Medical Terminology: Abbreviations 0-A

Medical abbreviations that begin with 0-A are listed here. Remember that capitalization and punctuation can alter meaning with these abbreviations - ab may not necessarily be synonomous to Ab or AB for that matter.

Medical Abbreviations
0-9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

• Abbreviation: Δ
  Meaning: diagnosis; change
• Abbreviation: ΔΔ
  Meaning: differential diagnosis (the list of possible diagnoses, and the effort to narrow that list)
• Abbreviation: #
  Meaning: fracture
• Abbreviation: #NOF
  Meaning: fracture to the neck of the femur
• Abbreviation: ℞
  Meaning: (R with crossed tail) prescription
• Abbreviation: Ψ
  Meaning: psychiatry
• Abbreviation: Σ
  Meaning: sigmoidoscopy

• Abbreviation: x/12
  Meaning: x number of months
• Abbreviation: x/40
  Meaning: x number of weeks of pregnancy
• Abbreviation: x/52
  Meaning: x number of weeks
• Abbreviation: x/7
  Meaning: x number of days
• Abbreviation: 3TC
  Meaning: lamivudine
• Abbreviation: 5-FU
  Meaning: 5-fluorouracil
• Abbreviation: 5-HIAA
  Meaning: 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid
• Abbreviation: 5-HT
  Meaning: 5-hydroxytryptamine, that is, serotonin
• Abbreviation: 6MP
  Meaning: 6-mercaptopurine

• Abbreviation: ā
  Meaning: (a with a bar over it) before (from Latin ante); artery
• Abbreviation: A
  Meaning: adenosine; apical
• Abbreviation: a.a.
  Meaning: of each (from Latin ana ana); amino acids:
  
  • A or Ala -- alanine
  • C or Cys -- cysteine
  • D or Asp -- aspartic acid
  • E or Glu -- glutamic acid
  • F or Phe -- phenylalanine
  • H or His -- histidine
  • I or Ile -- isoleucine
  • K or Lys -- lysine
  • L or Leu -- leucine
  • M or Met -- methionine
  • N or Asn -- asparagine
  • O or Pyl -- pyrrolysine
  • P or Pro -- proline
  • Q or Gln -- glutamine
  • R or Arg -- arginine
  • S or Ser -- serine
  • T or Thr -- threonine
  • U or Sec -- selenocysteine
  • V or Val -- valine
  • W or Trp -- tryptophan
  • Y or Tyr -- tyrosine

