Transcription
Let's go over some common medical suffixes you want to know. First up, we have a group of suffixes known as -a, -ar, or -us. And these suffixes can mean referring to or pertaining to. Therefore, whenever I say Celiac, I'm talking about a condition that pertains to the bowels. Or if I say gastric, I'm talking about something referring to the stomach. Or if I say Venus, I'm referring to the veins.
Next up is -algia. This means pain. When someone says because they have neuralgia, that means that they have pain along a nerve path.
Then we have -apheresis. This means to remove blood from the body, filter out components of that blood, then send that blood back to the body. And there's a procedure we can do for patients who have congestive heart failure. This is where their heart is really weak, they have fluid volume overload in the body, and that procedure is called aquapheresis. So with this, we remove blood from the body, filter out a component, which is water, hence why we call it aquapheresis, and then send that blood back to the body.
Next up is -asthenia. This means weakness of something. There is a neuroc condition known as myasthenia gravis. And when you take all of that together, like my- (the prefix that means muscle), -asthenia (means weakness of something), and then gravis (means serious), we have a serious muscle weakness condition.
Then we have -centesis. This means to puncture something surgically. Whenever a person has an amniocentesis, this is where the amniotic sac has been punctured and fluid has been removed for testing.
Next, we have -cide. And this means killer. So if a patient has a fungal infection, we can give them a fungicide.
The next suffix is -crine. This means to secrete. In our body, we have endocrine glands, and these glands secrete sweat.
-cyte means cell. When I say the word erythrocyte, I'm talking about a cell, particularly the red blood cell, because that's what erythro- means (that prefix, red).
Then we have -drome. -drome means running or occurring. So when a person says syndrome, we're talking about signs or symptoms that are running or occurring together.
Next up is -ectasis. This means to dilate or expand. For example, angiectasis means dilation of the blood vessels.
Then there's -ectomy, which means to cut out. If a person has chronic infections of their tonsils, they may consider getting a tonsillectomy, where we go in and cut those tonsils out so they don't have those infections anymore.
And we have -emia. This is a condition related to the blood. So if a person has anemia, we're talking about a condition where they don't have enough blood cells.
Next is -ferent. This means to carry. When we're talking about the nervous system, we can talk about afferent nerves, which carry signals to the central nervous system, or we can talk about efferent nerves, which carry signals away from the central nervous system.
Then there's -fuge, which means to drive away. In the laboratory setting, there is a device called a centrifuge, and this device actually spins blood around really fast, and it will drive away red blood cells from the center and cause it to collect in one side of the tube.
Next is -gen. This means to produce or cause. Whenever I say the term carcinogen, I'm talking about something that is causing cancer.
Then we have the suffix -gram. This means to record, picture, or draw something. When a person has a mammogram, that means that they're getting an x-ray picture of the breast tissue so we can look at that x-ray imaging and see if they may have cancer in this region.
Then there's another suffix which is sort of similar to -gram, called -graphy. And this means to write or record. For instance, when I say radiography, this means that we can record imaging of the internal structures of the body, again, to help possibly make a diagnosis for this patient.
Next is a suffix -ia. And this refers to a condition. For example, with the word pneumonia, see that -ia at the end? This means that we're referring to a condition that affects the lungs.
Then we have -iatrics. And this is just talking about a specialty. So if you want to go into a specialty where you take care of children, you're going to enter into the field known as pediatrics.
Next, we have another group of suffixes that have the same meaning, such as -ism, -osis, or the letters -ty. Which means the state or condition of something. For example, hypothyroidism is the state or the condition of having an underactive thyroid. Or when we say scoliosis, this is the state or condition of having a crooked spine. Or the word immunity, with that -ty in this, is the state of being immune to something.
Then there's -itis, which means inflammation. If a person has inflammation of their skin, we would say that they have dermatitis.
And then there's -logy or -logist. These suffixes mean the study of something or someone who studies. So a nephrologist is someone who studies the kidneys. Or the terminology is the study of life.
Next is -lysis. This means to break apart or down. The term hemolysis means that we have the breakdown of the red blood cells.
Then there's suffix -mania. This refers to being consumed or obsessed with something. If someone has an obsession with stealing something, we would say that they are experiencing kleptomania.
Then we have -malacia. This means the weakening or softening of something. If someone has the weakening or softening of bones, we would term that as osteomalacia.
