HEALTH

HEALTH & MEDICAL ISSUESILLNESS:(C) A type or period of illness.

Minor, serious illnesses; a long illness

(U) The state of being physically or mentally ill.

DISEASE:(C) An illness affecting humans, animals and plants, often caused by an infection.

Heart/liver/kidney/ infectious/contagious disease

DISEASE OR ILLNESS?

Disease and illness are often used in the same way and are equally common in spoken English. However, disease is used to talk about more severe physical medical problems, especialy those which affect the organs and those that spread from one person to another.

Illness is used to talk about more severe and more minor medical problems, and those that affect mental health.

SICKNESS:(U) Illness, bad health.

Shes been off work because of sickness

(U) The feeling that you are likely to vomit.

I was sick when I saw the crime scene

(U, C) A particular type of sickness.

Travel sickness

SICKNESS OR ILLNESS?

Sickness is used most often in contexts concerning work and insurance: sick pay (pay given to an employee who is away from work because of sickness); sick leave (permission to be away from work because of sickness). Illness has a wider range of uses and is found in more general contexts.

DISORDER: generally not infectious. Disorder occurs most frequently with words relating to mental problems, for example psychiatric, personality, mental and eating. When it is used to talk about physical problems, it most often occurs with blood, bowel and kidney.

INFECTION: an illness that is caused by bacteria or a virus and affects one part of the body.

CONDITION: a medical problem that you have for a long time because it is not possible to cure it.

MALADY (formal): dolenciaAILMENT (rather formal): an illness that is not very serious.ACHES AND PAINS (informal): achaquesache/paingrazescratch

aftercaregynaecologistsmall pox

anaesthetic/epiduralhealth insurancesore throat/tonsilitis

bandageheart attackspecialist

band-aidheart conditionsplint

birth/deliveryhurtsprain

bruiseICUstaple

cancerinfirmarysticking tape

casualtyinjectionstiffness

catchinginjure/injurystitches

check-upin labourstretcher

chicken poxitchstroke

coil/loop/IUDlaxativesurgeon

coldlinimentsurgery

condoms/rubberslintswelling

coughlozengetablet

cough mixture/syrupmatron/midwifetemperature

crampmeaslestherapist

crutchmumpsto be admitted

cure/healointmentto discharge s.o.

cutoperate onto give birth

D.O.A.operation theatreto go sick/off sick

dizzyoutbreakto throw up

doseoutpatienttranquilliser

dropspaediatricianulcer

ER/A&Epain killerunwell/unfit

faintphysicianvaccine

first aidpills (the pill)virus

fluplastervitamins

fracturepostilionwaiting room

funnyprescribe/prescriptionward

general practitioner (GP)quack (sl)whooping cough

german measlesrecover/recoverywound