List of Common Medical Abbreviations and Acronyms

Have you ever wondered why you can't read the doctor's note or the letters and numbers on a prescription? Health care professionals often quickly scribble notes with important medical information that they would like a patient to reference in regard to the type of current, or recently diagnosed disease, syndrome, or other health condition(s). Have you ever see the doctor's notes in your medical record and found peculiar abbreviations and jargon? Do you wonder what the letters and numbers mean on your prescriptions or other items related to a disease, syndrome, or disorder?

Doctors and other health care professionals commonly use a list of abbreviations, acronyms, and other medical terminology as a reference to rapidly search and accurately record information about, and give instructions to their patients. There is no standard or approved list used by health care professionals to search for medical acronyms or abbreviations. Therefore, it is important to understand the context in which the abbreviation or term has been used.

Abbreviations, acronyms, and medical terminology are used for many conditions, and for instructions on medication prescribed by your doctor. This is a short list of common abbreviations you may have seen on a doctor's notepad; a prescription drug package or bottle; lab or other test results; or in your doctor's notes.

• ALL: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
• AMI: Acute myocardial infarction (heart attack)
• B-ALL: B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
• FSH: Follicle stimulating hormone. A blood test for follicle stimulating hormone which is used to evaluate fertility in women.
• HAPE: High altitude pulmonary edema
• HPS: Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. A type of contagious, infectious disease transmitted by rats infected with the virus.
• IBS: Irritable bowel syndrome (A medical disease that involves the gastrointestinal tract.)
• IDDM: Insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Type 1 diabetes.
• MDS: Myelo dysplastic syndrome
• NBCCS: Nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome
• PE: Pulmonary embolism. A type of blood clot in the lungs.
• SIDS: Sudden infant death syndrome
• TSH: Thyroid stimulating hormone. A blood test for TSH is used to diagnose thyroid disease.

Use this list as a resource for common abbreviations and acronyms used in the health care community, to quickly search and answer your questions about those letters and numbers of a drug your doctor has prescribed to you, or other notes from your doctor or other medical professionals.

• a.c.: Before meals. As in taking a medicine before meals.
• a/g ratio: Albumin to globulin ratio.
• ACL: Anterior cruciate ligament. ACL injuries are one of the most common ligament injuries to the knee. The ACL can be sprained or completely torn from trauma and/or degeneration.
• Ad lib: At liberty. For example, a patient may be permitted to move out of bed freely and orders would, therefore, be for activities to be ad lib.
• AFR: Acute renal failure
• ADHD: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
• ADR: Adverse drug reaction. If a patient is taking a prescription drug to treat high blood pressure disease
• AIDS: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
• AKA: Above the knee amputation.
• Anuric: Not producing urine. A person who is anuric is often critical and may require dialysis.
• ANED: Alive no evidence of disease. The patient arrived in the ER alive with no evidence of disease.
• ADH: Antidiuretic hormone
• ARDS: Acute respiratory distress syndrome.
• ARF: Acute renal (kidney) failure
• ASCVD: Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. A form of heart disease.

• b.i.d.: Twice daily. As in taking a medicine twice daily.
• bld: Blood. Blood was visible on the patient’s scalp.
• Bandemia: Slang for elevated level of band forms of white blood cells.
• Bibasilar: At the bases of both lungs. For example, someone with a pneumonia in both lungs might have abnormal bibasilar breath sounds.
• BKA: Below the knee amputation.
• BMP: Basic metabolic panel. Electrolytes (potassium, sodium, carbon dioxide, and chloride) and creatinine and glucose.
• BP: Blood pressure. Blood pressure is recorded as part of the physical examination. It is one of the "vital signs."
• BPD: Borderline personality disorder. A personality disorder.
• BSO: Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy. A BSO is the removal of both of the ovaries and adjacent Fallopian tubes and often is performed as part of a total abdominal hysterectomy.