In medical shorthand, what does Hypo indicate regarding a measurement?

• A. Above normal
• B. Below normal
• C. Normal
• D. Unknown

Answer: (B)

Hypo indicates that a measurement is below the normal range. The prefix hypo- means under or deficient, so terms like hypoglycemia, hypotension, and hypothermia all describe values that are lower than what’s considered normal. It’s not used to signal above normal (that would be hyper-), not to indicate a normal range, and not to mean unknown.