List of Medical Related Abbreviation

Table of Contents

Most of us, for sure, may have been confused looking at a Medical Prescription of our family doctor! What they have written after diagnosis, how to read the terminology or medicine written, very hard to understand right? But, when we give the prescription to a pharmacist or a nurse-in-charge, they will simply read those ‘scribbled’ and give the medicine or treatment accordingly. Rarely these abbreviations or short forms are unclear at times and thus creates ambiguity. So, it is better we have a basic understanding of the List of Medical Abbreviation used.

Know more about abbreviations used in various fields.

Instead of using long medical terminologies, medical practitioners, organizations, have a list of medical acronyms with them for various procedures and for diagnosis and prescription. These acronyms are usually called jargon like it is terminology related to a specialized branch. However, the Food and Drug Administration recommends having a common abbreviation to be used by all, instead of confusing shorthand writings. Also, patients and bystanders should also be aware of some of them or consult a trusted person to know about the same.

List of Medical Abbreviation

General Terms Abbreviations used in Medical Field

Abbreviations	Full Forms
AA	amino acid
CC	cubic centimeter, chief complaint, critical care
A&W	alive and well
ACHES	Abdominal pain, chest pain, headaches, eye problems, severe leg cramps
C/O	complains of, care of
C	centigrade, celsius
ADM	admission, admitted
ABG	arterial blood gas
CO2	carbon dioxide
DNR	do not resuscitate
DO	disorder
D/C	discontinue or discharge
EDC	estimated date of confinement
AMA	against medical advice (or American Medical Association)
ALS	advanced life support
DOA	dead on arrival or date of admission
DOT	directly observed therapy
EDD	estimated delivery date
EGA	estimated gestational age
DSM	Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
EOD	Every other day
ER	emergency room
F	Fahrenheit
IQ	intelligence quotient
H&P	history and physical examination
garg.	gargle
ID	infectious diseases
HP	history of present illness
H/O	history of
MCO	managed care organization
HR	heart rate or hour
HS	hour of sleep (bedtime)
IP	inpatient
IU	international units
ICU	intensive care unit
ML	milliliter
NKDA	no known drug allergies
MG	milligram
MVA	motor vehicle accident
OPD	outpatient department
NTG	nitroglycerin
O2	oxygen
P	pulse
Post-op	postoperative (after surgery)
PA or PT	patient
Pre-op	preoperative (before surgery)
PCP	primary care physician
RF	risk factor
PPE	personal protection equipment
RBC	red blood cell
SX	symptoms
S	without (sans)
STAT	immediately
S/S	signs and symptoms
T	temperature
TPR	temperature, pulse, respiration
USOH – h	the usual state of health
VSS	vital signs stable
VS	vital signs
WB	whole blood
WBC	white blood cell
WNL	within normal limits

Abbreviations Related to Medical Latin Terms

Latin Word	Abbreviations	Meaning
ante cibum	a.c.	before meals
auris dextra	a.d., ad	right ear
auris sinistra	a.s., as,	Left ear
aures unitas	a.u., au, AU	Both ears
bis die sumendum	b.d.s, bds, BDS	2 times a day
bolus	bol.	as a large single dose (usually intravenously)
gutta	gtt., gtts	drop
hora somni	h.s., hs	at bedtime or half-strength
nil per os	n.p.o., npo, NPO	nothing by mouth or not by oral administration
Omne Nocte	nocte	every night
oculus sinister	o.s., os	Left eye
oculus uterque	o.u., ou	Right eye
post cibum	p.c.	after food
ut dictum	u.d., ud	as directed
statim	Stat.	immediately, with no delay
signa	Sig., S.	directions

Abbreviations Commonly used in Prescription

Medical Prescription Term	Abbreviation
antibiotics	ABX
before meals	AC
at will, as desired	Ad lib
bis in dies (twice a day)	BID
capsule	CAP
drop-liquid measurement	GTT
1, 2, 3, 4	i,ii,iii,iv respectively
maximum daily dose	MDD
nothing by mouth	NPO
oral contraceptive pill	OCP
oral polio vaccine	OPV
over the counter	OTC
PC	after meals
every 2 hours	q2h
every 3 hours	q3h
every evening	qpm
every other day	qod
once every hour	gjh
at bedtime	qhs
four times a day	qid
once a day	gd
every morning	qam
penicillin	PCN
per os	PO
recommended daily intake	RDI
as needed	PRN
prenatal vitamins	PNV
prescription, treatment	Rx
subcutaneous	SC
tablet	TAB
three times a week	TIW

