Nosophobia is a specific phobia

Specific phobia

A specific phobia is a generic term for any kind of anxiety disorder that amounts to an unreasonable or irrational fear related to exposure to specific objects or situations...

, an irrational fear of contracting a disease

Disease

A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...

, from Greek "nosos" for "disease" (as the 1913 Webster's Dictionary

Webster's Dictionary

Webster's Dictionary refers to the line of dictionaries first developed by Noah Webster in the early 19th century, and also to numerous unrelated dictionaries that added Webster's name just to share his prestige. The term is a genericized trademark in the U.S.A...

 put it, "morbid dread of a disease"). Primary fears of this kind are fear of contracting pulmonary tuberculosis, venereal diseases, cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

, and heart disease

Heart disease

Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...

s.

Some authors suggested that the medical students' disease

Medical students' disease

Medical students' disease, also known as hypochondriasis of medical students or medical student syndrome or medical student disorder, is a condition frequently reported in medical students, who perceive themselves or others to be experiencing the symptoms of the disease they are studying.The...

 must be referred to as nosophobia rather than "hypochondriasis", because the quoted studies show a very low percentage of hypochondria

Hypochondria

Hypochondriasis or hypochondria refers to excessive preoccupation or worry about having a serious illness. This debilitating condition is the result of an inaccurate perception of the body’s condition despite the absence of an actual medication condition...

cal character of the condition.