• Abbreviation: A1C
  Meaning: glycosylated hemoglobin (hemoglobin A1c)
• Abbreviation: Aa.
  Meaning: arteria, see Artery
• Abbreviation: AAA
  Meaning: abdominal aortic aneurysm (pronounced "triple-A")
• Abbreviation: AAD
  Meaning: antibiotic-associated diarrhea
• Abbreviation: AAPMC
  Meaning: antibiotic-associated pseudomembranous colitis
• Abbreviation: AAT
  Meaning: activity as tolerated; atypical antibody test
• Abbreviation: AAL
  Meaning: anterior axillary line
• Abbreviation: AAOx3
  Meaning: awake, alert, and oriented, times 3 (i.e., to person, place, and time)
• Abbreviation: A/B
  Meaning: acid-base ratio
• Abbreviation: ab
  Meaning: abdomen, abdominal; abortion
• Abbreviation: Ab
  Meaning: antibody
• Abbreviation: AB
  Meaning: abortion
• Abbreviation: ABC
  Meaning: airway, breathing, circulation; aspiration biopsy cytology
• Abbreviation: ABCD
  Meaning: airway, breathing, circulation, disability; asymmetry, borders, color, diameter (features on considering "Is it a malignant melanoma?"); ABCD rating (a staging system for prostate cancer)
• Abbreviation: ABCs; ABCDs;ABCDEs
  Meaning: airway, breathing, circulation, etc. Refers to priority of needs in emergency situations. Exact spell-out and details after "C" vary by institution, but the "ABCs" theme is recurrent.
• Abbreviation: Abd
  Meaning: abdomen; abdominal
• Abbreviation: ABD
  Meaning: army battle dressing
• Abbreviation: ABE
  Meaning: acute bacterial endocarditis
• Abbreviation: ABG
  Meaning: arterial blood gas
• Abbreviation: ABI
  Meaning: acquired brain injury; ankle brachial pressure index
• Abbreviation: ABMT
  Meaning: autologous bone marrow transplantation
• Abbreviation: Abn
  Meaning: abnormal
• Abbreviation: ABO
  Meaning: Landsteiner's blood grouping system
• Abbreviation: ABPA
  Meaning: allergic broncho-pulmonary aspergillosis
• Abbreviation: ABPI
  Meaning: ankle brachial pressure index
• Abbreviation: ABVD
  Meaning: Doxorubicin (adriamycin), bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine (first-line treatment for Hodgkin's lymphoma)
• Abbreviation: ABX
  Meaning: antibiotics
• Abbreviation: a.c.; AC
  Meaning: before a meal (from Latin ante cibum)
• Abbreviation: AC
  Meaning: abdominal circumference; assisted controlled ventilation
• Abbreviation: ACB
  Meaning: aortocoronary bypass
• Abbreviation: AC&BC
  Meaning: air conduction and bone conduction, as in Weber test
• Abbreviation: Acc
  Meaning: accommodation (eye)
• Abbreviation: ACCU
  Meaning: acute coronary care unit
• Abbreviation: ACD
  Meaning: anemia of chronic disease
• Abbreviation: ACDF
  Meaning: anterior cervical discectomy and fusion
• Abbreviation: Ace
  Meaning: acetone
• Abbreviation: ACE
  Meaning: angiotensin-converting enzyme
• Abbreviation: ACEI
  Meaning: angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor(s)
• Abbreviation: ACh
  Meaning: acetylcholine
• Abbreviation: AChE
  Meaning: acetylcholine esterase
• Abbreviation: ACL
  Meaning: anterior cruciate ligament
• Abbreviation: ACLS
  Meaning: advanced cardiac life support
• Abbreviation: ACS
  Meaning: altered conscious state; acute coronary syndrome
• Abbreviation: ACTH
  Meaning: adrenocorticotropic hormone
• Abbreviation: ACPO
  Meaning: acute colonic pseudo-obstruction
• Abbreviation: ACU
  Meaning: ambulatory care unit
• Abbreviation: ad.
  Meaning: right ear (from Latin auris dexter)
• Abbreviation: AD
  Meaning: Alzheimer's disease; acute distress; right ear (from Latin auris dexter)
• Abbreviation: ADA
  Meaning: adenosine deaminase
• Abbreviation: ADC
  Meaning: AIDS dementia complex
• Abbreviation: ADCC
  Meaning: antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity
• Abbreviation: ADD
  Meaning: attention deficit disorder
• Abbreviation: ADH
  Meaning: antidiuretic hormone
• Abbreviation: ADHD
  Meaning: attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
• Abbreviation: ADHR
  Meaning: autosomal-dominant hypophosphatemic rickets
• Abbreviation: ADLs
  Meaning: activities of daily living
• Abbreviation: ad lib
  Meaning: as desired (from Latin ad libitum)
• Abbreviation: adm
  Meaning: admission
• Abbreviation: Adn
  Meaning: adnexae (for example, adnexae of the uterus)
• Abbreviation: ADP
  Meaning: adenosine diphosphate
• Abbreviation: ad part. dolent
  Meaning: to the painful parts (from Latin ad partes dolentes)
• Abbreviation: ADR
  Meaning: adverse drug reaction
• Abbreviation: AED
  Meaning: automated external defibrillator; antiepileptic drug(s)
• Abbreviation: AEM
  Meaning: ambulatory electrocardiogram monitoring
• Abbreviation: AF
  Meaning: atrial fibrillation; atrial flutter; amniotic fluid
• Abbreviation: AF-AFP
  Meaning: amniotic fluid alpha fetoprotein
• Abbreviation: AFB
  Meaning: acid-fast bacilli
• Abbreviation: AFI
  Meaning: amniotic fluid index

