“brb, ttyl ok? Wow, I saved a ‘ton’ of time with those acronyms.” – Stephen Colbert
Acronyms are abbreviations formed from the initial components in a phrase or a word. These are usually presented are individual letters. These acronyms are very commonplace in medicine, and many of them are entirely unique to the medical world. They add a further layer of complexity to medical language, and to cause further confusion, some of them are derived from Latin. There is often an appendix added to exam papers with a list of acronyms that may be encountered in the exam and what they stand for. In this chapter, I provide a table of some of the commonest acronyms that you are likely to encounter in your medical exams. I hope that you find it a helpful reference tool.
| Acronym: | Meaning: |
|---|---|
| AAA | Abdominal aortic aneurysm |
| ABG | Arterial blood gas |
| ACE | Angiotensin-converting enzyme |
| ACL | Anterior cruciate ligament |
| ACJ | Acromio-clavicular joint |
| ADH | Anti-diuretic hormone |
| ADHD | Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder |
| AF | Atrial fibrillation |
| AIDS | Acquired immune deficiency syndrome |
| ALP | Alkaline phosphatase |
| ALS | Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis |
| ALT | Alanine aminotransferase |
| AMD | Age-related macular degeneration |
| AST | Aspartate aminotransferase |
| AVM | Aterio-venous malformation |
| AXR | Abdominal X-ray |
| bid/bd | ‘bis die’ in Latin. It means to take twice daily. |
| bds | ‘bis die sumendum’. Twice daily (as above). |
| BMI | Body mass index |
| BP | Blood pressure |
| BPH | Benign prostatic hyperplasia |
| BRCA | Breast cancer gene |
| BUN | Blood urea nitrogen |
| CA | Cancer |
| CABG | Coronary artery bypass graft |
| CAD | Coronary artery disease |
| CCF | Congestive cardiac failure |
| CD | Controlled drug |
| cf | ‘confer’ in Latin. Means to compare to. |
| CF | Cystic fibrosis |
| CHD | Coronary heart disease or congenital heart disease |
| CHF | Congestive heart failure |
| CK / CPK | Creatine kinase / creatine phosphokinase |
| CNS | Central nervous system |
| COPD | Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |
| CPR | Cardiopulmonary resuscitation |
| CRF | Chronic renal failure |
| CRP | C-reactive protein |
| CSF | Cerebrospinal fluid |
| CST | Continue same treatment |
| CT | Computerized tomography |
| CVA | Cerebrovascular accident |
| C-spine | Cervical spine |
| CXR | Chest X-ray |
| D&C | Dilatation and curettage |
| DIB | Difficulty in Breathing |
| DIC | Disseminated intravascular coagulation |
| DM | Diabetes mellitus |
| DVT | Deep vein thrombosis |
| Dx | Diagnosis |
| DW | Distilled water |
| ECG/EKG | Electrocardiogram |
| ECHO | Echocardiogram |
| EEG | Electroencephalogram |
| EMG | Electromyogram |
| ENT | Ear, nose and throat |
| ERCP | Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography |
| ESR | Erythrocyte sedimentation rate |
| ESRD | End-stage renal disease |
| et | ‘et’ in Latin means 'and' |
| FSH | Follicle-stimulating hormone |
| GI | Gastro-intestinal |
| GIT | Gastro-intestinal tract |
| GFR | Glomerular filtration rate |
| GORD/GERD | Gastroesophageal reflux disease |
| GU | Genito-urinary |
| HAV | Hepatitis A virus |
| Hb/HGB | Haemoglobin |
| HBV | Hepatitis B virus |
| HCT | Haematocrit |
| HCV | Hepatitis C virus |
| HDL | High-density lipoprotein |
| HIV | Human immunodeficiency virus |
| HRT | Hormone replacement therapy |
| HTN | Hypertension |
| hs | ‘hora somni’’ in Latin means at bedtime |
| IBD | Inflammatory bowel disease |
| IBS | Irritable bowel syndrome |
| ICD | Implantable cardioverter defibrillator |
| ICP | Intracranial pressure |
| ICU | Intensive care unit |
| ID | Intradermal |
| IDDM | Insulin-dependant diabetes mellitus |
| IM | Intramuscular |
| IN | Intranasal |
| INR | International normalized ratio |
| IP | Intraperitoneal |
| IT | Intrathecal |
| IU | International unit |
| IUD | Intra-uterine device |
| IV | Intravenous |
| IVP | Intravenous pyelogram |
| IVU | Intravenous urogram |
| JVP | Jugular venous pressure |
