WordVale

Medicine & Health

100 words and expressions, each with a learner-friendly meaning. Tap any term for its page.

• acutesudden in onset and short in duration
• chronicpersisting for a long time or constantly recurring
• benignnot harmful; not cancerous
• malignantcancerous and able to spread
• biopsyremoving tissue to examine it for disease
• diagnosisidentifying a disease from its signs and symptoms
• prognosisthe likely course and outcome of a disease
• remissiona period when disease symptoms lessen or disappear
• relapsethe return of a disease after improvement
• congenitalpresent from birth
• contraindicationa reason a treatment should not be used
• dosagethe prescribed amount and frequency of a medicine
• edemaswelling caused by fluid trapped in tissues
• embolismblockage of a blood vessel by a traveling clot or bubble
• hemorrhageheavy or uncontrolled bleeding
• hypertensionabnormally high blood pressure
• immunitythe body's ability to resist infection
• inflammationredness, swelling, and heat as the body responds to injury
• intravenousadministered directly into a vein
• lesionan area of damaged or abnormal tissue
• metastasisthe spread of cancer to other parts of the body
• palliativerelieving symptoms without curing the disease
• pathologythe study of the causes and effects of disease
• placeboan inactive treatment used for comparison in trials
• prophylaxistreatment intended to prevent disease
• sepsisa life-threatening body-wide response to infection
• suturea stitch closing a wound
• symptoma sign of illness experienced by the patient
• syndromea group of symptoms that occur together
• tachycardiaan abnormally fast heartbeat
• therapeuticrelating to the healing or treatment of disease
• topicalapplied to the skin or a body surface
• transfusiontransferring blood into a person's circulation
• triagesorting patients by urgency of need
• anesthesiainduced loss of sensation or consciousness for procedures
• antibiotica medicine that kills or stops the growth of bacteria
• asymptomatichaving a condition without showing symptoms
• epidemiologythe study of how diseases spread in populations
• outpatienta patient treated without staying overnight
• vaccinea preparation that trains the immune system against a disease
• anemiaa shortage of red blood cells or hemoglobin
• antibodya protein the immune system makes to fight invaders
• antidotea substance that counteracts a poison
• antiseptica substance that prevents infection on living tissue
• autoimmunethe immune system mistakenly attacking the body itself
• bedside mannera doctor's approach and attitude toward patients
• cathetera thin tube inserted into the body to deliver or drain fluids
• clinical triala research study testing treatments on volunteers
• comorbidityan additional disease occurring alongside a primary one
• concussiona brain injury caused by a blow to the head
• convalescencethe recovery period after illness or treatment
• defibrillatora device that shocks the heart back to normal rhythm
• dehydrationharmful loss of body water
• dementiaprogressive decline in memory and thinking abilities
• dermatologythe branch of medicine dealing with the skin
• dialysisartificially filtering the blood when kidneys fail
• epidemica disease outbreak spreading rapidly in a region
• pandemica disease outbreak spreading across countries or worldwide
• fracturea break in a bone
• geriatricrelating to the medical care of old age
• hospicecare focused on comfort for the terminally ill
• immunizationmaking someone resistant to a disease, usually by vaccine
• incubation periodtime between infection and first symptoms
• infusionslowly administering fluid or medicine into a vein
• informed consenta patient's agreement to treatment after understanding the risks
• intensive carehospital care for patients in critical condition
• lacerationa deep cut or tear in the skin
• morbiditythe rate of disease in a population
• mortalitythe rate of death in a population
• neurologythe branch of medicine dealing with the nervous system
• obstetricsthe branch of medicine covering pregnancy and childbirth
• oncologythe branch of medicine dealing with cancer
• orthopedicrelating to bones, joints, and muscles
• pediatricsthe branch of medicine caring for children
• physiotherapytreating injury with exercise and physical methods
• quarantineisolating people to stop a disease from spreading
• resuscitationreviving someone from unconsciousness or apparent death
• side effectan unintended effect of a medicine
• terminalof an illness: leading to death, incurable
• ultrasoundimaging the inside of the body using sound waves
• analgesica drug that relieves pain
• anginachest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart
• arrhythmiaan irregular heartbeat
• auscultationlistening to sounds inside the body, typically with a stethoscope
• cardiovascularrelating to the heart and blood vessels
• sequelaa condition that results from a previous disease or injury
• cyanosisa bluish skin color from lack of oxygen
• debridementremoving dead tissue from a wound
• efficacythe ability of a treatment to produce the intended result
• endoscopyexamining the body's interior with a flexible camera
• gastrointestinalrelating to the stomach and intestines
• idiopathicof a disease arising from an unknown cause
• ischemiaan inadequate blood supply to an organ or tissue
• necrosisthe death of body tissue
• neoplasman abnormal growth of tissue; a tumor
• palpationexamining the body by feeling with the hands
• perioperativerelating to the period around a surgical operation
• regimena prescribed course of treatment or diet
• thrombosisthe formation of a blood clot inside a vessel
• vasodilationthe widening of blood vessels