Have you imagined the following scenario? You’re in an English-speaking country and everything is going very well, until…you start to feel ill. Your stomach hurts, you start to feel like you have a fever and you wonder what to do. You’ll definitely want to seek medical advice.
Certainly, the following question will pop into your head: How can I explain to the healthcare workers what I’m feeling? And what if I can’t understand what they’re asking me or telling me to do? Don’t worry! In this article, we’re going to cover vocabulary about symptoms and diseases.
Symptoms and diseases
It’s important to remember that, when visiting a healthcare service, you should stay calm; this will facilitate the processes, as well as helping you communicate better and understand the instructions you receive. We’ll start by going over some general vocabulary about symptoms and illnesses:
Allergy
Depression
Diarrhea
Ache
Pain
Headache
Stomachache
Sore throat
Earache
Sneeze
Constipation
Fever
Broken bone
Inflammation
High blood pressure
Low blood pressure
Runny nose
Feeling weak
Cough
Serious Diseases
In the previous list, we covered vocabulary related to general illnesses and symptoms that are usually not very serious. However, some cases could require urgent attention or hospitalisation.
Next, we’ll see vocabulary related to some serious diseases:
Appendicitis
Seizure
Stroke
Dehydration
Haemorrhage
Renal insufficiency
Paralysis
Thrombosis (blood clots)
Heart Diseases
Besides the above vocabulary, it will also be useful for you to learn a little about heart diseases. Usually, healthcare professionals need information that’s as specific as possible in this regard.
Arrhythmia
Coronary artery disease
Arterioesclerosis
Heart attack
Congenital heart disease
Cardiac arrest
Words Related to Health
Now that you’ve learnt the most important vocabulary related to symptoms and illnesses, we’re going to cover more general vocabulary about health and some phrases that will no doubt be very useful for you when visiting the doctor.
Needle
Cotton ball
Pain killer
Plaster (UK) / Band-aid (US)
Clinic
Heal
Diagnosis
Wound
Hospital
Injection / Jab (UK)
Syrup
Syringe
Medicine
Pills
Prescription
Treatment
Bandage
Cast
Examples of phrases you’ll hear from medical personnel:
How do you feel?
What are your symptoms?
When did you start feeling like this?
We need some X-rays.
Take this medicine/syrup every 6 hours.
This is your prescription.
Phrases that will help you express what you feel
I don’t feel well. I have a headache.
I broke my leg while playing football.
I’m allergic to penicillin.
I’ve been feeling dizzy since last night.
I have an earache.
My skin is dry and itchy.
We hope this article is interesting and useful for you, and that it will help you communicate your symptoms in a medical emergency. Remember that you can never be too prepared for any situation in a country that speaks another language.
Do you want to improve your mastery of English? Then why not try ABA English? Count on a platform that allows you to improve your English anywhere, from any device, in an enjoyable, practical and interesting way. You can also enjoy live classes, and you’ll have a professor who’s always available to help you from Day One. What are you waiting for? Try it for free!
REGISTER FOR FREE
REGISTER FOR FREE
Recent comments