CH. 15: Disease & Disorder Terms Flashcards
cerebellitis
inflammation of the cerebellum
cerebral embolism
pertaining to the cerebrum, state of a plug (clot or piece of plaque from a distant site lodged in a cerebral artery, causing sudden blockage of blood supply to the brain tissue).
cerebral thrombosis
pertaining to the cerebrum, abnormal condition of a blood clot (onset of symptoms may appear from minutes to days after an obstruction of a blood vessel in the brain).
duritis
inflammation of the dura mater
encephalitis
inflammation of the brain
encephalomalacia
softening of the brain
encephalopathy
disease of the brain
encephalomyeloradiculitis
inflammation of the brain, spinal cord, and nerve roots
ganglitis
inflammation of the ganglion
glioma
tumor composed of glia
hydrocephalus
water (increased amount of cerebrospinal fluid) in the head (brain)
intracerebral hemorrhage
pertaining to within the brain, excessive flow of blood (bleeding into the brain as a result of a ruptured blood vessel within the brain)
meningioma
tumor of the meninges (usu. benign and slow growing; most common tumor originating in the brain and surrounding tissues)
meningitis
inflammation of the meninges
meningocele
protrusion of the meninges (through a defect in the skull or vertebral arch)
meningomyelocele
protrusion of the meninges and spinal cord (through a neural arch defect in the vertebral column) (also called myelomeningocele)
mononeuropathy
disease affecting a single nerve (such as carpal tunnel syndrome)
myelitis
inflammation of the spinal cord
myelomalacia
softening of the spinal cord
neuralgia
nerve pain
neuritis
inflammation of a nerve
poliomyelitis
inflammation of the gray matter of the spinal cord (this infectious disease, commonly referred to as polio, is caused by one of three polio viruses)
polyneuritis
inflammation of many nerves
polyneuropathy
disease of many nerves
radiculitis
inflammation of the nerve roots
radiculopathy
disease of the nerve roots
rhizomeningomyelitis
inflammation of the nerve root, meninges, and spinal cord
subdural hematoma
pertaining to below the dura mater, tumor of blood (collection of blood that has leaked out of a broken vessel)
Alzheimer disease (AD)
type of dementia that occurs more frequently after the age of 65, but can begin at any age. The brain shrinks dramatically as nerve cells die and tissues atrophy. The disease is slowly progressive and usu. results in profound dementia in 5 to 10 years. A prominent feature of AD is the inability to remember the recent past, while memories of the distant past remain intact.
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
progressive muscle atrophy caused by degeneration and scarring of neurons along the lateral columns of the spinal cord that control muscles (also called Lou Gehrig disease)
Bell palsy
paralysis of muscles on one side of the face caused by inflammation or compression of the facial nerve, cranial nerve VII. Signs include a sagging mouth on the affected side and nonclosure of the eyelid; paralysis is usu. temporary.
botulism
serious illness caused by a bacterial toxin that interferes with nerve conduction, causing skeletal muscle paralysis. Initial symptoms may include trouble seeing and muscle weakness leading to difficulty swallowing and breathing. Foodborne botulism, wound botulism, and infant botulism are types of the illness, all of which can be fatal and are medical emergencies.
cerebral aneurysm
ballooning of a weakened portion of an arterial wall (aneurysm) in the cerebrum. It is usu. asymptomatic until it ruptures, which can be very serious and can result in death.
cerebral palsy (CP)
condition characterized by lack of muscle control and partial paralysis, caused by a brain defect or lesion present at birth or shortly after.
chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)
progressive degenerative disease of the brain which generally appears years or decades after repeated head trauma. Originally diagnosed in boxers (dementia pugilistica), it has now been found in other professional athletes who experienced repeated head trauma, such as football, ice hockey, soccer, wrestling, and basketball players. Signs and symptoms include memory loss, aggression, confusion, attention deficits, poor judgment, anxiety, and depression. Currently, CTE can only be definitively diagnosed after death by brain autopsy, but in the future, diagnostic imaging, chemical biomarkers, and neuropsychological tests may be helpful.
dementia
cognitive impairment characterized by loss of intellectual brain function. Patients have difficulty in various ways, including difficulty in performing complex tasks, reasoning, learning and retaining new information, orientation, word finding, and behavior. Dementia has several causes and is not considered part of normal aging.
epilepsy
condition characterized by recurrent seizures; a general term given to a group of neurologic disorders, all characterized by abnormal electrical activity in the brain.
multiple sclerosis (MS)
chronic degenerative disease characterized by sclerotic patches along the brain and spinal cord; signs and symptoms fluctuate over the course of the disease; more common symptoms include fatigue, balance and coordination impairments, numbness, and vision problems.
Parkinson disease (PD)
chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system. Signs and symptoms include resting tremors of the hands and feet, rigidity, expressionless face, shuffling gait, and eventually dementia. It usu. occurs after the age of 50 years (also called parkinsonism).
sciatica
inflammation of the sciatic nerve, causing pain that travels from the thigh through the leg to the foot and toes; can be caused by injury, infection, arthritis, herniated disk, or from prolonged pressure on the nerve from sitting for long periods.
shingles
viral disease that affects the peripheral nerves and causes blisters on the skin that follow the course of the affected nerves (also called herpes zoster).
postherpetic neuralgia
complication of shingles and is caused by damage to the nerve fibers. Severe pain and hyperesthesia persist after the skin lesions disappear and may last months or even years.
stroke
interruption of blood supply to a region of the brain, depriving nerve cells in the affected area of oxygen and nutrients. The cells cannot perform and may be damaged or die within minutes. The parts of the body controlled by the involved cells will experience dysfunction. Speech, movement, memory, and other CNS functions may be affected in varying degrees. Ischemic stroke is a result of a blocked blood vessel. Hemorrhagic stroke is a result of bleeding (also called cerebrovascular accident [CVA] or brain attack).
subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)
bleeding between the pia mater and arachnoid layers of the meninges (subarachnoid space), caused by a ruptured blood vessel (usu. a cerebral aneurysm). The patient may experience an intense, sudden headache accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and neck pain. SAH is a critical condition which must be recognized and treated immediately to prevent permanent brain damage or death (a cause of hemorrhagic stroke).
transient ischemic attack (TIA)
sudden deficient supply of blood to the brain lasting a short time. The symptoms may be similar to those of stroke, but with TIA the symptoms are temporary and the usual outcome is complete recovery. TIAs are often warning signs for eventual occurrence of a stroke.
