医学・健康

糖尿病とうにょうびょうは発症はっしょうしてもしばらくは自覚症状じかくしょうじょうがないため、検査けんさが重要じゅうようだ。

Diabetes has no noticeable symptoms for a while after onset, so testing matters.

Usage 発症する, 発症リスク, 発症率. Marks the moment a disease begins to show, distinct from 感染 for infection and 潜伏期間 for the incubation period before it.

Remember it 発 (break out) + 症 (symptoms) → the point where the symptoms break out.

コレラやペストなどの伝染病でんせんびょうはかつて、何百万人なんびゃくまんにんもの命いのちを奪うばった。

Contagious diseases such as cholera and plague once took millions of lives.

Usage 感染症 is the current technical term in Japanese medicine and law; 伝染病 sounds slightly older and stresses person-to-person spread. 伝染する is the verb.

Remember it 伝染 (transmit by contact) + 病 (disease) → disease that passes along a chain of contact.

中世ちゅうせいヨーロッパを席巻せっけんした疫病えきびょうは、人口じんこうの約やく3割わりを失うしなわせたとも言いわれる。

The epidemic that swept medieval Europe is said to have taken about a third of its population.

Usage 疫病が蔓延する. Older and grander in tone than 感染症 — a word for plagues in history. 疫病神 is a jinx, a person who brings bad luck. Related: 免疫 for immunity, 検疫 for quarantine.

Remember it 疫 (pestilence) + 病 (disease) → disease at the scale of a pestilence.

2020年ねんに始はじまったパンデミックは、世界せかい全体ぜんたいの社会しゃかい・経済けいざいに甚大じんだいな影響えいきょうを与あたえた。

The pandemic that began in 2020 had an enormous impact on society and the economy worldwide.

Usage パンデミック対策. Distinguish エピデミック, confined to one region, and エンデミック for a disease that is always present. The native equivalent is 世界的大流行.

Remember it パンデミック from Greek pan (all) + demos (people) → the disease that reaches all the people.

ワクチンの開発かいはつ・普及ふきゅうは感染症かんせんしょうの制御せいぎょにおいて最ももっとも重要じゅうような手段しゅだんの一ひとつだ。

Developing and distributing vaccines is one of the most important tools for controlling infectious disease.

Usage ワクチンを接種する for getting vaccinated, 接種率 for the vaccination rate, 副反応 for a side effect. Note the German-derived pronunciation, not the English one.

Remember it ワクチン from Latin vacca, cow — Jenner used cowpox to make the first one.

感染かんせんやワクチン接種せっしゅによって抗体こうたいが作つくられ、体からだが病原体びょうげんたいに対抗たいこうできるようになる。

Infection or vaccination produces antibodies, letting the body fight off pathogens.

Usage 抗体検査, 中和抗体, 抗体価 for antibody titre. The 抗 prefix recurs throughout medicine: 抗生物質, 抗がん剤, 抗ウイルス薬. Its partner is 抗原, the antigen.

Remember it 抗 (resist) + 体 (body, substance) → the substance the body makes to resist.

ウイルスは細菌さいきんとは異ことなり、宿主しゅくしゅの細胞さいぼうを借かりて増殖ぞうしょくする。

Unlike bacteria, viruses borrow a host's cells in order to multiply.

Usage ウイルスに感染する, ウイルス性, 抗ウイルス薬. Also used for computer viruses. Keep it apart from 細菌, bacteria — the distinction matters for 抗生物質, which work only on the latter.

Remember it ウイルス from Latin virus, poison.

日本にほんでは二人ふたりに一人ひとりが生涯しょうがいに一度いちどはがんと診断しんだんされると言いわれている。

In Japan it is said that one person in two is diagnosed with cancer at some point in life.

Usage Written in hiragana in everyday and even medical use, because 癌 is a difficult character. がん検診 for screening, 早期がん for early-stage. 悪性腫瘍 is the formal synonym.

Remember it 癌 stacks 品, goods piled up, over 山, a mountain, inside the sickness radical 疒 — cells piling up where they should not.