• Abbreviation: AFib
  Meaning: atrial fibrillation
• Abbreviation: AFL
  Meaning: atrial flutter
• Abbreviation: AFNTR
  Meaning: acute febrile nonhemolytic transfusion reaction
• Abbreviation: AFO
  Meaning: ankle-foot orthosis
• Abbreviation: AFP
  Meaning: alpha-fetoprotein
• Abbreviation: Ag
  Meaning: antigen
• Abbreviation: AGA
  Meaning: anti-gliadin antibodies; appropriate gestational age (see birth weight)
• Abbreviation: AGC
  Meaning: atypical glandular cells
• Abbreviation: AGES criteria
  Meaning: age, grade, extent, size (for tumors)
• Abbreviation: AGN
  Meaning: acute glomerulonephritis
• Abbreviation: a.h.
  Meaning: every other hour (from Latin alternis horis)
• Abbreviation: AHD
  Meaning: arteriosclerotic heart disease
• Abbreviation: AHF
  Meaning: antihemophilic factor
• Abbreviation: AHG
  Meaning: antihemophilic globulin
• Abbreviation: AHH
  Meaning: aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase
• Abbreviation: AHR
  Meaning: airway hyper-reactivity
• Abbreviation: AHT
  Meaning: antihyaluronic acid test
• Abbreviation: AI
  Meaning: artificial insemination; aortic insufficiency
• Abbreviation: AICD
  Meaning: automated implantable cardioverter-defibrillator
• Abbreviation: AID
  Meaning: artificial insemination by donor
• Abbreviation: AIDS
  Meaning: acquired immune deficiency syndrome
• Abbreviation: AIH
  Meaning: artificial insemination by husband
• Abbreviation: AIHD
  Meaning: artificial insemination by pooled husband and donor semen
• Abbreviation: AIPD
  Meaning: acute infectious and parasitical diseases; autoimmune progesterone dermatitis; acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
• Abbreviation: AIIRB
  Meaning: angiotensin II receptor antagonist
• Abbreviation: AIN
  Meaning: allergic interstitial nephritis
• Abbreviation: AIR
  Meaning: Anterior interval release
• Abbreviation: AIS
  Meaning: adenocarcinoma in situ
• Abbreviation: AK
  Meaning: acanthamoeba keratitis
• Abbreviation: aka
  Meaning: also known as
• Abbreviation: AKA
  Meaning: above-knee amputation; also known as
• Abbreviation: ALA
  Meaning: aminolevulinic acid
• Abbreviation: Alc
  Meaning: alcohol
• Abbreviation: ALF
  Meaning: assisted living facility
• Abbreviation: ALG
  Meaning: antilymphocytic globulin
• Abbreviation: ALI
  Meaning: acute lung injury
• Abbreviation: Alk phos
  Meaning: alkaline phosphatase (sometimes abbreviated as ALP)
• Abbreviation: ALL
  Meaning: acute lymphoblastic leukemia; allergies
• Abbreviation: ALP
  Meaning: alkaline phosphatase (sometimes abbreviated as Alk phos)
• Abbreviation: ALPS
  Meaning: autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome
• Abbreviation: ALS
  Meaning: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; advanced life support
• Abbreviation: ALT
  Meaning: alanine transaminase
• Abbreviation: altern. d.
  Meaning: every other day (from Latin alterno die)
• Abbreviation: AMA
  Meaning: advanced maternal age (35 years or greater); against medical advice; antimitochondrial antibody; American Medical Association
• Abbreviation: Amb
  Meaning: ambulate
• Abbreviation: AMC
  Meaning: arthrogryposis multiplex congenita
• Abbreviation: AMI
  Meaning: acute mesenteric ischemia; acute myocardial infarction
• Abbreviation: AML
  Meaning: acute myeloid leukemia
• Abbreviation: AMO
  Meaning: advanced medical optics
• Abbreviation: AMP
  Meaning: adenosine monophosphate
• Abbreviation: Amp
  Meaning: ampule; ampere
• Abbreviation: AMPA receptor
  Meaning: alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor of the brain
