Medical Terminology Simplified

4–103 Asthma is a respiratory condition characterized by recurrent attacks of

labored or difficult breathing accompanied by wheezing. (See Fig. 4–7C.) The

medical term for painful or difficult breathing is /.

4–104 Lung CA, associated with smoking, is the leading cause of cancer-related

deaths in men and women in the United States. It usually spreads rapidly and metas-

tasizes to other parts of the body, making it difficult to diagnose and treat in its early

stages.

When CA spreads to other parts of the body, the medical term used to describe that

condition is.

4–105 Tuberculosis (TB), an infectious disease, produces small lesions, or tuber-

cles, in the lungs. If left untreated, it infects the bones and organs of the entire body.

An increase in TB is attributed to the increasing prevalence of AIDS.

The abbreviation TB refers to.

The name tuberculosis is derived from small lesions that appear in the lungs called

.

130 CHAPTER 4• Respiratory System

Boldfaceindicates a word root or combining form. Blueindicates a suffix. Pinkindicates a prefix.

dys/pnea

dĭsp-NĒ-ă

metastasize or metastasis

mĕ-TĂS-tă-sīz,

mĕ-TĂS-tă-sĭs

tuberculosis

tū-bĕr-kū-LŌ-sĭs

tubercles

TŪ-bĕr-klz

Distended

bronchiole

Enlarged

alveoli

Excess mucus

production

Constricted

smooth

muscle

Extra mucus

Inflamed

airway

A. Chronic bronchitis

B. Emphysema C. Asthma

Figure 4-7COPD. (A)Chronic bronchitis

with inflamed airways and excessive mucus.

(B)Emphysema with distended bronchioles and

alveoli. (C)Asthma with narrowed bronchial

tubes and swollen mucous membranes.