MC Medical terms asked in PG

entrance examinations!
Alphabetical compilation, taken from
different medical text books/guide
books/self-help books/notes made by
author during his studies.

A useful list of terms for last minute revision before exam..

LAST MINUTE REVISION NOTES

Disease /Terms

Definition/Features/Seen in

Actinic keratosis

Seen in SCC

Albright's syndrome

Characterized by Polycystic fibrous dysplasia, precocious

puberty, caf-au-lait spots, short stature, seen in young girls

Albumino-cytologic
dissociation

Seen in Guillain-Barre ( increased protein in CSF with only

modest increase in cell count).

Alport's syndrome

Characterized by Hereditary nephritis with nerve deafness

ABM-antibodies

+nt in Goodpasture's syndrome

Anti-centromere Ab

+nt in Scleroderma (CREST)

Anti-ds DNA
Ab (ANA antibodies)

+nt in SLE (type III hypersensitivity)

Anti-epithelial cells Ab

+nt in Pemphigus vulgaris

Anti-gliadin Ab

+nt in Celiac disease

Anti-IgG Ab

+nt in Rheumatoid arthritis

Anti-mitochondrial Ab

+nt in primary biliary cirrhosis

Anti-neutrophil Ab

+nt in Vasculitis

Anti-platelet Ab

+nt in Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura

Disease/Term

Definition/Features/Seen in

Arachnodactyly

Seen in Marfan's syndrome

Argyll Robertson pupil

Seen in Neurosyphilis; Accommodation Reflex Present,

pupilary reflex absent

Arnold-Chiari malformation

Seen in Cerebellar tonsillar herniation

Aschoff bodies

Seen in Rheumatic fever

Atrophy of the mammillary

bodies

Seen in Wernicke's encephalopathy

Auer rods

Seen in AML (specially the promyelocytic M3 type)

Auto-splenectomy

Seen in Sickle cell anemia

Babinski's sign

+nt in UMN lesion

Baker's cyst in popliteal fossa

Seen in Rheumatoid arthritis

"Bamboo spine" on x-ray

Seen in Ankylosing spondylitis

Barret's esophagus

leads to adenocarcinoma esophagus

Bartter's syndrome

Characterized by Hyperreninemia

Disease /Terms

Definition/Features/Seen in

Basophilic stippling of RBCs

Seen in Lead poisoning

Becker's muscular dystrophy

Due to Defective dystrophin; less severe than DMD

Bell's palsy

Idiopathic LMN CN VII palsy

Bence-Jones Proteins

Seen in Multiple myeloma (kappa or lambda ig light chains in

urine), Waldenstrom's-macroglobulinemia-(IgM)

Berger's disease

IgA nephropathy

Bernard-Soulier disease

Characterized by Defect in platelet adhesion

Bilateral hilar adenopathy,

uveitis

Seen in Sarcoidosis

Birbeck granules on EM

Feature of Histiocytosis X (Eosinophilic granuloma)

Bloody tap on L.P.

Seen in SAH

Blount's disease

Tibia vara

"Blue bloater"

Feature of Chronic bronchitis

Boot-shaped heart on x-ray

Seen in Tetralogy of Fallot; RVH

Bouchard's nodes

Seen in Osteoarthritis (PIP swelling secondary to osteophytes)

Boutonniere deformity

Seen in Weil Marchesani syndrome

Branching rods in oral

Is Actinomyces israelii

Disease/Term

Definition/Feature/Seen in

"Brown tumor" of bone

Osteolytic cysts appearing brown due to hemorrhage,

seen in Hyperparathyroidism, Osteitis fibrosa cystica (von
Recklinghausen's disease)

Bruton's disease

Seen in X-Linked agammaglobulinemia

Budd-Chiari syndrome

Characterized by Post hepatic venous thrombosis

Buerger's disease

Seen in Small/medium artery vasculitis

Burkitt's lymphoma

T(8:14); associated with EBV; "starry sky- appearance on

histology

Burton's lines

Seen in Lead poisoning

c-ANCA, p-ANCA

Seen in Wegener's granulomatosis, microscopic

polyangitis

Cafe-au-lait spots on skin

Feature of Neurofibromatosis

Caisson disease

Caused due to Gas emboli

Calf pseudo-hypertrophy

Seen in DMD

Call-Exner bodies

Seen in Granulose-theca cell tumor of ovary

Cardiomegaly with apical atrophy

Chagas's disease

Cerebri-form nuclei

Mycosis fungoides (cutaneous T-celI lymphoma)