• Abbreviation: AMS
  Meaning: acute mountain sickness; atypical measles syndrome; Altered Mental Status
• Abbreviation: Amt
  Meaning: amount
• Abbreviation: ANA
  Meaning: antinuclear antibody
• Abbreviation: ANCA
  Meaning: antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody
• Abbreviation: ANDI
  Meaning: aberrations of normal development and involution (of breast)
• Abbreviation: ANF
  Meaning: atrial natriuretic factor
• Abbreviation: ANP
  Meaning: atrial natriuretic peptide
• Abbreviation: ANS
  Meaning: autonomic nervous system
• Abbreviation: Ant
  Meaning: anterior
• Abbreviation: Anti-
  Meaning: refers to an antibody to the suffixed antigen
• Abbreviation: ANTR
  Meaning: asymmetrical tonic neck reflex
• Abbreviation: ANUG
  Meaning: acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis
• Abbreviation: A&O
  Meaning: aware and oriented
• Abbreviation: A&Ox3
  Meaning: alert and oriented, times 3 (to person, place, and time)
• Abbreviation: A&Ox4
  Meaning: alert and oriented, times 4 (to person, place, time, and circumstances) (often used interchangeably with A&Ox3)
• Abbreviation: AODM
  Meaning: adult-onset diabetes mellitus (now called diabetes mellitus type 2)
• Abbreviation: AOM
  Meaning: acute otitis media
• Abbreviation: a.p.
  Meaning: before a meal (from Latin ante prandium)
• Abbreviation: AP
  Meaning: alkaline phosphatase; anteroposterior; angina pectoris
• Abbreviation: A&P
  Meaning: auscultation and percussion
• Abbreviation: APACHE II
  Meaning: Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II
• Abbreviation: APAP
  Meaning: paracetamol (aka acetaminophen) (from its chemical name, N-acetyl-para-aminophenol); automatic positive airway pressure
• Abbreviation: APC
  Meaning: atrial premature contraction; antigen-presenting cell; activated protein C
• Abbreviation: APD
  Meaning: adult polycystic disease; automated peritoneal dialysis
• Abbreviation: APKD
  Meaning: adult polycystic kidney disease
• Abbreviation: APECED
  Meaning: autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy
• Abbreviation: APGAR
  Meaning: appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, respiration - used to assess newborns
• Abbreviation: APH
  Meaning: antepartum haemorrhage
• Abbreviation: APLS
  Meaning: antiphospholipid syndrome
• Abbreviation: APMPPE
  Meaning: acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy
• Abbreviation: applic.
  Meaning: applicandus (Latin meaning "to be applied")
• Abbreviation: appy
  Meaning: appendectomy
• Abbreviation: APR
  Meaning: abdominoperineal resection
• Abbreviation: APS
  Meaning: autoimmune polyendocrine/polyglandular syndrome; antiphospholipid syndrome
• Abbreviation: APSAC
  Meaning: anisoylated plasminogen streptokinase activator complex
• Abbreviation: aPTT
  Meaning: activated partial thromboplastin time
• Abbreviation: aq.
  Meaning: water (from Latin aqua)
• Abbreviation: aq. bull.
  Meaning: boiling water (from Latin aqua bulliens)
• Abbreviation: aq. calid.
  Meaning: warm or hot water (from Latin aqua calida)
• Abbreviation: aq. dist.
  Meaning: distilled water (from Latin aqua distillata)
• Abbreviation: aq. gel.
  Meaning: cold water (from Latin aqua gelida)
• Abbreviation: AR
  Meaning: aortic regurgitation; attributable risk
• Abbreviation: ARB
  Meaning: angiotensin II receptor antagonist
• Abbreviation: ARC
  Meaning: AIDS-related complex
• Abbreviation: ARDS
  Meaning: acute (or adult) respiratory distress syndrome
• Abbreviation: ARF
  Meaning: acute renal failure
• Abbreviation: Arg
  Meaning: arginine
• Abbreviation: ARM
