Worms / Roundworm Vocabulary | Medical English for Healthcare Professionals (S3E19)

Hello and welcome to the Medical English Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Heidi, and I'm here to help you improve your medical English communication skills. Whether you're on international healthcare professional aiming to improve your English skills or an English native speaker looking to enhance your medical vocabulary, you've come to the right place. Sit back and enjoy the Medical English Podcast. Today, we're going to talk about a common parasite that often affects children but can show up in anyone. Roundworm is an intestinal infection caused by a long, white worm called ascarus. The eggs are swallowed through contaminated food, water, or dirty hands. Once inside, they hatch, grow in the gut and can reach up to 30 centimeters. Most people have no symptoms, but heavy infections cause belly pain, nausea, or even vomiting a worm. In kids, it can slow growth or block the bowel. It spreads in areas with poor sanitation, but it's treatable with one or two doses of medicine. Patients often feel shocked or grossed out when they see the worm, and they need reassurance that it's not their fault. Remember, if you're looking for structured lessons, exercises, and guided practice, don't forget to check out the Medical English Collection. It's designed to give you step-by-step learning so you can master the vocabulary, grammar, and communication skills that matter most in clinical settings. Now, before we practice a consultation, let's pause to understand five key words. These are words that will come up again and again when you talk about roundworm. The first key word is worm. Worm simply means the long wiggly parasite living in the intestines. Patients rarely say the scientific name. They might call it thread string, or something moving inside. For example, I saw a worm in the toilet, or there was a long thread in my child's poop, or I felt something moving inside my belly. Getting easily to the next one, the second key word is dworm. dworm means to give medicine that kills and removes the worms from the body. Patients often say worm tablet, clear the stomach, or a get rid of parasites. You might hear, "The doctor will dworm me," or, "I need a worm tablet for my son." Or, "Can you clear the stomach of these things?" The third key word is itch. Itch is the irritating, crawly feeling around the bottom when worms lay eggs at night. It's worse in kids. Patients say scratchy, tingly bum, or crawling sensation. For example, my daughter has an itch at night, or the bottom feels scratchy and keeps her awake. Or there's a crawling sensation down there. The fourth key word is bloated. Bloated means the belly feels full, tight, or swollen from gasser worms. Patients might say puffy stomach, big tummy, or feels stretched. Here are examples I feel bloated after meals, or my child's tummy looks puffy and hard, or the stomach feels stretched all the time. The fifth key word is albendazole. Albendazole is a common tablet that kills roundworms with one dose. Patients call it the pink tablet, worm medicine, or the single pill. For example, the nurse gave albendazole, or one pink tablet cleared it. Or, "I took the worm medicine yesterday." Now let's bring these words to life in a full consultation. Imagine you're in a busy clinic, calming a worried parent, and treating the child step by step. Good morning. Please come in. Who do we have here? Hi doctor. This is my son, Amir. He's six. He's been scratching his bottom at night and says his tummy hurts. Hello Amir. Let's have a look. Tell me when did the edge start? About two weeks ago, it's worse at night. He wakes up crying, and I saw a long worm in his party yesterday. Okay. That sounds like roundworm. Did the worm look white and wiggly? Yes, like a thread I was shocked. It's common, especially in kids. Any vomiting or bloated feeling? He complains his tummy feels puffy, and yes, he vomited once, but nothing came out except saliva. Good to know. The itch at night is from the worms laying eggs. The bloated tummy is from the worms and gas. Will D-worm him today? I'll prescribe albendazole. One tablet now, repeat in two weeks. Just the pink tablet? Yes. The pink tablet is the worm medicine. Crush it in juice if he can't swallow. Everyone in the house over two years should take it too to stop spreading. Wash hands after toilet before food. Cook vegetables well. Will the itch stop soon? Yes, within two days. Use a little pseudo cream around the bottom at night to soothe. No more scratching. And check his stool in a week. If you see another worm, bring it in. Okay. He's been tired too. Worms can do that. After we clear the stomach, his energy will come back. Keep the bloated feeling in mind. If it gets worse or he stops eating, return right away. Thank you. I'll give the tablet today and wash everything. Perfect. You're doing great. And that's the consultation. You heard how the words worm, D-worm, itch, bloated, and albendazole naturally appear in a doctor patient conversation. So today, we explain the condition of roundworm. We studied five useful keywords and we practice listening to them in context. Remember, if you want structured lessons and more guided practice, you can explore the medical English collection. It's full of exercises and dialogues that build on what we do here in the podcast. Thank you for listening and I'll see you in the next episode of the Medical English Podcast.