43: Geriatric Emergencies Flashcards
Scientific study of the effects of aging and of age-related disease on humans.
Gerontology
An elderly person age 80 or older.
Old-Old
The study and treatment of diseases of the aged.
Geriatrics
Discrimination against aged or elderly people.
Ageism
Decreased ability to meet daily needs on an independent basis.
Functional Impairment
Having more than one disease at a time.
Comorbidity
Inability to swallow or difficulty swallowing.
Dysphagia
Multiple drug therapy in which there is a concurrent use of a number of drugs.
Polypharmacy
Inability to retain urine or feces because of loss of sphincter control or cerebral or spinal lesions.
Incontinence
Reversible interruption of blood flow the brain; often seen as a precursor to a stroke.
Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
Eating disorder marked by excessive fasting.
Anorexia Nervosa
Medical condition in which the lens of the eye loses its clearness.
Cataracts
Medical condition where the pressure within the eye increases.
Glaucoma
Subjective ringing or tingling sound in the ear.
Tinnitus
A disease of the inner ear characterized by vertigo, nerve deafness, and a roar or buzzing in the ear.
Meniere’s Disease
Exaggeration of the normal posterior curvature of the spine.
Kyphosis
An oxygen deficiency due to disordered pulmonary mechanisms of oxygenation.
Anoxic Hypoxemia
An increase in the size or bulk of an organ.
Hypertrophy
The formation of fiber like connective tissue, also called scar tissue, in an organ.
Fibrosis
Hereditary condition of connective tissue, bones muscles, ligaments, and skeletal structures characterized by irregular and unsteady gait, tall lean body type with long extremities, flat feet, and stooped shoulders.
Marfan Syndrome
Protrusion of the stomach upward into the mediastinal cavity through the esophageal hiatus of the diaphragm.
Hiatal Hernia
Softening of the bone tissue due to the loss of essential minerals, principally calcium.
Osteoporosis
The functional units of the kidneys.
Nephrons
Diminished vigor of the immune response to the challenge and re-challenge by pathogens.
Immune Senescence
A myocardial infarction that occurs without exhibiting obvious signs and symptoms.
Silent myocardial infarction
The number of pillows-in this case two- needed to ease the difficulty of breathing while lying down; a significant factor in assessing the level of respiratory distress.
Two-pillow orthopnea
Excessive urination during the night.
Nocturia
Enlarged liver
Hepatomegaly
A degeneration of the wall of the aorta.
Aortic Dissection
Abnormal dilation of a blood vessel, usually an artery, due to a congenital defect or a weakness in the wall of the vessel.
Aneurysm
An abnormal dilation of a vein of group of veins.
Varicosites
Nose Bleed
Epistaxis
An abnormality of the involuntary aspect of the nervous system.
Autonomic Dysfuntion
Forced exhalation against a closed glottis, such as with coughing. This maneuver stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system via the vagus nerve, which in turn slows the heart rate.
Valsalva Maneuver
A series of symptoms resulting from heart block, most commonly syncope. The symptoms result from decreased blood flow to the brain caused by the sudden decrease in cardiac output.
Stokes Adams syndrome
A group of disorders characterized by dysfunction of the sinoatrial node in the heart.
Sick Sinus Syndrome
Injury to or death of brain tissue resulting from interruption of cerebral blood flow and oxygenation.
Stroke
Injury to brain tissues caused by an inadequate supply of oxygen and nutrients.
Brain Ischemia
Bleeding that occurs between the arachnoid and dura mater of the brain.
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Bleeding directly into the brain.
Intracranial Hemorrhage
An excessive amount of red blood cells.
Polycythemia
The sensation of faintness or dizziness; may cause a loss of balance.
Vertigo
Resistant to cure, relief, or control.
Intractable
A deterioration of mental status that is usually associated with structural neurologic disease. Its often progressive and irreversible.
Dimentia
An acute alteration in mental function that is often reversible.
Delirium
General term used to describe an abnormal decline in mental functioning seen in the elderly; also called “organic brain syndrom” or Multi-infarct dementia”.
Senile Dementia
Absence of impairment of the ability to communicate through speaking, writing, or signing as a result of brain dysfunction.
aphasia
A progressive, degenerative disease that attacks the brain and results in impaired memory, thinking, and behavior. It affects 4 million american adults.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Chronic, degenerative nervous disease characterized by tremors, muscular weakness and rigidity, and a loss of postural reflexes.
Parkinson’s Disease
Chronic orthostatic hypotension caused by a primary autonomic nervous system deficiency.
Shy-Drager Syndrome
An involuntary tremor, usually in one hand or sometimes in both, in which fingers move as if they were rolling a pill back and forth.
Pill-Rolling Motion
Any disorder of the retina.
Retinopathy
Death of tissue in the peritoneal fold (mesentery) that encircles the small intestine; a life threatening condition.
Mesenteric Infarct
A dark tarry stool caused by the presence of digested free blood.
Melena
Ischemic damage and subsequent necrosis affecting the skin, subcutaneous tissue and often the muscle; result of intense pressure over a long time; also known as pressure sore or bedsore.
Pressure ulcer
Itching; often occurs as a symptom of some systemic change or illness.
Puritis
An acute eruption caused by a reactive of latent varicella virus in the dorsal root ganglia; also known as shingles.
Herpes Zoster
Process of softening a solid by soaking it in a liquid.
Maceration
A degenerative joint disease, characterized by a loss of articular cartilage and hypertrophy of the bone.
Osteoarthritis
A form of nephritis, or inflammation of the kidneys; primarily involves the glomeruli, one of the capillary networks that are part of the renal corpuscles in the nephrons.
Glomerulonephritis
Septicemia originating from the urinary tract.
Urosepsis
Life threatening condition caused by a disturbance in temperature regulation; in the elderly, characterized by extreme fever and, in extreme cases, delirium or coma.
Heatstroke
An abnormal concern with ones health, with the false belief of suffering from some disease, despite medical assurances to the contrary, commonly known as Hypochondria.
Hypochonriasis
An exaggerated feeling of depression or unrest, characterized by a mood of general dissatisfaction, restlessness, discomfort, and unhappiness.
Dysphoria
A degeneration of the vertebral body.
Spondylosis
