A quick guide to medical terminology

All the medical words that I throw around here can get confusing when it’s the first time you’re hearing them, but I find it a lot easier to understand and remember what words mean when I understand where the words come from. If that’s a method that works for you, then this post will be super helpful.

Prefixes you might see

arthr- : joint

bursa : small fluid-filled sacs that cushion joints

cyst- : bladder

enthes- : enthesis (where tendons and ligaments attach to bone)

my- : muscle

spondyl- : vertebra, the bones in the spine

Suffixes you might see

-algia : pain

-itis : inflammation

-osis : a disease

-pathy : a disease

Some examples

While these terms have more complex meanings than what are described below, it’s easier for me to remember what the disease is when I understand what the word literally means.

Arthritis means inflammation of the joints. Arthralgia means joint pain.

Bursitis means inflammation of the bursa.

Cystitis means inflammation of the bladder.

Enthesitis means inflammation of the entheses.

Myositis means muscle inflammation. Myalgia means muscle pain. 

Spondylitis means inflammation of the vertebrae. Spondyloarthritis is arthritis of the vertebrae. Spondyloarthropathy is a disease of the spinal joints. (These are often used interchangeably.) Ankylosing spondylitis is a particular type of spondylitis.

Tendonitis is inflammation of the tendons. Tendonosis means a disease of the tendons.

Medications

Biologic: a kind of drug that comes from a biologic source. For example, a drug like aspirin can be made by mixing chemicals together, but a drug like Humira has a much more complicated structure that can only be made from proteins. Humira and Enbrel, two common biologics for AS, work by inhibiting parts of the immune system that may be attacking joints.

NSAID: non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. These drugs reduce inflammation and include names like ibuprofen (Advil), aspirin, and naproxen (Aleve).

Methotrexate: a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD). It’s known to slow the progression of rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.

Sulfasalazine: a drug known for its anti-inflammatory effects for inflammatory bowel disease and spondylitis.

I hope that helps!

-Bri

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