There are variations in translation of several Russian medical terms. There are also some common variations in spelling that occasionally cause difficulty. This page will mention a few common variations and also is added to help people who are using the searcher.
Examples: Perinatal injury of the CNS (central nervous system) is variously translated as perinatal trauma of the CNS, perinatal affliction of the CNS and perinatal affectation of the CNS, natal trauma of the CNS.
Perinatal encephalopathy (PEP) is considered to be due to "chronic intrauterine hypoxia" and occasionally this term will be used rather than PEP. This is not to be confused with asphyxia which refers to problems during delivery. Typically PEP will be described as of ischemic, chemical, traumatic or mixed origin. Occasionally the Russian word encephalopathia will appear in a translation. Tremor is often mentioned usually upon questioning the physicians they will describe tremor of fingers when the child is crying. Tremor of the chin is occasionally mentioned, again when child is crying, because it is considered a classic sign of PEP.
Hyperexcitability syndrome or syndrome of increased reflexes is occasionally seen. As best as I can interpret what the physicians are trying to communicate the first refers to what in the west might be termed a fussy baby. The second means what it says, but I have not been able to reproduce the findings on examination. An exception to the above is seen in the child with drug withdrawal due to maternal drug use. There is often the additional notation abstinence syndrome. Usually the type of drug used by the mother is not specified. The Russian word for narcotic user is narcoman, the disease narcomania.
Hypertensive-hydrocephalic syndrome, hypertensive syndrome and hydrocephalic syndrome are all the same.
Increased or decreased muscle tone will be described with terms hypertonus (or hypertonia) and hypotonus (or hypotonia). Normal muscle tone seems to be rarely discovered in Russian clinical practice.
Rachit or rachitis is rickets.
The suffix -opathy is commonly used. As in English it is rather non-specific and could well be translated simply "something wrong with" or "disease of". Thus nephropathy - something wrong with the kidney, cardiopathy - something wrong with the heart, encephalopathy - something wrong with the brain. Without further information, the diagnosis is usually unclear. Cardiopathy is often used to refer to a simple increase in heart rate associated with a fever. Long after the illness is gone the term may persist in the chart. Nephropathy may be noted in the mother when there is no more evidence of disease than ankle swelling in late pregnancy.
Abnormal fetal development may be described as embryopathy or fetopathy. This may refer to a generalized insult to the developing fetus (alcohol, infection, drug) or it may refer to a specific and obvious anomaly (such as a cleft palate, limb abnormality).
Hypotrophy means small for age. If used in the neonatal period it means small for gestational age (SGA). If applied to a child who is older, it is less specific and may refer to a child who is small due to under nourishment. Frequently a child with hypotrophia will be described as having harmonious or dysharmonious (disharmonious) development. This refers to proportionate or disproportionate development.
English medical terms beginning with a hard H are generally pronounced in Russian with a hard G. Thus hormone is gormone, hypooxia is gypoxia, etc. Occasionally a g and an h will be mixed up in translation. Thus the Russian "gestosis" may be translated hestosis or hestos or histosis or histos.
The common English medical endings -itis (referring to inflammation) and -osis are in Russian -it (pronounced "eet") and -oz (pronounced "ohs or ohz") respectively. Thus dysbacteriosis, for example, may be translated dysbacterios or dysbacterioz. With regard to this particular diagnosis there is no western equivalent. It is best researched through medline using the search term dysbacteriosis.
RW is short for Reaction Wasserman, equivalent to the western VDRL test for syphilis. HIV in Russian is VICH (pronounced veech) and occasionally appears in medical reports as vich. The Hepatitis B test HepBsAg is usually referred to in Russia by the classical name Australia antigen. Abbreviations for vaccinations are given separately.
Giardia infection is usually referred to as lambliosis or lamblioz (lamblios) - lambliasis is variant spelling.
Stool for O and P (ova and parasites) may be denoted as a coprogram performed in coprology lab.
Speeking of words from Greek, western medical people use diathesis to mean "a tendency to". The Russian word diatez (diathes, diates) is commonly used in pediatric practice to denote a rash. Usually facial involving cheeks and considered allergic.
Anamnesis (anamnez) means medical history or case history.
Hospitalism (gospitalism) is the term Russian physicians use to refer to the effects of living in an institution. It is recognized as a cause og psychomotor delay.
Strange Russian Drugs: Sometimes unfamiliar names for commonly used medications. Sometimes just unusual medications. Cerebrolysin, for example, in which Russian doctors have great faith or Nootropil (piracetam).
There is variation in transliteration of Russian spelling into English. Watch for the Y's as in Briansk - Bryansk, Cheliabinsk - Chelyabinsk. Usual spelling is underlined. There is a handy list of cities at Russian Cities on the Web
Suggestions welcome.