Upgrade to remove ads
Only $2.99/month

Chapter 8 Medical Terminology

Terms in this set (80)

Affect
emotional feeling or mood
Alzheimer disease
disease of structural changes in the brain resulting in an irreversible deterioration that progresses from forgetfulness and disorientation to lose in all intellectual function, total disability and death
Analgesic
an agent that relieves pain
Anorexia nervosa
a severe disturbance in eating behavior caused by abnormal perception about one's body weight, as evidenced by an overwhelming fear of being fat that results in a refusal to eat and body weight well-below normal
Anticonvulsant
agent that prevents or lessens convulsions
Anxiolytic agents
drugs used to reduced anxiety
Apathy
lack of interest or display of emotion
Aphasia
impairment because of localized brain injury that affects the understanding, retrieving and formulating of meaningful and sequential elements of language as demonstrated as an inability to use or comprehend words. Occurs as a result of a stroke, head trauma or disease
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
a dysfunction that is characterized by consistent hyperactivity, distractibility, and lack of control of impulses which interfere with an ability to function normally at school, home or work
Autism
a developmental disability which appears in the first three years of life resulting from a neurological disorder affecting brain function. Persons have difficulties with verbal and non-verbal communication, have an inability to relate to anything beyond oneself in social interactions
Autonomic nervous system
nerves which carry involuntary impulses to smooth muscles, cardiac muscles and various glands
Bipolar disorder
disorder characterized by mania and disorder(extreme mood states)
Bulimia nervosa
an eating disorder characterized by binge eating, induced vomiting, use of laxatives and excessive exercise
Catatonia
a state of unresponsiveness to one's outside environment, including muscle rigidity, staring and inability to communicate
Central nervous system
consists of the brain and spinal cord
Cerebral palsy
condition of motor dysfunction, caused by damaged to the cerebrum during development, character by partial paralysis and lack of muscle coordination
Cerebrospinal fluid
plasma like clear fluid circulating in the brain and spinal cord
Cerebrovascular accident (CVA)
damage to the brain caused by cerebrovascular disease
Chemotherapy
the use of chemical agents to destroy selective cells or impair their ability to reproduce (treatment of malignancies, infections and other diseases)
Convulsion
to pull together, a type of seizure which causes a series of involuntary contraction of muscles
Craniectomy
the excision of part of the skull
Craniotomy
an incision into the skull
Delirium
a state of mental confusion caused by disturbances in cerebral function (fever, shock, and drug overdose)
Delusion
a persistent believe that has no basis in reality
Dementia
impairment of intellectual function, characterized by memory lose, disorientation and confusion
Dyslexia
developmental disability character by difficulty understand written or spoken words, sentences or paragraphs, that affect reading, spelling, and self expression
Dysphasia
aphasia (impairment due to localized brain injury which effects meaningful and sequential elements of language- inability to use or comprehend words). Often occurs due to stroke
Dysphoria
a restless, dissatisfied mood
Dysthymia
a milder effected disorder characterized by chronic depression
Electroencephalogram
record of the minute electrical impulses of the brain. Used to identify neurologic conditions that affect brain function and level of consciousness
Encephalitis
inflammation of the brain
Epilepsy
disorder which affects the CNS characterized by recurrent seizures
Euphoria
exaggerated feeling of well being
Flat affect
significant dull or tone or outward reaction
Generalized anxiety disorder
the most common anxiety disorder. Characterized by chronic, excessive, uncontrollable worries about everyday problems. Affected ability to relax or concentrates, but does not typically interfere with social interactions of employment
Grandiose delusion
a person's believe that he or she has great wealth, intelligence or power
Hallucination
a false perception of the senses in which there is no reality
Hemiparesis
partial paralysis of the right or left half of the body
Hemiplegia
partial paralysis on one side of the body
Hydrocephalus
accumulation of CSF beneath the meningial layers of the brain
