Medical terms we use incorrectly (with the accurate explanation)

People often confuse BMI with weight. However, this is one such medical term which should never, ever be confused with anything else.

Weight plays a fundamental role in several health related aspects. Misunderstanding BMI with weight can land you in wrong assumptions about your own health.

BMI is based on the height and weight of a person. It is incorrect to directly associate it with body fat content.

Body mass index is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters.

Lung cancer: Patients who suffer THIS symptom may have average survival of 5 months, according to experts

Tumor is mostly used as a synonym for cancer. This is very incorrect and misleading!

Tumor is an abnormal mass of tissue that forms when cells divide abnormally. It can be cancerous or just benign. Tumors which are not cancerous do not spread to other organs or are not invasive.

Stroke is often used interchangeably with cardiovascular complications like heart attack or cardiac arrest.

Stroke is the damage to the brain due to interruption of blood supply.

Though it has similarity to heart attack, in the way it is caused though it has certain fundamental differences.

Very often we confuse gluten allergy with wheat allergy. People stop consuming wheat altogether when they find they have gluten sensitivity.

However, the fact is gluten insensitivity or gluten allergy or gluten intolerance is caused due to a component of gluten which damages the villi or hairlike projections in the small intestine.

Gluten is found in barley, rye and other grains and not just in wheat. It is also found in pasta and cereals.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is used as a synonym for acidity and heartburn.

However, medically this is a far advanced stage of acidity. When the stomach acid repeatedly flows back to the esophageal tract it irritates the lining of the tract leading to GERD.

This is a chronic condition and can lead to complications like ulcer and cancer.

GERD worsens when one lies down.

When the discussion is about heart health, people conveniently use heart attack and cardiac arrest interchangeably assuming they are similar.

However, medically these are two different things.

Heart attack occurs when the arteries are blocked.

Cardiac arrest happens when a person's heart stops pumping blood without any warning. It is considered more serious than heart attack as it is fatal if the person does not receive treatment within minutes.

Many assume that dementia is a type of mental illness.

The fact is dementia is not a disease. It is an umbrella term for a group of symptoms that affect the social life of an individual.

Dementia should not be confused with Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia and accounts for the highest number of dementia cases.

Prognosis is the likely outcome of a disease. It is the prediction of the course of a disease and includes its duration, function and description.

It is often confused with diagnosis which means identification of a disease. Diagnosis is done first and then the prognosis is done.

There is no limit to what disaster a small mistake can end up doing. Even a small spark has the potential to burn down a huge building!

When it comes to health and medical terms one should be very careful in what information is being disseminated to the other person. Using 'misunderstood' words can end up creating unnecessary anxiety.

A wrong medical term can change the entire life course of a person!

Hence it is imperative to understand the veracity of the medical term you hear and talk about.