| LDL | Low-density lipoprotein |
| LFT | Liver function test |
| LMN | Lower motor neurone |
| LP | Lumbar puncture |
| LVF | Left ventricular failure |
| LVH | Left ventricular hypertrophy |
| mane | ‘mane’ in Latin means early or early in morning |
| mdu | ‘more dicto utendus’ in Latin means at bedtime |
| MI | Myocardial infarction |
| mitte | ‘mitte’ in Latin means to send |
| MMR | Measles, mumps and rubella (vaccination) |
| MRI | Magnetic resonance imaging |
| MRSA | Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus |
| MS | Multiple sclerosis |
| NG | Nasogastric |
| NIDDM | Non-insulin-dependant diabetes mellitus |
| NKDA | No known drug allergies |
| note | ‘nocte’ in Latin means at night |
| NS | Normal saline |
| NSAID | Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug |
| OA | Osteoarthritis |
| OCD | Obsessive-compulsive disorder |
| od | ‘omne in die’ in Latin means every day |
| om | ‘omne mane’ in Latin means every morning |
| on | ‘omne nocte’ in Latin means every night |
| OPD | Outpatient department |
| PAD | Peripheral arterial disease |
| PET | Positron emission tomography |
| PFT | Pulmonary function test |
| PID | Pelvic inflammatory disease |
| PMS | Premenstrual syndrome |
| PR | ‘per rectum’ in Latin means via the rectum |
| po | ‘per os’ in Latin means by mouth or orally |
| prn | ‘pro re nata’ in Latin means as needed |
| PSA | Prostate-specific antigen |
| PT | Prothrombin time |
| PTH | Parathyroid hormone |
| PTSD | Post-traumatic stress disorder |
| PTT | Partial thromboplastin time |
| PUD | Peptic ulcer disease |
| PV | ‘per vaginum’ in Latin means via the vagina |
| PVC | Premature ventricular contraction |
| PVD | Peripheral vascular disease |
| qd | ‘quaque die’ in Latin means every day |
| qds | ‘quater die sumendus’ in Latin means four times a day |
| qid | ‘quater in die’ in Latin means four times a day |
| qqh | ‘quater quaque hora’ in Latin means every four hours |
| RA | Rheumatoid arthritis |
| RBC | Red blood cell |
| Rx | Treatment or prescription - derived from the Latin ‘recipe’ |
| SAD | Seasonal affective disorder |
| SIDS | Sudden infant death syndrome |
| sig | ‘signa’ in Latin means directions |
| SLE | Systemic lupus erythematosus |
| SOB | Shortness of breath |
| stat | ‘statim’ in Latin means immediately or without delay |
| STD | Sexually transmitted disease |
| STI | Sexually transmitted infection |
| T3 | Triiodothyronine |
| T4 | Thyroxine |
| TAH | Total abdominal hysterectomy |
| TB | Tuberculosis |
| tds | ‘ter die sumendum’ in Latin means three times a day |
| TFT | Thyroid function test |
| TIA | Transient ischemic attack |
| TIBC | Total iron-binding capacity |
| tid | ‘ter in die’ in Latin means three times a day |
| TMJ | Temporo-mandibular joint |
| TSH | Thyroid-stimulating hormone |
| TURP | Transurethral resection of the prostate gland |
| UMN | Upper motor neurone |
| ung | ‘unguentum’ in Latin means ointment |
| URTI | Upper respiratory tract infection |
| USS | Ultrasound scan |
| ut/ ud | ‘ut dictum’ in Latin means as directed |
| UTI | Urinary tract infection |
| WBC | White blood cell |
| WCC | White cell count |
| XR | X-ray |
| XRT | Radiotherapy |
Key points to remember:
✅ Abbreviations are very commonly used in medicine
✅ Acronyms are abbreviations formed from the initial components in a phrase or a word
✅ Familiarise yourself with the acronyms and abbreviations in the above table to make sure you are not caught out in the exam
Header image used on licence from Shutterstock
Medical Exam Prep would like to thank Dr. Marc Barton for permission to reproduce this extract from his book ‘How to Pass Medical Exams: A Survival Guide for Medical Students and Doctors’
About Dr. Marc Barton
Dr. Marc Barton qualified from Imperial College School of Medicine in 2001. Since that time he has worked in a variety of different medical specialities. He worked as a GP partner from 2006 until 2008 and more recently as a higher specialist trainee in Emergency Medicine.
‘How to Pass Medical Exams’ is available for purchase here.
