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Author:
Chiara Pegoraro
Whether you are learning English for your own pleasure, to boost your career, or for travel, there is always a set of words that is good to know – medical terms for laypeople. Being sick in a foreign country is hard enough with the stress of navigating an unfamiliar health system and the feeling of being lonely and isolated. You should not also have to worry about having difficulty communicating with doctors and nurses.
In this article you will see the most common English medical terms that anyone, whether they work in medicine or not, should know. These words are divided into useful categories to help you learn and memorize them.
Parts of the body
You probably already know common body parts like leg and arm and even body parts inside the body, like heart or brain. Let’s look at some of the less common words that might be really useful when you have health problems.
Body Parts
| Medical term | Definition |
|---|---|
| artery | A tube that carries blood away from the heart. |
| joint | The point where two bones meet and move. |
| muscle | Tissue that allows movement. |
| nerve | A fiber that sends signals between the brain and the rest of the body. |
| organ | A part of the body with a specific function (for example: heart, liver, lungs). |
| vein | A tube that carries blood toward the heart. |
Doctors and sections of the hospital
There are many special kinds of doctors, so it helps to know the English words for these. And if you ever visit the hospital, you may need to know what the different places in the hospital are called. The table below covers some of the medical terms you will likely encounter. (Note that some of these terms will vary in different English-speaking countries. The ones given are common in the United States.)
Health care professionals and hospital terms
| Medical term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Delivery room | The room where pregnant women go to give birth. |
| Dentist | A doctor that treats problems affecting the teeth. |
| Emergency room (ER) | The hospital department that deals with emergencies. |
| Family doctor | A general doctor who provides primary care in a community, treating a wide range of health issues. |
| Intensive Care Unit (ICU) | The part of the hospital that provides care and life support for life-threatening conditions. |
| Nurse | A person that provides care, gives medications, and helps patients. |
| Operating room (OR) | A room where surgeons operate on patients. |
| Pediatrician | A doctor for children and babies. |
| Specialist | A doctor that specializes in a specific part of the body. There are many types. For example, a cardiologist is a heart doctor, and an OBGYN specializes in women’s reproductive health. |
| Surgeon | A doctor that opens the body to treat illnesses or injuries. |
| Therapist | A professional specialized in therapy, such as mental health, physical or occupational therapy. |
Clinical measurements
When someone visits the doctor, the first thing the doctor does is to check if the patient’s numbers are all right. These numbers are the measurements of essential body functions (called vital signs). They help to give a picture of the general state of a patient.
Medical terms for vital signs
| Medical term | Definition |
|---|---|
| blood pressure | The pressure of the blood on the walls of arteries, indicating that the heart is pumping blood. |
| heart rate or pulse | Heartbeat rate measured in beats per minute. |
| symptom | A sign of illness. |
| temperature | A measure of body heat that typically ranges between 97.7° to 99.5°F (36.5° to 37°C). |
Something doesn’t feel right
If you are sick, it means that your body is not doing what it should, or that it’s doing something that it shouldn’t. Most diseases come down to a handful of symptoms, which are the physical signs that something is not working properly in your body. Let’s see what these are.
Common symptoms
| Medical term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Cough | When you forcefully clear your throat. |
| Diarrhea | Well, no point sugar coating this one. This term describes when you poop too much, too suddenly or when your poop is too watery. |
| Fatigue | Feeling very tired and without energy. |
| Fever | When your body temperature is unusually high. |
| Nausea | When you feel like you need to vomit. |
| Rash | When the skin becomes red, warm and itchy. |
| Swelling | When a part of your body or the skin is enlarged. |
| Vomit | When you expel food that was in your stomach out through your mouth. |
Let’s do some tests
Sometimes doctors order tests to confirm what is wrong with a patient. These tests can include drawing a blood sample or taking a picture of the patient’s organs. The table below covers some of the common lab tests a doctor might order.