Abbreviations Related to Medical Tests and Procedures

Medical Test and Procedure Term	Abbreviation
abdominal x-ray	AXR
foreign body	FB
bathroom privileges	BRP
biopsy	Bx
bone marrow transplant	BMT
barium enema	BE
birth control	BC
blood alcohol content	BAC
fine needle aspiration	FNA
fecal occult blood testing	FOBT
external cephalic version	ECV
chest x-ray	CXR
cardiopulmonary resuscitation	CPR
glucose tolerance test	GTT
glucose loading test	GLT
incision and drainage	I &D
extracorporeal membrane oxygenation	ECMO
intramuscular	IM
electrocardiogram	ECG
intake and output	I & O
intravenous	IV
intrauterine pressure catheter	IUPC
in the laboratory/outside body	In vitro
in the body	In vivo
kidney, ureter, bladder	KUB
electroconvulsive therapy	ECT
oral glucose tolerance test	OGTT
pulmonary artery pressure; Papanicolaou test	PAP
positive end-expiratory pressure	PEEP
physical therapy	PT
type and cross	T&C
tissue plasminogen activator (dissolve clots), total parenteral alimentation	TPA
urinalysis	UA
ultrasound	US
external radiation therapy	XRT
emergency cardiac care	ECC

Abbreviations used for the Body Parts

Body parts	Abbreviations used
abdomen	abd
right ear	AD
left ear	AL
both ears	AU
basal metabolic rate	BMR
body mass index	BMI
common bile duct	CBD
bone mass density	BMD
Cerebral blood flow	CBF
femur length	FL
head circumference	HC
free range of motion	FROM
ideal body weight	IBW
left lower lobe	LLL
left lower quadrant	LLQ
left upper lobe	LUL
left upper quadrant	LUQ
left ventricle	LV
peripheral nervous system	PNS
right atrium	RA
right upper lobe	RUL
right upper quadrant	RUQ
right ventricle, residual volume	RV
upper extremity	UE
total lung capacity	TLC
weight	WT