Chagas's disease

Caused by Trypanosome infection

Disease/Term

Definition/Feature/Seen in

Chancre

Seen in primary syphilis (painless)

Chancroid

Seen in Hemophilus ducreii (painful)

C'harcot's triad

1.)Multiple sclerosis(nystagmus, intention tremor, scanning

speech),
2.)cholangitis(jaundice, RUQ pain, fever)

Charcot-Leyden crystals

Feature of Bronchial asthma (eosinophiIic membranes)

Chediak-Hegashi disease

Due to Phagocyte deficiency

Cherry-red spot on macula

Seen in Tay-Sachs, Nicmann-Pick dis, CRAO

Cheyne-Strokes respirations

Due to Central apnea in CHF and elevated intracranial pressure

Chocolate atrophic gastritis

leads to gastric carcinoma

Chvostek's sign

Seen in Hypocalcemia (facial muscle spasm upon tapping)

Clear cell adenocarcinoma of

the
Vagina

Due to DES exposure in utero

Clue cells

Pathognomonic of Gardnerella vaginitis (MC Q asked )

Codman's triangle on x-ray

Seen in Osteosarcoma

Cold agglutinins

Mycoplasma pneumoniae, infectious mononucleosis

Cold intolerance

Seen in Hypothyroidism

Disease/Term

Definition/Feature/Seen in

Condyloma auminata

Is Anal warts

Cotton-wool spots

MC ocular manifestations of AIDS, Chronic hypertension

Cough, conjunctivitis, coryza +

Fever

Is Measles

Councilman bodies

Seen in Herpes virus

Crescents in Bowman's capsule

Seen in Rapidly progressive crescentic glomerulonephritis

Crigler-Najjar syndrome

Is Congenital unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia

Curling's ulcer

Is Acute gastric ulcer associated with severe burns

Currant-jelly sputum

Seen in Klebsiella infection

Curshmann's spirals

Seen in Bronchial asthma (whorled mucous plugs)

Cushing's ulcer

Seen in Acute gastric ulcer associated with CNS injury

D-dimers

Seen in DIC

Depigmentation of neurons in
substantia nigra

Feature of Parkinson's disease (basal ganglia disorder. Rigidity,

resting tremor & bradykinesia)

Dermatitis, dementia, diarrhea

3D, seen in Pellagra (niacin i.e. vitamin B3 deficiency)

Diabetes insipidus +
exophlhalmos + lesions of skull

Characteristic of Hand-Schuller-Christian disease

Disease/Term

Definition/Feature/Seen in

Dog or cat bite

Causes Pasteurella multocida infection

Donovan bodies

Seen in Granuloma inguinale infection

Dressler's syndrome

Is Post-MI fibrinous pericarditis

Dubin-Johnson syndrome Is Congenital conjugated hyperbilirubinemia (black liver)

Duchenne's muscular
dystrophy

Due to Deleted dystrophin gene (X-linked recessive)

Eburnation

Is Osteoarthritis (polished, ivory-like appearance of bone)

Edward's syndrome

Due to Trisomy 18 (Eighteen) associated with rocker-bottom feet, low-set ears & heart disease

Eisenmenger's complex

Is Late cyanosis shunt (uncorrected L to R shunt becomes R to L shunt

Elastic skin

Seen in Ehlers-Danlos syndrome

Erb-Duchenne palsy

Involves Superior trunk (C5-C6) brachilal plexus injury ("waiter's tip)"

Erythema chronicum
migrans

Seen in Lyme disease

Erythema multi-forme

Characterized by Target lesions on skin

Erythema marginatum

Seen in Rheumatic fever

Fanconi's syndrome

Is Proximal tubular reabsorption defect

"Fat, female, forty, and

fertile"

Feature of Acute cholecystitis

Fatty liver

Seen in alcoholism

Disease/Term

Definition/Feature/Seen in

Ferruginous bodies

asbestosis

Gardner's syndrome

Colon polyps with osteomas and soft tissue tumors

Gaucher's disease

Glucocerebrosidase deficiency

Ghon focus

1 TB

Gilbert's syndrome

Benign congenital unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia

Glanzmann's thrombasthenia

Defect in platelet aggregation

"Hair-on-end- (crew-cut)
appearance on x-ray

Autoantibodies against alveolar and elomerular basement

membrane proteins
Duchenne's (use of patient's arms to help legs pick self off the
floor)
fl-thalassemia, sickle cell anemia (extramedullary
hematopoiesis)