腫瘍しゅようが悪性あくせいか良性りょうせいかは、生検せいけんによって確認かくにんする必要ひつようがある。

Whether a tumour is malignant or benign has to be confirmed by biopsy.

Usage 悪性腫瘍, 悪性リンパ腫. Outside medicine it marks anything vicious in kind: 悪性インフレ, 悪性の風邪. Its counterpart is 良性.

Remember it 悪 (bad) + 性 (nature) → bad in its nature, not merely in degree.

腫瘍しゅようは良性りょうせいと判明はんめいし、手術しゅじゅつで切除せつじょすれば完治かんちできると説明せつめいされた。

The tumour proved benign, and they explained that surgery would cure it completely.

Usage 良性腫瘍. Paired with 悪性 — learn them together, since diagnosis language always uses both. 良 also gives 良好, 優良, 改良.

Remember it 良 (good) + 性 (nature) → harmless in its nature.

MRI検査けんさの結果けっか、脳のうに小さなちいさな腫瘍しゅようが発見はっけんされたが、良性りょうせいと診断しんだんされた。

An MRI found a small tumour in the brain, but it was diagnosed as benign.

Usage 腫瘍を切除する, 腫瘍マーカー for a tumour marker, 脳腫瘍. 腫れる (はれる) is the everyday verb for swelling, which makes the first character easy to hold on to.

Remember it 腫 (swell) + 瘍 (sore, growth) → a swelling that has become a growth.

がんが他た臓器ぞうきに転移てんいすると、治療ちりょうが著しくいちじるしく困難こんなんになる。

Once cancer metastasises to other organs, treatment becomes markedly harder.

Usage 転移する, 遠隔転移, リンパ節転移. The same word means transfer in general — 技術の転移 — and transference in psychoanalysis. Context decides.

Remember it 転 (shift) + 移 (move) → shifting and moving somewhere new.

遺伝病いでんびょうの中なかには、特定とくていの遺伝子いでんし変異へんいによって発症はっしょうするものがあり、出生前しゅっしょうまえ診断しんだんも可能かのうだ。

Some hereditary diseases arise from a specific gene mutation, and prenatal testing is possible.

Usage 遺伝性疾患 is the term used in clinical writing. Distinguish 先天性疾患, congenital conditions, which need not be inherited. Related: 遺伝子変異 for a mutation.

Remember it 遺伝 (heredity) + 病 (disease) → disease passed down the line.

脳死のうしと判定はんていされた患者かんじゃからの臓器移植ぞうきいしょくは、日本にほんでも法律ほうりつに基もとづいて行おこなわれる。

Organ transplants from patients declared brain-dead are carried out in Japan under law.

Usage 脳死を判定する, 脳死移植. The distinction from 植物状態, a persistent vegetative state, is crucial and often tested: in 脳死 the whole brain including the stem has ceased.

Remember it 脳 (brain) + 死 (death) → the brain dead while the body is kept going.

心肺停止しんぱいていしの患者かんじゃに対たいして、居合いあわせた人ひとがすぐにCPRを実施じっししたことで命いのちが助たすかった。

A bystander performed CPR immediately on the patient in cardiopulmonary arrest, and the life was saved.

Usage 心肺停止の状態, 心肺蘇生 for CPR, AED for the defibrillator. Japanese news uses 心肺停止 carefully, because death can only be declared by a physician.

Remember it 心肺 (heart and lungs) + 停止 (stoppage) → heart and lungs at a stop.

安楽死あんらくしの合法化ごうほうかについては、倫理的りんりてき・宗教的しゅうきょうてきな観点かんてんから世界各国せかいかっこくで議論ぎろんが続つづいている。

Legalising euthanasia continues to be debated worldwide on ethical and religious grounds.

Usage 積極的安楽死 is active euthanasia, 消極的安楽死 the withdrawal of treatment. Both remain illegal in Japan, which is why the term appears mostly in discussion of other countries.

Remember it 安楽 (ease, freedom from pain) + 死 (death) → death brought without pain.

尊厳死そんげんしは延命治療えんめいちりょうを拒否きょひし、人間にんげんらしい死しを迎むかえる権利けんりとして認識にんしきされている。

Death with dignity is recognised as a right to refuse life-prolonging treatment and die as a human being.

