Overview
This lecture explains common medical prefixes, their meanings, and examples, helping students understand and interpret medical terminology more accurately.
Basic Prefixes and Their Meanings
- The prefix "a-" or "an-" means "without" (e.g., apnea = without breath).
- "Anti-" means "against" or "opposed to" (e.g., antibiotic = against bacteria).
- "Ante-" (not anti-) means "before" in time (e.g., antenatal = before birth).
- "Brady-" means "slow" (e.g., bradycardia = slow heart rate).
- "Tachy-" means "fast" or "abnormally rapid" (e.g., tachycardia = fast heart rate).
Prefixes Related to Body Parts and Functions
- "Cardi-" refers to the heart (e.g., cardiology = study of the heart).
- "Col-" or "coli-" refers to the colon or large intestine (e.g., colostomy = colon opening).
- "Cyst-" refers to a bladder or any fluid-filled space (e.g., cystitis = bladder inflammation).
- "Enter-" means intestine (e.g., enteric = relating to intestines).
- "Gastr-" refers to the stomach (e.g., gastritis = stomach inflammation).
- "Hepat-" means liver (e.g., hepatitis = inflammation of liver).
- "Nephr-" refers to the kidneys (e.g., nephritis = kidney inflammation).
- "Myo-" indicates muscle (e.g., myocardium = heart muscle).
- "Lith-" means stone (e.g., lithiasis = condition of stones).
- "Lipo-" or "lipid-" means fat (e.g., lipoma = fatty lump).
Miscellaneous and Disease-Related Prefixes
- "Dys-" means abnormal or painful (e.g., dysuria = painful urination).
- "Mal-" means abnormal or bad (e.g., malnutrition = abnormal nutrition).
- "Oligo-" means few or not enough (e.g., oliguria = low urine output).
- "Peri-" means around or surrounding (e.g., pericarditis = inflammation around the heart).
- "Pyro-" means fire/heat (e.g., pyrexia = fever).
- "Hemi-" means half (e.g., hemiplegia = paralysis of one side of the body).
Importance of Combining Prefixes, Roots, and Suffixes
- Understanding prefixes, roots (main word), and suffixes helps decode medical terms (e.g., hematuria = blood + urine).
Key Terms & Definitions
- Apnea — absence of breathing
- Bradycardia — slow heart rate
- Tachypnea — fast breathing
- Dysuria — painful urination
- Colostomy — surgical opening of the colon
- Cystoscopy — visual examination of the bladder
- Nephrotoxic — toxic to kidneys
- Lipoma — benign fatty lump
- Pericarditis — inflammation of heart’s surrounding layer
- Antibiotic — substance against bacteria
- Pyrexia — fever (elevated body temperature)
- Hemiplegia — paralysis of one side of the body
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review and memorize common prefixes and their meanings.
- Practice breaking down complex medical terms into prefix, root, and suffix.
- Prepare a list of unfamiliar terms from your textbook for further study.