What Did You Say, Doc? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Chole-

The gallbladder concentrates bile produced by the liver and releases it into the intestines when you eat a meal. Bile is a complex mixture of chemicals that aid in digestion of food, particularly fats and oils. Some examples of words using the prefix are "cholecystitis" (inflammation of the gallbladder) and "cholecystectomy" (surgical removal of the gallbladder).

"Chrono-" refers to time, "chorio-" refers to foetal membranes, and "Gallo-" refers to the Gaul people of France.

Answer: Urinary bladder

The urogenital system includes the urinary bladder, ureters, and external and internal genitalia. The prefix "cysto-" refers to the urinary bladder.

Cystoscopy is a procedure using a rigid or flexible endoscopic camera to examine the interior of the urinary bladder. Cystitis is inflammation of the bladder, usually due to a bacterial urinary tract infection. A cystogram is an X-ray image of the bladder taken after a special contrast dye has been injected into the bladder and urinary tract, and is used to demonstrate structural abnormalities.

Answer: Jaundice / Icterus

Bilirubin is a breakdown product of haemoglobin, the oxygen carrying part of blood. It is normally processed by the liver and excreted before it can accumulate. However, increased breakdown of blood cells or disease of the liver or gallbladder can cause blood concentrations to rise, leading to jaundice.

Interestingly, the bilirubin itself is generally not harmful to adults, and there are some people who have physiological (normal) jaundice due to variations in the processing of bilirubin. However if there is underlying disease causing the elevation in bilirubin, this can often be quite serious.

Answer: Respiratory Syncytial Virus

While most cases of RSV are mild, it can sometimes cause significant lung disease leading to hospitalisation and death, particularly in children under the age of 5. It is particularly notorious as a common cause of bronchiolitis - inflammation of the bronchioles (small airways). In young children up to the age of two, the bronchioles are so small that any swelling or fluid developing within them can cause significant impairment to breathing.

There is no treatment for RSV aside from supportive care and oxygen, however several vaccines have now been developed.

Answer: Digits (fingers and toes)

Raynaud's phenomenon is often a benign symptom, but can also be associated with autoimmune illnesses such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and scleroderma. It can be triggered by cold weather and stress, and sometimes occurs spontaneously.

There are lifestyle modifications and medications that can reduce the effect, but there is no direct cure available.

Answer: Hirsutism

Hirsutism is typically a result of excessive androgens (male type hormones related to testosterone) which cause the body to grow and develop physical characteristics typically associated with males. It is one of many features seen in the complex condition called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome PCOS, which can also cause irregular menstrual cycles, infertility, obesity and other complications.

Answer: Gastro-

While "gastro" is commonly used as a colloquial abbreviation for the condition gastroenteritis, the word is actually the prefix for all things stomach related, such as gastroscopy (endoscopic camera investigation of the inside of the stomach), gastritis (inflammation of the stomach) and gastrectomy (surgical removal of the stomach).

"Entero-" refers to the intestines, "cholangio-" refers to the bile duct, and "estomago" is the Spanish/Portuguese word for stomach.

Answer: Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

An aneurysm is an abnormal dilatation of a blood vessel. A common site for aneurysms to form is in the abdominal aorta (the large artery that runs from the chest towards the legs). Over time, a AAA can expand to over 5cm in diameter, weakening the vessel wall.

They don't tend to cause any symptoms and are often detected only incidentally while investigating other conditions. This makes them quite dangerous, as they can rupture at any time, leading to rapid death if not repaired urgently.

Answer: Toxic multinodular goitre

The term "toxic multinodular goitre" describes the salient features of the condition quite well - "toxic" refers to the release of thyroid hormones (as opposed to "cold" nodules that don't secrete hormones), "multinodular" should be self-explanatory, and "goitre" is the general term for enlargement of the thyroid gland. Iodine deficiency is usually the underlying cause of the condition.

Answer: Otorhinolaryngologist

The word "otorhinolaryngologist" is a great example of how medical terminology can make things more difficult for laypeople to understand, but be very descriptive for professionals familiar with the meanings of prefixes and suffixes. "Oto-" means ear, "rhino-" means nose, "laryngo-" means throat and "-logist/-ologist" means "one who studies or is an expert in".

Because these prefixes and suffixes are consistent across all applications in medicine, one can piece together the meaning of the word "otorhinolaryngologist" despite never having seen it before (as was the case for me when I adopted this quiz; where I live we refer to these specialists exclusively as ENTs).