Hyperesthesia
increase sensitivity to stimulation such as touch or pain
Hypnotic
a hypnotic agent which induces sleep
Hypochondriasis
a preoccupation with thoughts of disease or concern that one is suffering from a medical condition despite the reassurance to the contrary
Ideation
formation of thoughts or ideas (such as thoughts of suicide)
Lumbar puncture
introduction of a specialized needle into the spine in the lumbar region for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes. Purposes such as to obtain CSF for testing
Mania
state of abnormal elation and increases activity
Meninges
three layer membrane covering the brain and spinal cord
Meningitis
inflammation of the meninges
Multiple sclerosis
demylenation of nerve fibers with episodes of neurologic dysfunction (exacerbation) followed by recovery
Myasthenia gravis
autoimmune disorder that affect the neuromuscular junction which results in a progressed decrease in muscle strength; activity resumes and strength returns after state of rest
Myelitis
inflammation of the spinal cord
Narcolepsy
sleep disorder characterized by a sudden incontrollable need to sleep, attacks of paralysis and dreams intruding while wide awake
Neural tube defects
congenital deformities of the brain and spinal cord caused by incomplete development of the neural tube
Neuralgia
pain along the course of a nerve
Neuroleptic agents
drugs used to treat psychosis, especially schizophrenia
Neurosis
a psychological condtion in which anxiety is prominent
Obsessive-compulsive disorder
anxiety disorder of unwanted senseless obsession followed by repeated convulsions. Can interfere with all aspects of a person's daily lives
Paraplegia
paralysis of waist-down
Parasympathetic nervous system
division of the ANS which is most active in orginary condtions. It counterbalances the effect of the sympathetic system by restoring the bodies to a restful state after a stressful experience
Paresthesia
abnormal sensation of numbness and tingling without objective cause
Parkinson disease
progressive degeneration of the Substantia Nigra and Globus Pallidus, resulting in decreases in dopamine (neurotransmitter involved in movement); characterized by tremor, rigidity of muscle and slow movements. (bradykinesia)
Partial seizure
seizure only involving limited areas of the brain with localized symptoms
Peripheral nervous system
consisting of nerves breaking from the CNS to all parts of the body
Poliomyelitis
inflammation of the gray matter of the spinal cord caused by a virus often resulting in spinal and muscle deformity and paralysis
Polyneuritis
inflammation involving two or more nerves (often cause by nutritional deficiencies, such as thiamine)
Posttraumatic stress disorder
condition resulting from an extremely traumatic injury or illness that leaves a suffered with persistent thoughts and memories of the incident
Psychosis
mental condition by distortion of reality resulting in the inability to communicate or function within one's environment
Psychotherapy
treatment of psychiatric disorders using verbal and non-verbal interaction with patients
Psychotropic drugs
medication used to treat mental illnesses
Quadriplegia
paralysis of all four limbs
Schizophrenia
a disease of brain chemistry which causing a distorted cognitive and emotional perception of one's environment, symptoms include a distortion of normal functions, (such as disorganized thought, dilution, hallucinations, and catatonic behavior), flat affect apathy and withdrawal of reality.
Seizure
a sudden transient disturbance in brain function resulting in abnormal firing of nerve impulses (may or may not be colvulsions)
Sleep apnea
periods of breathing cessation that occur during sleep, often causing snoring
Spina bifida
defect in the development of the spinal cord, caused by the absence of vertebral arches often resulting in pouching of the meninges or of the meninges and spinal cord. Considered to be one of the most common neural tube defects
Stroke
rupture of an aneurism
Sympathetic nervous system
division of the ANS which is concerned primarily with preparing the body during stressful and emergency situations
Syncope
fainting
Tactile stimulation
evoking a response by touching
Tonic-clonic seizure
stiffening-jerking a major motor seizure involving major muscle groups. Previously termed "grand mal"
Transient ischemic attack
brief episode of lose of blood flow to the brain, usually caused by partial inclusion that results in temporary neurological deficit (impairment often proceeds a CVA)
THIS SET IS OFTEN IN FOLDERS WITH...