2.2 Suffixes for Symptoms

Pain is a common symptom in healthcare settings. There are various ways to assess pain, and the chart in Fig. 2.1 is an example of one way. There are a number of places in and on the body where a person can experience pain, and pain can also vary greatly in severity (Fig. 2.2). Table 2.2 below provides some examples of the use of the suffix -algia, which means “pain” or “condition of pain.” It lists the more common usages; there are of course more, and on specialty units in a hospital, there are likely others that will be commonly heard as well.

The medical term polydipsia, which means “much thirst,” comes from the prefix poly- (“much” or “many”) and the suffix -dipsia (“thirst”). A number of medical conditions can cause polydipsia (Fig. 2.3), including diabetes mellitus.

Nausea and vomiting (Fig. 2.4) are common symptoms for patients in a hospital and can result from many causes. As such, it would not be uncommon to see medical terms with the suffix -emesis (“vomiting”) and have it combined with other terms, as with -algia in Table 2.2 above; for example, the term hematemesis means there is blood in the vomit.

Fig. 2.5 shows a heart during a myocardial infarction, also known as a heart attack. When this occurs, blood is held back from part of the heart. The medical term for this is ischemia, meaning “blood condition of holding back,” which has the suffix -emia (“blood condition”) and the combining form isch/o (“to hold back”). When ischemia occurs and is not corrected right away, it results in necrosis. In this case, it would be the death of cardiac muscle.

Inflammation is also a common symptom because many parts of the human body can become inflamed. Fig. 2.6 shows an ear that has become inflamed; the medical term for this is otitis (“inflammation of the ear”). Table 2.5 below provides some examples of medical terms with -itis (“inflammation”), but there are many more that you may hear in a medical setting.

Fig 2.7 is an image of a uterine prolapse. Prolapses can occur in other parts of the body as well, and the literal meaning of prolapse is “to slide or fall forward,” from the suffix -lapse (“to fall or slide”) and the prefix pro- (“before” or “forward”). When a prolapse occurs, it can be corrected surgically and with physiotherapy treatment. Uterine prolapses are more common with increased age and a history of pregnancy.

Various organs in the body can become enlarged owing to different pathologies and conditions. Cardiomegaly is enlargement of the heart, and Fig. 2.8 shows enlargement of the liver, which is referred to as hepatomegaly. Both types of enlargements often result from chronic conditions such as congestive heart failure (CHF) or hepatitis.

Hematomas, shown in Fig. 2.9, are very common in the general population and among patients in hospitals or clinics. Hematomas are often referred to as bruises, and the term literally mean “mass of blood,” from the suffix -oma (“mass” or “tumour”) and the combining form hemat/o (“blood”).

Another type of -oma is glaucoma, which is medical condition that causes increased pressure within the eye and results in narrowed vision, as seen in Fig. 2.10. Glaucoma literally means “mass that is grey,” from the suffix -oma and the combining form glauc/o (“grey” or “opaque”) (Global RPH, 2021). This refers to the grey mass in the field of vision that patients experience and that can be seen in the figure above.

Speaking and eating are, for most of us, a part of everyday life. Difficulty or the inability to eat or speak can be extremely confusing and frustrating for those who are affected. The medical terms that describe these conditions are dysphagia (“difficulty eating”) and dysphasia (“difficulty speaking).” Even more detrimental conditions would be aphagia and aphasia; with the prefix a- (“no”), the terms mean “no eating” and “no speaking.”

The suffix -pathy (“disease condition”) is very common in medical settings. Fig. 2.12 shows various forms of cardiomyopathy. This condition can result from an acute condition, such as a heart attack, or a more chronic condition, such as congestive heart failure. Acute conditions come on quickly, whereas chronic ones can last a lifetime.

Another example of the use of the suffix -pathy would be the term homeopathy. Fig. 2.13 shows a homeopathy set that was once used to treat ailments. This term has the combining form home/o, which means “similar,” “same,” or “alike.” Homeopathy originated in the 18th century from the idea that “like cures like,” meaning that a small concentration of a toxin could be used to treat the symptoms that it would cause when taken in larger doses (Wanjek, 2013); for example, using the active ingredient in poison ivy to treat a rash (Wanjek, 2013). This thinking resulted in the development of the first vaccines, which use small doses of viruses to treat or prevent illness (Wanjek, 2013).

Table 2.10 below provides some examples of medical terms with -pathy, but there are many more used in medical settings.

Although very similar, the three suffixes in Table 2.11 are used in different ways. It is important to note the manner in which the suffixes are used and when one is used over the other. For example, look at the terms dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, menorrhagia, menorrhea, and hemorrhage. The first four have to do with menstrual flow, the first term meaning “painful,” then “lack of,” “excessive,” and, finally, “normal menstrual flow.” The last term means “excessive discharge of blood,” which could be from anywhere in the body. Fig. 2.14 shows some examples of hemorrhages in the brain, and many of the prefixes you see in the terms used will be discussed further in Chapter 3.

Arteri/o, meaning “artery,” can be seen in the term arteriosclerosis, which literally means “hardening of an artery.” Ather/o means “plaque” and is part of the term atherosclerosis, a condition that results from an accumulation of plaque within an artery and causes hardening of the artery. As such, it is a type of arteriosclerosis that is specifically caused by plaque build-up (Fig. 2.15).

You were introduced to the term hematuria (Fig. 2.16) in Chapter 1, and it means “a condition of urine(-uria) with blood (hemat-)” (Ansorge, 2022). A urinalysis examines various factors in urine, including blood, sugar, protein, and white blood cells. The results of a urinalysis are a good indicator of how a person’s kidneys are functioning. Kidneys play a key role in the urinary system.