Hand-Schuller-Christian disease

Chronic progressive histiocytosis

HbF

Thalassemia major

HbS

Sickle cell anemia

Choriocarcinoma. hydatidiform mole (occurs with and without
embryo)
Osteoarthritis (DIP swelling 2 to osteophytes)

Goodpasture's syndrome

Gower's maneuver

hCG elevated
Heberden's nodes

Disease/Term

Definition/Feature/Seen in

Seen in Wet beriberi (due to thiamine i.e. vitamin B, deficiency)

High-output cardiac
failure,dilated-cardiomyopathy
HLA-B27

+nt in Reiter's syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis

HLA-DR3 or DR4

+nt in DM type I (caused by autoimmune destruction of -cells

Homer Wright rosettes

+nt in Neuroblastoma

Honeycomb lung on x-ray

Due to Interstitial fibrosis

Homer's syndrome

Characterized by Ptosis, miosis, enophthalmos & anhydrosis

Howell-Jolly bodies

Seen after Splenectomy (or nonfunctional spleen)

Huntington's disease

Due to Caudate degeneration (autosomal dominant)

Hyperphagia + hypersexuality + Feature of Kluver-Bucy syndrome (amygdale)

hyperorality + hyperdocility
Hyperpigmentation of skin

Primary adrenal insufficiency (Addison's disease)

Hypersegmented neutophils

Seen in Macrocytic anemia

Hypertension + hypokaleinia

Feature of Conn's syndrome

Hypochromic microcytosis

Seen in Iron deficiency anemia, lead poisoning

Increased -fetoprotein in
amniotic fluid/maternal serum

Feature of Anencephaly, spina bifida (neural tube defects)

Disease/Term

Definition/Feature/Seen in

Jane-way lesions

Seen in Infective endocarditis

Jarisch-Herxheirner reaction

Seen in Syphilis due to overaggressive treatment of an asymptomatic patient that causes

symptoms due to rapid lysis

Job's syndrome

Due to Neutrophil chemotaxis abnormality

Kaposi's sarcoma

Seen in AIDS pt ( in homosexuals )

Kartagener's syndrome

Due to Dynein defect

Kayser-Flescher rings

Seen in Wilson's disease

Keratin pearls

Seen in Squamous cell carcinoma

Kimrnelstiel-Wilson nodules

Seen in Diabetic nephropathy

Kluver-Bucy syndrome

Due to Bilateral amygdala lesions

Koilocytes

Seen in HPV infection

Koplik spots

Seen in Measles

Kussmaul hyperpnea

Seen in DKA

Lens dislocation + aortic

dissection + joint hyperflexibility

Seen in Marfan's syndrome (fibrillin deficit), AD

Lesch-Nyhan syndrome

HGPRT deficiency, gout. mental retardation, self mutilation

Li Fraurneni syndrome

Due to Mutation of p53 tumor suppressor gene

Lewy bodies

Parkinson's disease

Disease/Term

Definition/Feature/Seen in

Mallory bodies

Seen in Alcoholic liver disease

Mallory-Weiss syndrome

Is Esophagogastric lacerations

McArdle's disease

Due to Muscle phosphorylase deficiency

McBurney's sign

Pathognomonic of Appendicitis

MLF syndrome (INO)

Is Multiple sclerosis

Monoclonal antibody spike

1.Multiple myeloma (called the M protein; usually IgG or

IgA),2.MGUS (monoclonal
. gammopathy of undetermined significance),3.Waldenstrom's
Macroglobulinemia

Myxedema

Seen in hypothyroidism

Neerotizing vasculitis (lungs) and

necrotizing glomerulonephritis
Needle-shaped, negatively
birefringment crystals
Negri bodies

Feature of Wegener's or Goodpasture's (hemoptysis and

glomerular disease)
Pathognomonic of gout

Nephritis + cataracts + hearing

loss

Seen in Alport's syndrome (Anterior Lenticonus)

Neurofibrillary tangles

Seen in Alzheimer's disease

Seen in Rabies

Disease/Term

Definition/Feature/Seen in

Occupational exposure of
asbestos

Leads to Malignant mesothelioma

"Orphan Annie" nuclei

Seen in Papillary carcinoma of the thyroid

Osler's nodes

Seen in Endocarditis

Owl's eye

Seen in CMV infection

Painless jaundice

Is feature of Pancreatic cancer (head)

Palpable purpura on legs and

buttocks
Pancoast's tumor

Seen in Henoch-Schonlein purpura (HSP)

Parkinson's disease

Due to Nigrostriatal dopamine depletion

Periosteal elevation on x-ray

Seen in Pyogenic osteromyelitis

Peatz-Jeghers syndrome

Is Benign polyposis

Peyronie's disease

Leads to Penile fibrosis

Philadelphia chromosome

Seen in CML (may sometimes be associated with AML)

Pick bodies

Seen in Pick's disease

Pick's disease

Is Progressive dementia, similar to Alzheimer's

"Pink puffer"

Is Emphysema (centroacinar [smoking], panacinar, (-1-AT def.)

