Medical Terminology: Common Symptoms and Conditions

Common Medical Terms and Definitions

• Abduction: The act of separating a body part from the body’s axis.
• Acholía: Yellow stool due to reduced bile pigment (Fecal urobilinogen).
• Clubbing: Deformity of the phalanges, resembling a club or drumstick.
• Tinnitus: Abnormal auditory sensation, generally perceived only by the individual.
• Adenopathy: Altered lymph node.
• Adiadochokinesia: Lack of coordination for rapid repetitive movements (e.g., alternating hand positions).
• Adduction: Movement towards the body’s median plane (opposite of abduction).
• Aerophagia: Unconscious swallowing of air.
• Aphasia: Language defect due to brain injury, affecting comprehension (sensory aphasia) or expression (motor aphasia).
• Hoarseness: Loss or reduction of voice.
• Cold Sores: Painful, ulcerated lesions on the mouth mucosa, oval with surrounding erythema.
• Agoraphobia: Anxiety about being in places where escape might be difficult or help unavailable.
• Ageusia: Loss of taste.
• Alopecia: Hair loss, either diffuse or in specific areas.
• Hallucinations: Sensory error where a subject perceives something without a real stimulus.
• Amaurosis: Blindness without apparent eye injury, often due to retinal, optic nerve, or brain issues.
• Amblyopia: Reduced vision without apparent eye injury.
• Amenorrhea: Absence of menstruation for over 90 days.
• Ametropia: Refractive error of the eye.
• Amnesia: Memory loss.
• Analgesia: Absence of sensitivity to pain.

• Aneurysm: Abnormal dilation of an artery, involving all three layers.
• Angina: Inflammation of the tonsils or chest pain of coronary origin.
• Anhidrosis: Lack of perspiration.
• Anisocoria: Unequal pupil sizes.
• Anisometropia: Different refractive status in each eye.
• Anorexia: Loss of appetite.
• Anosmia: Loss of smell.
• Anuria: Excretion of less than 100 ml of urine in 24 hours.
• Apnea: Cessation of respiratory airflow due to lack of central stimulation or airway obstruction.
• Arcade: Intense involuntary effort to vomit without expelling stomach contents.
• Arthralgia: Joint pain without objective impairment.
• Arthritis: Joint pain with signs of inflammation.
• Osteoarthritis: Alteration of articular cartilage and subchondral region, causing pain and joint dysfunction.
• Ascites: Abnormal buildup of fluid in the peritoneal cavity (transudate, exudate, hemoperitoneum, biliperitoneo, or chylous ascites).
• Fatigue: Feeling of being down and lacking strength.
• Flapping Tremor: Irregular oscillation of the hand during forced extension.
• Astigmatism: Refractive error preventing light rays from converging to a single focus.
• Ataxia: Change in the coordination of movements.
• Athetosis: Continuous, involuntary, slow, writhing movements, often in hands and fingers.
• Blepharitis: Inflammation of the eyelids, due to infections, allergies, or skin diseases.
• Goiter: Enlargement of the thyroid gland.
• Hot Flashes: Sudden flushes of heat, often associated with menopause.