Positive

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Positive

Positive (/ˈpɒzɪtɪv/; from Latin positivus meaning 'placed firmly') is a term used in various fields of medicine to denote the presence or confirmation of a particular condition, disease, or abnormality. It is often used in contrast to negative, which indicates the absence of the condition.

Etymology

The term positive originates from the Latin word positivus, which means 'placed firmly'. This reflects the certainty and definiteness associated with a positive result or diagnosis in medical contexts.

In Medicine

In medicine, a positive result on a diagnostic test or clinical examination indicates the presence of a particular disease or condition. For example, a positive malaria test means that the patient has malaria. Similarly, a positive pregnancy test indicates that the woman is pregnant.

Related Terms

  • Negative: The opposite of positive in medical terminology, indicating the absence of a disease or condition.
  • False positive: A test result that incorrectly indicates the presence of a disease or condition.
  • Positive predictive value: The probability that a person with a positive test result truly has the disease.
  • Positivity rate: The proportion of tests that are positive for a particular disease or condition.

See Also

External links

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