What does the suffix -algia indicate?

• A. Infection
• B. Pain
• C. Disease
• D. Numbness

Answer: (B)

The suffix -algia indicates pain. It comes from the Greek algos meaning pain and is used in medical terms to name different kinds of pain by location. For example, neuralgia is nerve pain, myalgia is muscle pain, and cephalalgia refers to a headache. That’s why this suffix directly signals a painful condition.

In contrast, infection is usually hinted by -itis (inflammation, often due to infection), disease can be indicated by -pathy (disease) or -osis (a condition), and numbness relates to lack or loss of sensation, described with terms like anesthesia or hypoesthesia rather than -algia.