Medical Terms

Top 25 medical terms to know

1. Benign: Not cancerous

2. Malignant: Cancerous

3. Anti-inflammatory: Reduces swelling, pain, and soreness (such as ibuprofen or naproxen)

4. Body Mass Index (BMI): Body fat measurement based on height and weight

5. Biopsy: A tissue sample for testing purposes

6. Hypotension: Low blood pressure

7. Hypertension: High blood pressure

8. Lesion: Wound, sore, or cut

9. Noninvasive: Doesn’t require entering the body with instruments; usually simple

10. Outpatient: Check in and check out the same day

11. Inpatient: Plan to stay overnight for one or more days

12. In remission: Disease is not getting worse; not to be confused with being cured

13. Membrane: Thin layer of pliable tissue that serves as a covering or lining or connection between two structures

14. Acute: Sudden but usually short (e.g., acute illness)

15. Angina: Pain in the chest related to the heart that comes and goes

16. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD): Heartburn

17. Cellulitis: Inflamed or infected tissue beneath the skin

18. Epidermis: Outermost layer of skin

19. Neutrophils: Most common type of white blood cell

20. Edema: Swelling

21. Embolism: Blood clot

22. Sutures: Stitches

23. Polyp: Mass or growth of thin tissue

24. Compound fracture: Broken bone that protrudes through the skin

25. Comminuted fracture: Broken bone that shatters into many pieces