List of Medical Abbreviation Related to Diseases

A-D Abbreviations

Disease	Abbreviation
Alzheimer’s Disease/ Attachment disorder	AD
Adrenocorticotropic hormone deficiency	ACTH
Agenesis of the corpus callosum	ACC
Abdominal aortc aneurysm	AAA
Aarskog–Scott syndrome	AAS
Albinism, black lock, cell migration disorder	ABCD syndrome
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder	ADHD
Acute coronary syndrome	ACS
Atherosclerotic Cardio Vascular Disease	ACVD
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s disease)	ALS
acid-fast	AF
acquired immune deficiency syndrome	AIDS
Antiphospholipid syndrome	APS
Alcohol-related birth defects	ARBD
Adult Refsum disease	ARD
Alcoholic liver disease	ALD
alcohol on breath	AOB
Acute respiratory distress syndrome	ARDS
alert and oriented	A&O
Anemia of chronic disease	AOCD
Alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder	ARND
Acute lymphoblastic lymphoma, acute lymphocytic leukemia	ALL
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis	ALS
Age-related macular degeneration	AND
Acute myelogenous leukemia	AML
Acute lung injury	ALI
Aldosterone-producing adenoma	APM
Adult-onset diabetes mellitus	AODM
Apraxia of speech	AOS
Ankylosing spondylitis	AS
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease	ASCVD
Atrial septal defect	ASD
Acute systolic heart failure	ASHF
African sleeping sickness	ASS
Ataxia-telangiectasia	A-T
Arteriovenous malformations	AVMs
adult respiratory distress syndrome	ARDS
acute renal failure, acute rheumatic fever	ARF
bipolar affective disorder	BAD
bowel movement	BM
blood pressure	BP
Becker’s muscular dystrophy	BMD
Borderline personality disorder (often misattributed to bipolar disorder)	BPD
Benign prostatic hyperplasia	BPH
Bloom’s syndrome	BS
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy	BSE
cancer	CA
carotid artery bruit	CAB
coronary artery bypass graft	CABG
coronary artery disease	CAD
chills, fever	C/F
Carbohydrate deficient glycoprotein syndrome	CDGP
congenital heart disease	CHD
Congenital disorder of glycosylation	CDG
chest pain	CP
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease	COPD
chronic obstructive lung disease	COLD
congestive heart failure	CHF
complement fixation testing	CFT
cystic fibrosis	CF
complete blood count	CBC
Corticobasal ganglionic degeneration	CGD
Cluster headache	CH
Chronic fatigue immune dysfunction syndrome	CFIDS
Cholesteryl ester storage disease	CESD
Congenital erythropoietic porphyria	CEP
Chronic fatigue syndrome	CFS
Chronic diastolic heart failure	CDHF
Congenital heart disease/ Congenital hip dysplasia/ Coronary heart disease	CHD
Chronic myelogenous leukemia	CML
Congenital insensitivity to pain	CIP
Coronavirus disease 2019	COVID-19
Cerebral palsy	CP
Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome	CPPSC
Calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease	CPDD
Central pontine myelinolysis	CPM
cerebral vascular accident (stroke)	CVA
Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease	CJD
Duchenne muscular dystrophy	DMD
diagnosis	Dx
Diabetes mellitus	DM
Diabetes insipidus	DI
Dementia with Lewy bodies	DLB
Delayed sleep phase syndrome	DSPS
Dihydropteridine reductase deficiency	DRD
Dissociative Identity Disorder	DID
Developmentally handicapped	DH
DiGeorge syndrome	DiG
Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis	DISH
Degenerative joint disease	DJD
Down syndrome	DS
Diastolic heart failure	DHF
Dengue hemorrhagic fever	DHF
deep tendon reflex	DTR
deep venous thrombosis	DVT

E-I Abbreviations

Disease	Abbreviation
Emotionally disturbed	ED
Erectile dysfunction	ED
estimated blood loss	EBL
Ehlers–Danlos syndrome	EDS
Excessive daytime sleepiness	EDS
Eastern equine encephalitis	EQE
Epstein-Barr virus	EBV
eye contact	EC
early gastric cancer	EGC
Epidermolytic hyperkeratosis	EHK
Educable mentally handicapped	EMH
Ebola Virus Disease	EBV
Enteric-coated acetylsalicylic acid	ECASA
Epidermal nevus syndrome	ENS
fetal alcohol syndrome	FAS
foreign body	FB
Familial spastic paraparesis	FSP
forced expiratory flow	FEF
FM – fetal movement	FM
Fetal scalp electrode	FSE
Fragile X syndrome	FXS
functional residual capacity	FRC
fracture	FX
fetal heart rate	FHR
Fibromuscular dysplasia	FMD
follicle-stimulating hormone	FSH
growth hormone	GH
Group B Streptococcal disease	GBS
gunshot wound	GSW
glucose tolerance test	GTT
Group A Streptococcal disease	GAS
growth hormone-releasing hormone	GHRH
GA – gestational age	GA
Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome	HPS
hemoglobin	HB
hepatitis D virus	HDV
human immunodeficiency virus	HIV
hypothalamic suppression test	HST
hypertension	HT
Hemagglutinin Type 1 and Neuraminidase Type 1 influenza	H1N1 flu
Holmes–Adie syndrome	HAS
Hereditary coproporphyria	HCP
Huntington’s disease	HD
Huntington’s disease-like 2	HDL – 2
Hemolytic anemia, elevated liver enzymes, and low platelet count syndrome	HELLP syndrome
inflammatory bowel disease	IBD
inflammatory bowel syndrome	IBS
Inclusion body myositis	IBM
Infectious disease	ID
Intermittent explosive disorder	IED
intracranial pressure	ICP
insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus	IDDM
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis	IPF
intrauterine insemination	IUI
intrauterine pregnancy	IUP
in vitro fertilization	IVF
intravenous immune globulin	IVIG
intravenous push	IVP

