CH. 15: Disease & Disorder Terms

Question 1

cerebellitis

Answer 1

inflammation of the cerebellum

Question 2

cerebral embolism

Answer 2

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).

Question 3

cerebral thrombosis

Answer 3

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).

Question 4

duritis

Answer 4

inflammation of the dura mater

Question 5

encephalitis

Answer 5

inflammation of the brain

Question 6

encephalomalacia

Answer 6

softening of the brain

Question 7

encephalopathy

Answer 7

disease of the brain

Question 8

encephalomyeloradiculitis

Answer 8

inflammation of the brain, spinal cord, and nerve roots

Question 9

ganglitis

Answer 9

inflammation of the ganglion

Question 10

glioma

Answer 10

tumor composed of glia

Question 11

hydrocephalus

Answer 11

water (increased amount of cerebrospinal fluid) in the head (brain)

Question 12

intracerebral hemorrhage

Answer 12

pertaining to within the brain, excessive flow of blood (bleeding into the brain as a result of a ruptured blood vessel within the brain)

Question 13

meningioma

Answer 13

tumor of the meninges (usu. benign and slow growing; most common tumor originating in the brain and surrounding tissues)

Question 14

meningitis

Answer 14

inflammation of the meninges

Question 15

meningocele

Answer 15

protrusion of the meninges (through a defect in the skull or vertebral arch)

Question 16

meningomyelocele

Answer 16

protrusion of the meninges and spinal cord (through a neural arch defect in the vertebral column) (also called myelomeningocele)

Question 17

mononeuropathy

Answer 17

disease affecting a single nerve (such as carpal tunnel syndrome)

Question 18

myelitis

Answer 18

inflammation of the spinal cord

Question 19

myelomalacia

Answer 19

softening of the spinal cord

Question 20

neuralgia

Answer 20

nerve pain

Question 21

neuritis

Answer 21

inflammation of a nerve

Question 22

poliomyelitis

Answer 22

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)

Question 23

polyneuritis

Answer 23

inflammation of many nerves

Question 24

polyneuropathy

Answer 24

disease of many nerves

Question 25

radiculitis

Answer 25

inflammation of the nerve roots

Question 26

radiculopathy

Answer 26

disease of the nerve roots

Question 27

rhizomeningomyelitis

Answer 27

inflammation of the nerve root, meninges, and spinal cord

Question 28

subdural hematoma

Answer 28

pertaining to below the dura mater, tumor of blood (collection of blood that has leaked out of a broken vessel)

Question 29

Alzheimer disease (AD)

Answer 29

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.

Question 30

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Answer 30

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)

Question 31

Bell palsy

Answer 31

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.

Question 32

botulism

Answer 32

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.

Question 33

cerebral aneurysm

Answer 33

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.

Question 34

cerebral palsy (CP)

Answer 34

condition characterized by lack of muscle control and partial paralysis, caused by a brain defect or lesion present at birth or shortly after.

Question 35

chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)

Answer 35

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.

Question 36

dementia

Answer 36

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.

Question 37

epilepsy

Answer 37

condition characterized by recurrent seizures; a general term given to a group of neurologic disorders, all characterized by abnormal electrical activity in the brain.

Question 38

multiple sclerosis (MS)

Answer 38

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.

Question 39

Parkinson disease (PD)

Answer 39

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).

Question 40

sciatica

Answer 40

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.

Question 41

shingles

Answer 41

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).

Question 42

postherpetic neuralgia

Answer 42

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.

Question 43

stroke

Answer 43

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).

Question 44

subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)

Answer 44

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).

Question 45

transient ischemic attack (TIA)

Answer 45

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.