Medical Suffixes that Describe Disease or Function (Part 4)

The suffix -sclerosis pertains to "hardening" . Example is the word aden/o/sclerosis. Aden/o is a combining form that refers to "gland", and -sclerosis pertains to "hardening". Adenosclerosis can be defined as a hardening of the glands.

The suffix -spasm pertains to "sudden, involuntary contraction of muscle" . Example is the word bronch/o/spasm. Bronch/o is a combining form that refers to "bronchial tube", and -spasm pertains to "sudden, involuntary contraction of muscle". Bronchospasm is difficulty breathing caused by contractions of smooth muscle around the bronchial tubes and bronchioles.

The suffix -stalsis pertains to "contraction" . Example is the word peri/stalsis. Peri- is a prefix term that denotes "around", and -stalsis pertains to "contraction". In the digestive system, peristalsis occurs when waves of muscle contractions move food.

The suffix -stasis pertains to "control" or "stop" . Example is the word home/o/stasis. Home/o is a combining form that denotes "unchanging", and -stasis pertains to "control" or "stop". A steady state of internal, physical, and chemical equilibrium in living systems is called homeostasis. For example, warm-blooded animals maintain a stable temperature.

The suffix -stenosis pertains to "tightening" . Example is the word angi/o/stenosis. Angi/o is a combining form that denotes "vessel (usually blood vessel)", and -stenosis pertains to "tightening". Angiostenosis is a narrowing of a blood vessel.

The suffix -thorax pertains to "chest" or "chest cavity" . Example is the word pneum/o/thorax. Pneum/o is a combining form that denotes "lungs" or "air", and -thorax pertains to "chest" or "chest cavity". A pneumothorax is an accumulation of air in the pleural cavity usually caused by a lung injury or chest injury.

The suffix -tocia pertains to "labor" or "birth" . Example is the word a/tocia. A- is a prefix term that signifies "not" or "without", and -tocia pertains to "labor" or "birth". Atocia refers to a woman's inability to conceive or give birth to a child.

The suffix -trophy pertains to "nourishment" or "development" . Example is the word dys/trophy. Dys- for this term is a prefix that means "bad" or "abnormal", and -trophy pertains to "nourishment" or "development". Dystrophy is the condition of the body wasting tissues, whether caused by genetics or insufficient nutrition.

The suffix -uria pertains to "urine" or "urination" . Example is the word noct/uria. Noct is a word root that signifies "night", and -uria pertains to "urine" or "urination". Nocturia is the frequent need to wake up during the night in order to urinate.