Introduction to Medical Terminology

• Objective: Understand and break down medical terminology into manageable parts.
• Analogy: Compare medical terms to a train where each part of the term is like a railroad car.

Key Components of Medical Terms

Word Root

• Foundation of a medical term.
• Typically refers to a body part.
• Examples:
  • Arthr/o: Joint (e.g., Arthritis)
  • Cardi/o: Heart (e.g., Cardiac)
  • Dermat/o: Skin (e.g., Dermatology)
  • Hemat/o: Blood (e.g., Hematology)

Suffix

• Appears at the end of a term.
• Clarifies the meaning of the medical term.
• Essential for understanding medical terms.
• Examples:
  • -itis: Inflammation (e.g., Arthritis)
  • -ectomy: Surgical removal (e.g., Appendectomy)
  • -uria: Related to urine (e.g., Hematuria)

Combining Vowel

• Connects the word root and suffix to improve flow.
• Typically a vowel (e.g., 'o').
• Examples:
  • Arthr/o + -itis = Arthritis
  • Tonsil/o + -ectomy = Tonsillectomy
  • Hemat/o + -uria = Hematuria

Prefix

• Appears before the word root.
• Can alter the meaning of the term significantly.
• Examples:
  • Hyper-: Too much/excessive (e.g., Hyperventilate)
  • Hypo-: Not enough/deficient (e.g., Hypothermia)
  • Pre-: Before (e.g., Preoperative)
  • A-: Without/absent (e.g., Asymptomatic)

Common Suffixes

• -oma: Tumor or mass (e.g., Carcinoma)
• -plegia: Paralysis (e.g., Hemiplegia)
• -emia: In the blood (e.g., Bacteremia)

Common Prefixes

• Tachy-: Rapid (e.g., Tachycardia)
• Brady-: Slow (e.g., Bradycardia)

Examples and Application

Example 1: Dermatitis

• Breakdown: Dermat (skin) + itis (inflammation)
• Meaning: Inflammation of the skin

Example 2: Splenectomy

• Breakdown: Splen/o (spleen) + ectomy (removal)
• Meaning: Surgical removal of the spleen

Example 3: Hyperinsulinemia

• Breakdown: Hyper (excessive) + insulin + emia (in the blood)
• Meaning: Excessive insulin in the blood

Example 4: Cardiothoracic

• Breakdown: Cardi/o (heart) + thorac/o (chest) + ic (pertaining to)
• Meaning: Pertaining to the heart and chest

Conclusion

• Learning the building blocks of medical terminology can make understanding complex terms manageable.
• Focus on recognizing word roots, prefixes, and suffixes.
• Knowing these elements will help decode even unfamiliar medical terms.