A&P STUDY GUIDE

SUFFIXES

For you to get a good grade in your A&P course, you will need to recognize certain terms.

Breaking down words into their most basic components is the easiest way to do this.

A suffix is a word added to another word that changes its meaning. In the world of anatomy, suffixes are king.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Derm(at) is a word meaning “skin.”

Add -ology (“the study of”) to that word and it becomes:

DERMATOLOGY

Dermatology is the study of skin.

Got it? Great.

Let’s begin.

-algia

pain

Fibromyalgia is a common ailment in which a person experiences chronic, widespread pain.

“Fibro” is Latin for “fibrous tissues” and “myo” is Greek for “muscle”.

-cyte

cell

A lymphocyte is a white blood cell that acts as part of the immune system.

-ectomy

removal

Appendectomy, the removal of the appendix, is the most common emergency surgery performed in the United States.

-emia

blood condition

To help treat anemia, or low blood iron, is to include leafy greens, red meat, and legumes

in one’s diet.

-itis

inflammation

Rhinitis is one of the most common ailments—inflammation of the mucous membrane in the

nose. Symptoms include a runny nose, sniffling, and postnasal drip.

-oma

tumor, mass

A scintillating scotoma is a visual aura that usually precedes a migraine. During this phenomenon, a mass of flickering or fluctuating light obscures normal vision.

-opsy

to view

When cancer is possibly detected, doctors will usually perform a biopsy and remove a small portion of the area in question to evaluate.

-gram

record

An ECG, or electrocardiogram, is a visual record of electrical currents within the heart. It is used

to diagnose possible heart conditions.

Hyperemia is:

a. the study of blood disorders

b. an abnormal increase of blood in any part of the body

c. normal blood flow in any part of the body

d. cancer of the blood

answer: b

Arthralgia is:

a. pain in the joints

b. an inflammation of a joint

c. restricted blood flow to a joint

d. a visual record of the bone

answer: a

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