J-N Abbreviations

Disease	Abbreviation
juvenile rheumatoid arthritis	JRA
Japanese encephalitis	JE
Juvenile Huntington’s disease	JHD
JC virus	JCV
Kaposi sarcoma	KS
Kyasanur Forest disease	KFD
leukocyte adhesion deficiency	LAD
Lambert–Eaton myasthenic syndrome	LEMS
Lymphogranuloma venereum	LV
Klippel–Trenaunay–Weber syndrome	KTWS
Klippel–Trenaunay syndrome	KTS
Landau–Kleffner syndrome	LKS
Lesch–Nyhan syndrome	LNS
Major depressive disorder	MDD
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis	ME
Multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis	MDR TB
Middle East respiratory syndrome	MERS
muscular dystrophy	MD
Measles, mumps, rubella	MMR
Measles, mumps, rubella, varicella	MMRV
Myocardial infarction	MI
mental retardation	MR
multiple sclerosis	MS
Neonatal abstinence syndrome	NAS
neuromuscular	NM
Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation	NBIA
normal vaginal delivery	NVD
nausea vomiting	n/v
Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis	NCL
Novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia	NCIP

O-S Abbreviations

Disease	Abbreviation
optic neuritis	ON
obstructive sleep apnea	OSA
Omsk hemorrhagic fever	OHF
Oculomotor apraxia	OA
Oppositional defiant disorder	ODD
Polycystic ovarian syndrome	PCOS
polycystic kidney disease	PCKD
Parkinson’s disease	PD
pulmonary embolism	PE
pelvic inflammatory disease	PID
Progressive supranuclear palsy	PSP
Post-traumatic stress disorder	PTSD
pregnancy-induced hypertension	PIH
premenstrual syndrome	PMS
Post-polio syndrome	PPS
Quebec platelet syndrome	QPS
Quebec platelet disorder	QPD
Query fever	QF
respiratory distress syndrome	RDS
rapid eye movements	RDM
Restless legs syndrome	RLS
rheumatic heart disease	RHD
Severe acute respiratory syndrome	SARS
small bowel obstruction	SBO
shortness of breath	SOB
Sturge–Weber syndrome	SWS
sexually transmitted disease	STD
Spina bifida	SB

T-Z Abbreviations

Disease	Abbreviation
tuberculosis	TB
Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura	TTP
traumatic brain injury	TBI
Tension-type headache	TTH
urine output	UO
Urticaria-deafness-amyloidosis	UDA
urinary tract infection	UTI
vaginal birth after cesarean section	VBCS
vaginal bleeding	VB
vaginal hysterectomy, hallucination	VH
ventricular fibrillation	VF
variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease	vCJD
voluntary interruption of pregnancy	VIP
Wilms tumor, aniridia, genitourinary anomalies, and mental retardation syndrome	WAGR syndrome
Wilson’s disease	WD
Xanthine dehydrogenase and aldehyde oxidase combined deficiency	XDH and AOX dual deficiency
X-linked cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy	X-CALD
X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy	X-ALD
Triple X syndrome	XXX syndrome
Young–Simpson syndrome	YSS
Yellow nail syndrome	YNS
Yellow Fever	YF
Zollinger-Ellison syndrome	ZES
Zimmermann-Laband syndrome	ZLS
Zellweger syndrome	ZS
Zadik–Barak–Levin syndrome	ZBLS

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Professional Related List of Medical Abbreviations

Abbreviations	Full Forms
FNP	Family Nurse Practitioner
ANP	Adult Nurse Practitioner
MD	Medical Doctor
NP	Nurse Practitioner
DO	Osteopathic Doctor
GNP	Geriatric Nurse Practitioner
PA	Physician Assistant
PNP	Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner

Free PDF for the List of Medical Abbreviation

Download the complete list of Medical abbreviation used in the medical field for various purposes.

The interested readers can download the list of medical abbreviation PDFs from the direct link above and read more to have better knowledge of these medical acronyms or shorthands. In conclusion, these medical terminologies for prescription, diseases, organs, parts of the body are useful for the people in the medical field although common people find it difficult. But, as discussed, sometimes the same acronym for two causes confusion and is thus fatal. Common people may not have a proper idea of these words. And, can now use this list of medical abbreviation and find the answer to queries related to your diagnosis.