Terms for medical lab tests
| Medical term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Biopsy | A sample of tissue taken from the skin or an organ for testing. |
| Blood test | A lab analysis of the blood to diagnose conditions. |
| CAT scan, CT scan | A detailed X-ray image of the body. |
| EKG | A test that checks the activity of the heart. |
| MRI | A scan that provides detailed images of the organs. |
| Ultrasound | An image of the inside of the body. Often used in pregnancies. |
| Urine test | A lab analysis of urine to diagnose conditions. |
| X-ray | An image test to see inside the body. |
What’s the problem?
Once the test results are in and the doctor has taken a long thoughtful look at them, he or she will be able to draw a conclusion about what is wrong. The list below includes some of the most common medical conditions and illnesses. Knowing the name of a disease is the first step to getting better, so let’s have a look at these common conditions and what they mean.
Common conditions
| Medical term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Allergy | A reaction to allergens like pollen, dust or foods. |
| Cancer | A serious disease where cells grow uncontrollably. |
| Diabetes | A chronic condition that affects blood sugar levels. |
| Diagnosis | A judgment about a particular illness or health problem. |
| Heart attack | A blockage of blood to the heart. |
| Infection | An invasion of germs to the body. |
| Inflammation | The body’s reaction to an injury. |
| Stroke | A loss of blood flow to the brain. |
I slipped, I fell and then…
Sometimes a health problem is not really mysterious but is the clear consequence of an accident. Everything that happens to the body after a fall, a crash or an accident of any kind has a name, and often there is both a common term used by ordinary people and a medical term used by professionals. It’s important to understand these words in order to have a clear idea of what happened to your body.
Common physical issues that happen after an accident
| Medical term | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Abrasion | A wound to the skin where part of the skin is missing. |
| Bruise, contusion | Damage to the surface of the skin that causes it to change color and swell. Bruise is the common term, and contusion is the medical term. |
| Burn | Damage caused by heat, chemicals or friction. |
| Concussion | A head injury that can affect the brain. |
| Cut, laceration | A wound to the skin. Cut is the common term, and laceration is the medical term. |
| Dislocation | When a bone is pushed out of its usual location in a joint. |
| Fracture | A broken bone. |
| Hemorrhage | Loss of blood. |
| Internal bleeding | A loss of blood that happens inside the body. |
| Shock | A life-threatening condition when there is not enough blood circulating in the body. |
| Sprain | A stretch of the tissues connecting the bones (callled ligaments). |
| Strain | A stretch to a muscle that can partially tear. |
| Whiplash | A neck injury. |
Time to get better
Once we know what the problem is, it’s time to get better! Doctors will prescribe a medicine or treatment to help us get well again. Don’t forget to take your medicine, eat and rest, and all will be well soon! To make sure that you follow the doctor’s instructions, here are the words you might need someday (but hopefully not!).
Common treatments
| Medical term | Definition |
|---|---|
| antibiotics | A medicine that fights a bacterial infection. |
| bandage | Fabric used to protect a wound. |
| Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) | An emergency procedure consisting of chest compressions and breathing into a patient’s mouth to restore blood circulation and breathing. |
| cast | A shell used to protect a broken bone. |
| chemotherapy | A treatment for cancer. |
| inhaler | A device that delivers medication to the lungs to improve breathing. |
| injection | Delivering medicine through a needle. |
| Intravenous feeding (IV) | A medicine administered through the veins. |
| pills, tablets, capsules | Solid medicines taken orally (through the mouth). |
| powder | A medicine that needs to be dissolved in water. |
| prescription | Instructions a doctor writes about medicine or treatment for a patient. |
| suppository | Solid medicine taken anally (through the anus). |
| surgery | A medical specialty that involves opening the body. |
| therapy | A solution to a health problem. |
| topical cream, ointment | A cream that is used on the surface of the skin. |
| vaccine | A medicine taken to boost the immune system against a specific illness. |
Wrapping up
In this guide we have covered a wide range of essential English medical terms to help you feel more at ease when talking with healthcare professionals. Knowing these words can make doctor visits less scary and will help you communicate your needs in a smooth, effortless way.
Whether you need to explain your symptoms, use hospital lingo, or know the names of common treatments, learning this medical vocabulary will give you confidence and clarity the next time you need to talk about your medical needs. Now that you know everything you need to be sick, let’s hope you’ll never have to use it!
AUTHOR
Chiara Pegoraro
Newlanguages