Clinical Diagnosis · Cardiovascular System · Medium
Orthopnoea
Meaning: Breathlessness when lying flat that is relieved by sitting upright.
In practice: A feature of left heart failure and mitral valve disease; ask how many pillows the patient sleeps on.
Word parts
- -pnoea means breathing
Many medical words are built from Greek and Latin parts like these, so learning a few helps you work out new terms.
Quick check
Two questions on related clinical diagnosis words.
Which word means: Swollen, dilated vascular cushions of the anal canal; piles.
Answer: Haemorrhoids
Which word means: Unequal pupil sizes between the two eyes.
Answer: Anisocoria
Words like orthopnoea come up in the daily game
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