80 Important Medical And Health Related Terms You Need to Know

In medical field, abbreviations are often used in patient progress notes, prescriptions, pharmacy notes, discussions, etc. They are often used by practitioners to save time and can be helpful if you know what they stand for.

Occasionally you will see an abbreviation that has more than one meaning, which will cause you to do some deductive reasoning.

The abbreviations, acronyms, and words included in this article represent medical device and procedure terminology found in everyday practice.

It’s helpful to know commonly used medical and health terms, so we’ve compiled a list of 100 that will surely get you through a knowledge update, and help you out next time you’re at the doctor’s office.

S.No.	Abbreviation	Full Name
1	WHO	World Health Organization
2	LHW	Lady Health Worker
3	TB	Tuberculosis
4	SARS	Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
5	NGO	Non-Governmental Organization
6	MOH	Ministry of Health
7	GHP	Global Health Partnerships
8	GOARN	Global Outbreak and Response Network
9	HIV	Human Immunodeficiency Virus
10	AIDS	Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
11	NCD	Non-Communicable Diseases
12	VAW	Violence Against Women
13	NFHS	National Family Health Survey
14	NHRI	National Human Rights Institution
15	UNICEF	United Nations Children’s Fund
16	PCOD	Polycystic Ovarian Disease
17	PCOS	Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
18	CT	Computed Tomography
19	CHD	Coronary Heart Disease
20	CAD	Coronary Artery Disease
21	CHF	Congestive Heart Failure
22	CKD	Chronic kidney Disease
23	CSD	Cat-scratch Disease
24	IBS	Irritable Bowel Syndrome
25	DSPS	Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome
26	EVD	Ebola Virus Disease
27	FAS	Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
28	ID	Infectious Diseases
29	EHR	Electronic Health Records
30	BP	Blood Pressure
31	DM	Diabetes Mellitus
32	HTN	Hyper Tension
33	HBP	High Blood Pressure
34	ICU	Intensive Care Unit
35	CCU	Critical Care Unit
36	ITU	Intensive Treatment/Therapy Unit
37	ACE	Angiotensin Converting Enzyme
38	PUD	Peptic Ulcer Disease
39	SOB	Shortness of Breath
40	CT	Computed Tomography
41	UTI	Urinary Tract Infection
42	AD	Alzheimer’s disease
43	CBC	Complete Blood Count
44	ICD	Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator
45	BMI	Body-Mass Index
46	MRI	Magnetic Resonance Imaging
47	PET	Positron Emission Tomography
48	EKG	Electrocardiogram
49	DNA	Deoxyribonucleic Acid
50	DNR	Do-not-Resuscitate Order
51	DRI	Dietary Reference Intake
52	ECG	Electrocardiogram
53	EBCT	Electron-Beam Computed Tomography
54	ED	Erectile Dysfunction
55	EEG	Electroencephalogram
56	EMG	Electromyography
57	HR	Heart Rate
58	GFR	Glomerular Filtration Rate
59	GERD	Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
60	HDL	High-Density Lipoprotein
61	LDL	Low-Density Lipoprotein
62	PT	Physical Therapy
63	HLA	Human Leukocyte Antigen
64	BMR	Basal Metabolic Rate
65	BMT	Bone Marrow Transplantation
66	WBC	White Blood Cell
67	RBC	Red Blood Cell
68	URI	Upper Respiratory Infection
69	ACA	Affordable Care Act
70	CHC	Community Health Center
71	CVP	Central Venous Pressure
72	CXR	Chest X-ray
73	ECT	Electro Convulsive Therapy
74	ESR	Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate
75	FBC	Full Blood Count
76	Hb	Haemoglobin
77	IVP	Intravenous Pyelogram
78	LFT’s	Liver Function Tests
79	TPN	Total Parenteral Nutrition
80	TPR	Temperature, Pulse and Respiration