Is Bronchogenic apical tumor associated with Horner's syndrome

Disease/Term

Definition/Feature/Seen in

Podocyte fusion

Seen in Minimal change disease on EM

Polyneuropathy, cardiac
pathology, and edema
Polyneuropathy preceded by
GI or
respiratory infection

Seen in Dry beriberi (due to thiaminei.e. vitamin B1 deficiency)

.
Is Guillian-Barre syndrome

Pompe's disease

Due to Lysosomal glucosidase deficiency associated with

cardiomegaly

Port-wine stain

Seen in Hemangioma

Positive anterior "drawer sign" Due to Anterior cniciate ligament injury

Pott's disease
PSaMMoma bodies

Pseudorosettes tumor cell

arrangement

Seen in Vertebral tuberculosis

Seen in Papillary adenocarcinoma of the thyroid, Serous papillary
cystadenocarcinoma of the ovary,
Meningioma, Mesothelioma
Seen in Glioblastoma multiforme

Pseudorosettes

Seen in Ewing's sarcoma

Ptosis, miosis, anhydrosis

Feature of Horner's syndrome (Pancoast's tumor)

Disease/Term

Definition/Feature/Seen in

Rotor's syndrome

Is Congenital conjugated hyperbilirubinernia

Rouleaux formation (RBCs)

Seen in Multiple myeloma

S3 heart sound

+nt in L to R shunt (VSD, PDA, ASD), MR, LVF (CHF)

S4 heart sound

+nt in AS, hypertensive subaortic stenosis

Schiller-Duval bodies

+nt in Yolk sac tumor

Senile plaques

+nt in Alzheimer's disease

Sezary syndrome

Is Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma

Sheehan's syndrome

Due to Postpartum pituitary necrosis

Shwartzman reaction

+nt in Neisseria meningitidis

Signet ring cells

+nt in Gastric carcinoma

Simian crease

+nt in Down syndrome

Sipple's syndrome

Is MEN type ha

Sjogren's syndrome

Characterized by Dry eyes, dry mouth, arthritis

Skip lesions

+nt in Crohn's disease

Slapped cheeks

+nt in Erythema infectiosum ( fifth disease)

Smith antigen

+nt in SLE

"Smudge cell"

+nt in CLL

Disease/Term

Definition/Feature/Seen in

T(8;14)

+nt in Burkitt's lymphoma (c-myc activation)

t(9;22)

+nnt in Philadelphia chromosome, CML (bcr-abl hybrid)

t(14;18)

+nt in Follicular lymphomas (bcl-2 activation)

Tabes dorsalis

Seen in tertiary syphilis

Tendon xanthomas
(classically +nt in
Achilles tendon)
Thumb sign on lateral xray

Seen in Familial hypercholesterolemia

Seen in Epiglottitis (H. intluenzae infn.)

Thyroidization of kidney Seen in Chronic bacterial pyelonephritis

"Tram-track" appearance on
Seen in Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis
LM
Trousseau's sign
+nt in Visceral cancer, pancreatic adenocarcinoma (migratory
thrombophlebitis), hypo-calcemia
(carpal spasm)
Is Left supraclavicular node enlargement due to metastatic
Virchow's node
carcinoma of the stomach
Seen in Pulmonary embolism (triad of blood stasis, endothelial
Virchow's triad
damage, hyper-coagulation)

Disclaimer:This PPP was made in large interest of Doctors preparing for PG entrance
examination, also useful for practicing Doctors for quick brush up.
Non-medicos are not supposed to use this info for self treatment.
REFERENCE:- various medical text books/guide books/self-help
books/class notes.
This list is bound to grow in future.
All comments & suggestions are welcome.
I have taken maximum care of accuracy and tried to be precise in my best
of knowledge & kept it to the point, as I was inspired by books I read.
Send your comments at vivek@drjha.in
Visit www.drjha.in for regular updates.