Usage 延命治療を拒否する is the accompanying phrase, リビングウィル the advance directive. Distinguish 安楽死: 尊厳死 declines treatment rather than actively ending life.

Remember it 尊厳 (dignity) + 死 (death) → a death that keeps the dignity intact.

日本にほんの平均寿命へいきんじゅみょうは世界せかい最高水準さいこうすいじゅんの一ひとつで、女性じょせいは90歳さいに迫せまっている。

Japan's life expectancy is among the world's highest, with women approaching ninety.

Usage 平均寿命が伸びる. The companion figure 健康寿命, healthy life expectancy, is what policy debate now turns on — the gap between the two is roughly ten years.

Remember it 平均 (average) + 寿命 (lifespan) → the lifespan taken on average.

認知症にんちしょうは高齢化社会こうれいかしゃかいにおいて深刻しんこくな課題かだいであり、早期発見そうきはっけんと支援体制しえんたいせいの整備せいびが急務きゅうむだ。

Dementia is a serious challenge in an ageing society, and early detection and support systems are urgently needed.

Usage 認知症を患う, アルツハイマー型認知症, 認知症ケア. The term replaced the older 痴呆症 in 2004 because that word was felt to be demeaning — a change worth knowing.

Remember it 認知 (cognition) + 症 (condition) → the condition where cognition fails.

うつ病うつびょうは意志いしの問題もんだいではなく、脳のうの機能きのう障害しょうがいであるため、適切てきせつな治療ちりょうが必要ひつようだ。

Depression is not a matter of willpower but a disorder of brain function, so proper treatment is needed.

Usage うつ病になる, 抗うつ薬, 産後うつ. Usually written with hiragana うつ. 躁うつ病 is bipolar disorder; 気分が落ち込む is the everyday phrase for feeling low.

Remember it 鬱, the full character, is one of the densest in the language — a thicket of strokes that pictures the blocked, choked feeling it names.

精神疾患せいしんしっかんへの偏見へんけんをなくし、誰だれもが相談そうだんしやすい社会しゃかいを作つくることが重要じゅうようだ。

Ridding society of prejudice about mental illness and making it easy for anyone to seek help is important.

Usage 精神疾患を抱える, 精神科 for psychiatry, 精神障害 in legal and welfare contexts. メンタルヘルス has become the everyday workplace term.

Remember it 精神 (mind) + 疾患 (disease) → illness of the mind.

会社かいしゃでは毎年まいとし健康診断けんこうしんだんを義務付ぎむづけており、生活習慣病せいかつしゅうかんびょうの早期発見そうきはっけんに役立やくだてている。

The company requires an annual health checkup, which helps catch lifestyle diseases early.

Usage 健康診断を受ける, 定期健康診断. Often clipped to 健診. 人間ドック is the fuller, voluntary examination; 検診 targets one disease, as in がん検診.

Remember it 健康 (health) + 診断 (diagnosis) → a diagnosis taken of your health as a whole.

糖尿病とうにょうびょう・高血圧こうけつあつ・脂質異常症ししついじょうしょうなどの生活習慣病せいかつしゅうかんびょうは、食事しょくじと運動うんどうの改善かいぜんで予防よぼうできる。

Lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and dyslipidaemia can be prevented by improving diet and exercise.

Usage 生活習慣病を予防する. The term replaced 成人病 in 1996, precisely to shift the emphasis from age to habits. Typical examples: 糖尿病, 高血圧, 動脈硬化.

Remember it 生活習慣 (living habits) + 病 (disease) → the diseases your habits bring on.

末期まっき腎不全じんふぜんの患者かんじゃにとって、臓器移植ぞうきいしょくは最後さいごの希望きぼうとなることがある。

For a patient with end-stage kidney failure, an organ transplant can be the last hope.

Usage 臓器移植を受ける, ドナー for the donor, 生体移植 for a living donation, 脳死移植. 移植 alone also covers transplanting plants and porting software.

Remember it 臓器 (internal organ) + 移植 (transplant) → moving an organ and planting it in another body.