Next, we have -megaly. This means enlargement. Sometimes a patient can get enlargement of their spleen, and this is termed splenomegaly.
-oma means tumor or growth. If a person has a tumor or growth that's mainly arising from the connective tissue, we would term that as sarcoma.
Then we have -opia. This means vision. When a person has myopia, meaning they're nearsighted, that means that they have really good vision up close, but far away, not so much.
-pathy means disease or suffering. Therefore, the term neuropathy means disease of the nerves.
And then the suffix -paresis means weak or paralyzed. In the term gastroparesis, we're talking about where the stomach is weak or paralyzed, and it has a delay in emptying its contents.
Then the suffix -penia means decrease or lacking. If someone has leukopenia, that means that they are lacking the proper number of white blood cells.
-pepsia refers to digestion. If we say the term dyspepsia, we're talking about the person having difficulty with their digestion. In other words, they're having indigestion.
And then the suffix -phasia means eating, swallowing, or consuming. If we say dysphagia, they have difficulty eating or swallowing.
-phobia means fear. If a person has a fear of tornadoes or severe storms, we would say that they have lilapsophobia.
Then we have -plasia. This means growth or the development of something. If an organ has hyperplasia, we would say that the cells that make up that organ are starting to grow or develop abnormally.
Then there's -plasm. -plasm means the living part or the substance of something. So the word cytoplasm is the living part or the substance that makes up the cell.
Up next is a suffix -plasty. This means to reshape something. If someone goes in for a surgical procedure to reshape the nose, we would say that that is a rhinoplasty.
-plegia means paralysis. With the term quadriplegia, we're talking about paralysis that affects all four limbs, because remember that prefix quad means four.
Then we have the suffix -pnea. This refers to breathing. Therefore, whenever a person has a condition where they temporarily stop breathing during their sleep, we would say that they have sleep apnea, because remember that a means without, and when we put that with -pnea, that means they are without breathing.
Next is -poiesis. This means to make or produce. Whenever you hear the term erythropoiesis, that means that we're talking about the body's process of making red blood cells.
Next is -ptosis. This means sagging or dropping down. Whenever a person has a lot of babies, this can have a profound effect on the uterus, causing it to drop down over time. When this occurs, we call it hysteroptosis.
Next up is the suffix -rrhage or -rhagia. And this means heavy bleeding. If a person has an internal hemorrhage, we're talking about bleeding inside the body.
Our next suffix is sort of similar to the previous one. It is -rrhea. And this refers to heavy or abnormal discharge of something. If a person has a long, heavy period, hence they're having abnormal discharge, we can term this as menorrhea.
The suffix -rhea means flow or the sudden discharge of something. And something that we have all had at some point in our lives is termed diarrhea, and I don't really have to explain what that is because you probably already know what it is.
And then next, we have -sclerosis. -sclerosis means hardening or stiffening of something. The term atherosclerosis is where we have the buildup of fatty plaque in an artery, and it causes that artery to harden or stiffen over time.
And the next suffix is -scope. This refers to a tool that is used to help a person see better.
Followed by that, we have the suffix -scopy. This is an exam that uses that tool. So, for example, whenever we're talking about during a colonoscopy, we're talking about a colonoscope being used to examine that colon.
-spasm refers to twitching or contractions of muscle tissue. Whenever a person is having contractions of their bronchi, we refer to this as a bronchospasm, and this really impedes their breathing.
-stasis means ceasing or balancing of something. Our body is always trying to maintain homeostasis, where it wants a proper balance.
Then we have -stenosis, which means narrowing or closing in of something. In renal artery stenosis, we're having the narrowing of that renal artery, which can impede blood flow to the kidneys and increase the blood pressure.
Then there's -stomy, which means we have created an opening in something. Whenever a person has a colostomy, they have an opening that has been created in their colon.
The suffix -tocia refers to birth or the birthing process. If someone is having dystocia, that means that they are having a difficult birthing process.
Then we have -tomy, T-O-M-Y, which means to cut. If a person has a hysterectomy performed, that means we have cut, hence removed, take out the uterus.
And then -trophy means growth or nourishment. So let's say a person quits working out. What's going to happen to their muscles? They are going to atrophy, where they're going to quit growing.
And then lastly, we have -uria, which means urine. Whenever you say hematuria, that means that a person has blood in their urine.
Okay, so that wraps up this video over the most common suffixes. If you'd like to watch other videos in this series, you can access the link in the description below.