DIAGNOSIS CHECK YOUR ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR MEDICINE

CHECK YOUR ENGLISH VOCABULARY FOR MEDICINE

DIAGNOSIS

Read the eleven descriptions which follow, using your dictionary as and when necessary. What is the disease or illness being described in each case?

1	A disorder of the nervous system in which there are convulsions and loss of consciousness due to disordered discharge of cerebral neurons. ________________________________________________________________________________________
2	A condition where tissues die and decay, as a result of bacterial action, because the blood supply has been lost through injury or disease of the artery. ________________________________________________________________________________________
3	A condition where the lens of the eye gradually becomes hard and opaque.
4	A progressive nervous disorder without a known cause which is a type of Parkinsonism, the main symptoms of which are trembling hands, a slow shuffling walk and difficulty in speaking. ________________________________________________________________________________________
5	An infectious disease in which infected lumps form in the tissue. Its commonest form is infection of the lungs, causing patients to lose weight, cough blood and have a fever. It is caught by breathing in germs or by eating contaminated food, especially unpasteurised milk. ________________________________________________________________________________________
6	A hereditary disease in which there is malfunction of the exocrine glands such as the pancreas, in particular those which secrete mucus, causing respiratory difficulties, male infertility and malabsorption of food from the gastrointestinal tract. ________________________________________________________________________________________
7	A progressive disease of the liver, often associated with alcoholism, in which healthy cells are replaced by scar tissue. ________________________________________________________________________________________
8	A serious, infectious disease of children. Its first symptoms are a sore throat, followed by a slight fever, rapid pulse and swelling of the glands in the neck. A fibrous growth like a membrane forms in the throat and can close the air passages. The disease is often fatal, either because the patient is asphyxiated or because the heart becomes fatally weakened. ________________________________________________________________________________________
9	A disorder of the brain, mainly due to brain damage occurring before birth, or due to lack of oxygen during birth. The patient may have bad coordination of muscular movements, impaired speech, hearing and sight, and sometimes mental retardation. ________________________________________________________________________________________
10	Inflammation of the membrane lining the intestines and the stomach, caused by a viral infection, and resulting in diarrhoea and vomiting. ________________________________________________________________________________________

Extension. Write a description of a disease or illness and see if your partner can recognise it.

ANSWER KEY