THE BASICS OF DOCTOR LINGO Sometimes we listen to doctors and get prescriptions where the language can be a little alien to us. This cheat sheet teaches you the basics of medical lingo to help you understand your doctor and prescriptions better!
1
DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS This term is used when a patient comes to the doctor with symptoms where the diagnosis could be one of two conditions. In these cases, doctors will evaluate the likelihood of the signs and symptoms being one disease over the other.
2
PROGNOSIS Unlike a diagnosis, which is analysing symptoms to understand a condition, a prognosis is a prediction of what may or may not happen as an outcome of a disease or other illnesses. For example, if you do not treat the flu with correct medicine now it may develop and attack the immune system further.
3
DISEASE
This is a condition that produces symptoms that are not usually a direct result of a physical injury. A disease impairs bodily functions and is harmful to your health. Common diseases we all know too well are cold and flu, which can be treated with over the counter or prescription medications.
4
TUMOUR When a doctor mentions this term, people often jump to conclusions. However, not all tumours are cancerous as people may first believe. Any mass in the form of a lump is referred to as a tumour, whether it is malignant or benign.
5
MALIGNANT This term is most commonly used to describe an increase in cancerous growths. If you ever find any lumps or unusual growth on your body, it is important to get checked out by your GP.
6
BENIGN On the other hand, if a doctor says you have a benign growth, it means the mass is not harmful or progressive. These types of tumours do not affect other parts of the body in the way a malignant tumour would. However, it can cause some discomfort depending on where the tumour is.
7
LICENSED MEDICINE In order to promote medicine, a company must have a product license. In the UK, these product licenses detail how medicine should be used. However, many licensed medicines are used outside of their license as it gives doctors more choice in suitable treatments.
8
UNLICENSED MEDICINE Following a diagnosis, you may be administered with unlicensed medicine. There are certain circumstances, like age and condition, that will allow certain medicines to be used outside of their license.
Source: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Cancer/Pages/Introduction.aspx https://www.rosemontpharma.com/health-professionals/licensed-and-unlicensed-medicines