Medical Terminology Lecture Notes PDF

Medical Terminology General Prefixes Dr. Alaa Talaat Lecturer of pharmacology INTODUCTION What is Medical terminology? It is the language used to describe components and processes of the human body, medical procedures, diseases, and pharmacology. Why is medical terminology? It allows all...

Medical Terminology General Prefixes Dr. Alaa Talaat Lecturer of pharmacology INTODUCTION What is Medical terminology? It is the language used to describe components and processes of the human body, medical procedures, diseases, and pharmacology. Why is medical terminology? It allows all medical professionals communicate effectively.  What is a root word prefix and suffix in medical terms? A root word is a base or stem of a word that conveys a meaning. Prefixes can be added before the root word to change the meaning or add information. Suffixes can be added to the end and usually describe the kind of problem. A combining vowel : It is used to join one root to another root or to join a root to a suffix. The most common combining vowel is the letter “o” followed by “a”. Example: Cardiomegaly A-, An- : without, lacking Examples: -Aphasia: no speech. - Anaemia: haemoglobin deficiency. -Analgesic: drug that controls pain sensation (No pain). Anti-: against Examples: Anti-inflammatory a drug to treat inflammation. Antiseptic: against infection with micro-organisms. Contra: against Contraception: prevention of pregnancy. Contraindication: against indication ( should not be used). Cyto: cell Cytology: a branch of science concerned with studying the structure and function of cells. Ante: before, forward. Anterior: positioned at or towards the front. Antenatal: before birth. Dys: difficult. Dyspnea: difficult breathing. Dysuria: difficult micturition. Dysphagia: difficult swallowing pan- : all pancytopenia: decrease in all blood cells. pancarditis: inflammation of all layers of the heart. epi: above Examples: epigastric: above the stomach epiphysis: upper part of the bone retro: behind, backward Examples: retroperitoneal: behind peritoneum. xero: dry Examples: xerophthalmia: dry eyes. xerostomia: dry mouth. xeroderma: dry skin mono: one Examples: monocyte: one cell. mononuclear: contain only one nucleus. monoplegia: paralysis in one limb. multi: many Examples: multidrug therapy: the use of many drugs in the treatment multiform: has many forms. bi: two or both bilateral: both side Bilateral conjunctivitis bilayer: two layers Tri: three tricuspid valve: valve in the heart with 3 cusps. Quadri: four quadriplegia: paralysis of all the 4 limbs homo-: the same -homogenous: the same or uniform structure. hetero-: different -heterogenous: diverse in character or content. mega-: large Examples: megacolon: marked enlargement of the colon. megakaryocyte: large nucleated cell in the bone marrow responsible for the production of blood platelets. pseudo-: false Examples: pseudomembrane: false not true membrane pseudopodia: false not true legs as in amoeba due to temporary protraction of the cytoplasm. Thank you