The suffix -pathy denotes which concept?

The suffix -pathy denotes which concept?

• A. Disease
• B. Pain
• C. Inflammation
• D. Healing

Answer: (A)

The key idea is recognizing medical suffixes that tell you what kind of condition is described. The suffix -pathy comes from a root meaning suffering or disease and is used to name a disease or disorder of a body part or system. For example, neuropathy is a disease of the nerves, and cardiopathy is a disease of the heart. This is different from -algia, which means pain (neuralgia is nerve pain), -itis, which means inflammation (appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix), or -therapy, which refers to treatment or healing. So the suffix -pathy denotes a disease.

The key idea is recognizing medical suffixes that tell you what kind of condition is described. The suffix -pathy comes from a root meaning suffering or disease and is used to name a disease or disorder of a body part or system. For example, neuropathy is a disease of the nerves, and cardiopathy is a disease of the heart. This is different from -algia, which means pain (neuralgia is nerve pain), -itis, which means inflammation (appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix), or -therapy, which refers to treatment or healing. So the suffix -pathy denotes a disease.