The medical world is vast, with terminology that spans every letter of the alphabet, providing clinicians and practitioners with the lexicon to communicate efficiently. The beginning letter can often group related terms or concepts, offering an organized way to navigate the expansive domain of health and medicine. With that in mind, let’s focus on medical terms that initiate with the letter “A.”
Medical Terms That Start With A
Here is the list of some most popular medical words that start with the letter A:
- Anemia
- Asthma
- Arthritis
- Antibody
- Aorta
- Aneurysm
- Aphasia
- Atrophy
- Angina
- Autopsy
Diseases and Conditions With A:
- Alopecia
- Albinism
- Atherosclerosis
- Athlete’s foot
- Aspergillosis
- Appendicitis
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- Acne
- Avian influenza
- Addison’s disease
- Aplastic anemia
- Asphyxia
- Achondroplasia
- Adenovirus infection
- Anaphylaxis
Symptoms With A:
- Anorexia
- Ataxia
- Aphonia
- Anhidrosis
- Anuria
- Abdominal pain
- Asthenia
- Anaphylaxis
- Agnosia
- Apathy
- Achromatopsia
- Amblyopia
- Acalculia
- Algia
- Akinesia
Procedures With A:
- Angioplasty
- Amniocentesis
- Ablation
- Appendectomy
- Aspiration
- Arthroscopy
- Adenoidectomy
- Anastomosis
- Audiogram
- Autograft
- Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction
- Adrenalectomy
- Angiography
- Apheresis
- Axillary dissection
Medications With A:
- Acetaminophen
- Amoxicillin
- Aspirin
- Atorvastatin
- Albuterol
- Adalimumab
- Azithromycin
- Atenolol
- Amitriptyline
- Alprazolam
- Ambien
- Advair
- Amlodipine
- Actos
- Ativan
Imaging and Tests With A:
- Angiogram
- Audiometry
- Abdominal ultrasound
- Arthrography
- Amylase test
- Antigen test
- Apgar score
- Autopsy
- Amniogram
- Antinuclear antibody (ANA) test
- Ambulatory electrocardiogram
- Angiography
- Alkaline phosphatase test
- Allergy test
- ACTH stimulation test
Vaccination and Immunology With A:
- Anthrax vaccine
- Antiserum
- Adenovirus vaccine
- Allergy shots
- Antitoxin
- Active immunity
- Antibody titer
- Acellular vaccine
- Adjuvant
- Attenuated vaccine
- Autoimmunity
- Allergen immunotherapy
- Allograft rejection
- Antigen presentation
- Autoantibody
Drugs With A:
- Acyclovir
- Aztreonam
- Aripiprazole
- Actonel
- Abilify
- Augmentin
- Adderall
- Alendronate
- Acarbose
- Anastrozole
- Adefovir
- Atazanavir
- Amantadine
- Amitraz
- Atazanavir
A to Z Medical Glossary
A – B – C – D – E – F – G – H – I – J – K – L – M – N – O – P – Q – R – S – T – U – V – W – X – Y – Z
Medical Words With A & Their Meanings
- Abduction: Movement away from the midline of the body.
- Abscess: A collection of pus due to infection.
- Acidosis: An overly acidic condition of the body’s fluids.
- Acromion: The outward end of the spine of the scapula or shoulder blade.
- Actinic: Relating to ultraviolet light or radiation.
- Acute: Describing a disease or symptom of sudden onset and short duration.
- Adenopathy: Enlargement of the lymph nodes.
- Adipose: Referring to fat tissue in the body.
- Adjuvant therapy: Treatment given in addition to the primary, main, or initial treatment.
- Aerobic: Pertaining to organisms that require oxygen.
- Afferent: Carrying impulses toward a center (opposite of efferent).
- Agglutinate: To clump or cause to clump, as with bacteria or blood cells.
- Albinoid: Showing features of albinism but not completely albino.
- Alkalosis: A condition in which the body fluids have too much base (alkali).
- Allele: One of two or more alternative forms of a gene.
- Allodynia: Pain from stimuli which are not normally painful.
- Alveoli: Small sacs within the lungs where oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange takes place.
- Amino acid: Building blocks of proteins in the body.
- Amnion: The innermost membranous sac that surrounds and protects the embryo.
- Anabolism: The constructive part of metabolism, building larger molecules.
- Anaerobic: Pertaining to organisms that can live without oxygen.
- Analgesic: A medication that reduces or eliminates pain.
- Anastomose: A connection made surgically between adjacent blood vessels or loops of intestine.
- Androgen: A male sex hormone.
- Anemia: A condition where there’s a deficiency of red blood cells.
- Anencephaly: Absence of a major portion of the brain, skull, and scalp.
- Anesthesia: Loss of sensation, often induced for medical procedures.
- Angioedema: Swelling in the deeper layers of the skin, often around the eyes and lips.
- Angiogenesis: Formation of new blood vessels.
- Anomalies: Deviations from the normal or common order, form, or rule.
- Anovulation: Absence of ovulation or failure of the ovary to release an egg.
- Antagonist: A substance that interferes with or inhibits the action of another.
- Anterior: Referring to the front side of the body.
- Anticholinergic: Drugs that block the action of acetylcholine.
- Anticoagulant: A substance that prevents blood clotting.
- Antifungal: A medication used to treat fungal infections.
- Antigenic: Inducing the production of an antibody.
- Antipyretic: A substance or drug that reduces fever.
- Antiseptic: An agent that kills or inhibits growth of microorganisms on living tissues.
- Anus: The opening at the end of the digestive tract where bowel contents leave the body.
- Aorta: The main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body.
- Aphagia: The inability or refusal to swallow.
- Apoptosis: The process of programmed cell death in the body.
- Areola: The darkened area around the nipple of the breast.
- Arrhythmia: An irregular heartbeat.
- Articulation: A joint or the action of the joint.
- Ascites: Accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity.
- Aspermia: The absence of sperm in semen.
- Astigmatism: A defect in the eye or in a lens caused by a deviation from spherical curvature.
- Ataxia: Lack of muscle coordination.
- Atrophy: Wasting away or decrease in size of a body tissue or structure.
- Autologous: Derived from the same individual.
- Avascular: Lacking blood vessels.
- Axon: The long projection of a nerve cell that carries nerve impulses away from the cell body.
- Aphasia: Impairment of language, affecting the ability to speak or comprehend speech.
- Adenoma: A benign tumor formed from glandular structures in epithelial tissue.
- Adhesion: Bands of scar-like tissue that form between two surfaces inside the body.
- Agenesis: The failure of an organ to develop during embryonic growth.
- Amblyopia: Often called “lazy eye”, a vision development disorder where one eye fails to achieve normal visual acuity.
- Aplasia: The failure of an organ or tissue to develop or function normally.
- Auscultation: Listening to the internal sounds of the body, typically using a stethoscope.
- Adrenal: Pertaining to the adrenal glands, which sit atop the kidneys.
- Agonist: A molecule that activates a receptor to produce a response.
- Anion: A negatively charged ion.
- Aerobe: An organism that can survive and grow in an oxygenated environment.
- Afferent nerve: Nerves that carry sensory information to the brain and spinal cord.
- Algia: Pain.
- Amyloid: An abnormal protein deposited in tissues and organs impairing normal function.
- Atrium: One of the two upper chambers of the heart.
- Anoxia: A condition characterized by an absence of oxygen supply to an organ or tissue.
