Tackling The Veterinary Terminology: Prefixes (hemo-)

Remember the Spelling Bee? Big words are easier to tackle when you understand how they're put together. Veterinary terms are composed in the same way. Just like with other words, the main parts of a veterinary term are a prefix, a root, and a suffix. The difference is that they typically come more directly from Greek or Latin.

A prefix is placed at the beginning of a word to modify its meaning by providing additional information. It usually indicates number, location, time, or status.

hemo- [hemō] - from Greek - having to do with blood

This prefix can come in various forms, such as hem-, hemo-, hema- and so on. All of these variations indicate that the issue has something to do with blood.

Image Interactive Biology

Hemorrhage, for example, is a very common word, indicating bleeding from a ruptured blood vessel. The -rrhage suffix, btw, stands for an excessive or abnormal flow.

Are you starting to see how things fit together?

Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis is a potentially life-threatening intestinal disease with severe symptoms, one of which, obviously, is bloody diarrhea. While gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the GI tract, hemorrhagic gastroenteritis is all that plus profound bleeding.

Hemoglobin is another example you're familiar with, it's the oxygen-carrying pigment of red blood cells. Hemoglobinuria is abnormal presence of hemoglobin in urine.

Hemolysis is the destruction of red blood cells. Hemolytic anemia is a deficiency of oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood as a result of destruction of red blood cells. In dogs, it is typically an autoimmune condition, IMHA (Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia). However, other things, such as zinc toxicosis, can lead to destruction of red blood cells.

Hematoma is the accummulation of blood within tissue, such as the ears, caused by ruptured blood vessels.

Hemangiosarcoma is a cancer of blood vessels. Hemangioma is a benign tumor of blood vessels.

These are just a few examples, but I'm sure you get the picture.

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Related articles:
Veterinary Suffixes (-itis)
Veterinary Suffixes (-oma) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-pathy)  
Veterinary Suffixes (-osis) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-iasis) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-tomy) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-ectomy)  
Veterinary Suffixes (-scopy) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-emia)
Veterinary Suffixes (-penia)
Veterinary Suffixes (-rrhea) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-cyte) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-blast) 
Veterinary Suffixes (-opsy)
Veterinary Suffixes (-ac/-al)

Veterinary Prefixes (hyper-) 
Veterinary Prefixes (hypo-)
Veterinary Prefixes (pyo-) 
Veterinary Prefixes (myo-) 
Veterinary Prefixes (myelo-)
Veterinary Prefixes (spondylo-)
Veterinary Prefixes (cardio-) 
Veterinary Prefixes (cervic-) 
Veterinary Prefixes (osteo-) 
Veterinary Prefixes (fibro-) 
Veterinary Prefixes (broncho-)