dia-
Prefix Medical Terminology
Through, across, or apart.
Example: dialysis (filtering wastes out of the blood)
Terms built with dia-
- diabetes mellitusA chronic disease of high blood glucose caused by too little insulin, resistance to insulin, or both.
- diaphoresisHeavy sweating.
- diaphragmThe dome-shaped muscle separating the chest and abdominal cavities; the main muscle of breathing.
- diastoleThe phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle relaxes and the chambers fill.
- diastolic pressureThe bottom blood pressure number: the pressure remaining while the ventricles relax.
Related terms
- con-With or together.
- contra-Against or opposite.
- de-Away from, removal, or loss of.
- dextro-Right or right side.
- diplo-Double or twofold.
- dis-Apart, separation, or reversal.
- dys-Difficult, painful, or abnormal.
- ecto-, exo-Outside or outer.
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