney disease or cirrhosis of the liver.
Parasites:An organism that lives off or in another organism, obtaining nourishmentand protectio
n while offering no benefit in return. Human parasites are oftenharmful to the body and can caus
e diseases, such as trichinosis.
Prognosis: A medical prediction of the future course of a disease and the chance forrecovery.
Resuscitation: A life-saving emergency procedure that involves breathing for the victim and
applying external chest compression to make the heart pump. Abbreviated CPR. In the early
stages of a heart attack, death can often be avoided if a bystander starts CPR within 5 minutes
of the onset of ventricular fibrillation
Sepsis: The presence of bacteria (bacteremia), other infectious organisms, or toxins created by
infectious organisms in the bloodstream with spread throughout the body. Sepsis may be
associated with clinical symptoms of systemic illness, such as fever, chills, malaise, low blood
pressure, and mental-status changes.
Sign: Any objective evidence of disease, as opposed to a symptom, which is, by nature,
subjective. For example, gross blood in the stool is a sign of disease; it is evidence that can be
recognized by the patient, physician, nurse, or someone else. Abdominal pain is a symptom; it
is something only the patient can perceive.
Symptom: Any subjective evidence of disease. In contrast, a sign is objective. Blood coming
out a nostril is a sign; it is apparent to the patient, physician, and others. Anxiety, low back pain,
and fatigue are all symptoms; only the patient can perceive them.
Syndrome: A combination of symptoms and signs that together represent a disease process.
Ulcer:A break in the skin or a mucous membrane, such as the one lining thestomach or duoden
um, accompanied by inflammation, pus, and loss oftissue.