De-Coding Some Commonly-Heard Medical Terms

Have you ever been to a doctor's office or hospital and heard a lot of things you don't understand? Do you ever wonder what some of the terms you hear on those prescription-drug commercials really mean?  Are you ever curious about what the gorgeous male doctors on House and Grey's Anatomy are talking about when they're not dazzling us with their 'baby blues' and 'pearly whites'? My answer is 'yes' to all of them. While the doctors and voice-overs we hear are technically speaking English, they may as well be speaking Greek or some other odd language. Luckily for you, I've managed to find some 'translations' of what some of those terms mean. Here is a short, basic rundown.

• CBC-Complete Blood Panel. This is testing four different components of the blood at once, the most important being white blood cell count and hemoglobin levels.
• CT scan (or CAT scan)-computed axial tomography. It's a computerized scan that shows the body part being scanned (often the brain) from several different angles to give doctors a more complete picture than a standard x-ray.
• MRI-Magnetic Resonance Imaging. This is the machine that looks like a giant tube. This scan uses magnetic energy instead of radiation and is very useful for looking at organs and soft tissue. 
•  Sonogram-a scan that uses sound frequencies to create an image. These are often used to tell the condition and/or sex of an unborn child.
• Benign-harmless.
• Malignant-harmful.
• Stroke-the rapid loss of brain function that happens when its blood supply is disrupted.
• Hematoma-blood that has collected and clotted outside of a blood vessel.
• Melanoma-a malignant skin tumor.
• Hemorrhage-An active bleed.
• Edema-Fluid accumulation. Pulmonary edema refers to a fluid buildup in the lungs.
• Lacerated-torn, as in a wound.
• Suture-Stitching or some other way of closing a wound.
•  cc.-cubic centimeter. This is how fluid going in or being taken out of the body is measured.
• Biopsy-a test involving taking a tissue sample for examination. These are often done to test for a specific condition or abnormality.
• Lesion-injury.
• Contusion-bruise.
• Seizure-a surge of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Many people probably think of the type of seizure that causes someone to fall down, shake all over and lose consciousness, but this is only one type of seizure. Sometimes only part of the body is affected, such as the legs and arms. What happens and where depends on which part of the brain is affected.
• Auto-immune disease-An illness where the body attacks itself. In other words, the immune system can't tell the difference between an 'outside invader' and person's own body.
• Chronic-a condition that is ongoing and/or persistent. Examples are diabetes and arthritis.
• Acute-a condition that has a sudden onset of symptoms and lasts for a finite period of time. They can be mild, severe or sometimes fatal. Examples are colds, flu, and appendicitis.

There are also many common prefixes and suffixes that indicate what is happening and what part of the body is involved. For instance-

• Intra-within.
• Endo-inside
• Peri-around.
• Inter-between
• -itis-inflammation. For instance, sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinuses.
• -algia-pain. Fibromyalgia is an illness where overactive nerves cause chronic, widespread pain.
• -pathy-a disease. For instance, a 'neuropathy' is a disease that affects the nervous system.
• -plegia-paralysis. A quadraplegic is someone who is permanently paralyzed from the neck down.
• -ectomy-taking something out of the body. For instance, an appendectomy is a removal of the appendix.
• 
  
• Cardi-relating to the heart. For instance, when my husband had endocarditis, he had an infection inside his heart.
• Gastro-referring to the stomach and intestines. A gastroenterologist is a specialist in this area.
• Pneum-referring to the lungs.
• Neuro-referring to the nervous system. For example, Dr. McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey) on Grey's Anatomy is a neurosurgeon, meaning he cuts into/works with people's brains. However, I'm not sure how many look that good while doing it. :)
• Renal- referring to kidneys. Someone in renal failure is in need of dialysis and a kidney transplant.
• Oncology-referring to cancer.
• Carcinogen-something that causes cancer. For instance, asbestos is a known carcinogen because it causes lung cancer.

As I said before, this is a basic rundown of some of the terms you might hear from your doctor or on television. As with all of my articles on this blog, don't hesitate to ask your doctor if you have questions!