  Meaning: artificial rupture of membranes (also abbreviated as AROM)
• Abbreviation: ARMD
  Meaning: age-related macular degeneration
• Abbreviation: AROM
  Meaning: active range of motion; artificial rupture of membranes
• Abbreviation: ART
  Meaning: antiretroviral therapy; assuming room temperature (meaning the patient has passed away)
• Abbreviation: ARVC
  Meaning: arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy
• Abbreviation: ARVD
  Meaning: arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia
• Abbreviation: AS
  Meaning: aortic stenosis; atherosclerosis
• Abbreviation: ASA
  Meaning: acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin)
• Abbreviation: ASAP
  Meaning: as soon as possible
• Abbreviation: ASB
  Meaning: asymptomatic bacteriuria
• Abbreviation: ASC
  Meaning: ambulatory surgery center; atypical squamous cells
• Abbreviation: ASCA
  Meaning: anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies
• Abbreviation: ASC-H
  Meaning: atypical squamous cells - cannot exclude HSIL
• Abbreviation: ASCAD
  Meaning: arteriosclerotic coronary artery disease
• Abbreviation: ASCUS; ASC-US
  Meaning: atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance
• Abbreviation: ASCVD
  Meaning: arteriosclerotic vascular disease (arteriosclerosis)
• Abbreviation: ASD
  Meaning: atrial septal defect
• Abbreviation: ASGUS
  Meaning: atypical squamous glandular cells of undetermined significance
• Abbreviation: ASH; ASHD
  Meaning: arteriosclerotic heart disease (coronary heart disease)
• Abbreviation: ASIS
  Meaning: anterior superior iliac spine
• Abbreviation: ASO
  Meaning: antistreptolysin-O
• Abbreviation: ASOT
  Meaning: antistreptolysin-O titre
• Abbreviation: ASPECTS
  Meaning: Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score
• Abbreviation: Ass
  Meaning: assessment
• Abbreviation: AST
  Meaning: aspartate transaminase
• Abbreviation: ASX
  Meaning: asymptomatic
• Abbreviation: A-T
  Meaning: ataxia-telangiectasia
• Abbreviation: AT
  Meaning: antithrombin; angiotensin
• Abbreviation: ATA
  Meaning: antitransglutaminase antibodies
• Abbreviation: ATB
  Meaning: antibiotic
• Abbreviation: ATCC
  Meaning: American Type Culture Collection
• Abbreviation: ATG
  Meaning: antithymic globulin
• Abbreviation: AT-III
  Meaning: antithrombin III
• Abbreviation: ATN
  Meaning: acute tubular necrosis
• Abbreviation: ATNR
  Meaning: asymmetrical tonic neck reflex
• Abbreviation: ATP
  Meaning: acute thrombocytopenic purpura; adenosine triphosphate; antitachycardia pacing
• Abbreviation: Atp
  Meaning: atapical
• Abbreviation: ATRA
  Meaning: all-trans retinoic acid
• Abbreviation: ATS
  Meaning: antitetanus serum, that is, antitetanus immunoglobulins
• Abbreviation: AUC
  Meaning: area under the curve (pharmacology)
• Abbreviation: aur.
  Meaning: ear (from Latin auris)
• Abbreviation: aur. dextro.
  Meaning: to right ear (from Latin auris dextrae)
• Abbreviation: aur. laev
  Meaning: to left ear (from Latin auris laevae)
• Abbreviation: aurist.
  Meaning: ear drops (from Latin auristillae)
• Abbreviation: AV
  Meaning: arteriovenous; atrioventricular
• Abbreviation: AVM
  Meaning: arteriovenous malformation
• Abbreviation: AVN
  Meaning: avascular necrosis
• Abbreviation: AVR
  Meaning: aortic valve replacement
• Abbreviation: A&W; A/W
  Meaning: alive and well
• Abbreviation: Ax
  Meaning: axillary
• Abbreviation: AXR
  Meaning: abdominal x-ray
• Abbreviation: AZT
  Meaning: azithromycin|azidothymidine

Medical Abbreviations
0-9 | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z