Ch. 3 Diagnostic Terms

Question 0

albinism

Answer 0

a hereditary condition characterized by a partial or total lack of melanin pigment (particularly in the eyes, skin and hair)

Question 1

acne

Answer 1

inflammation of the sebaceous glands and hair follicles of the skin, evidenced by comedones (blackheads), pustules, or nodules on the skin (acne = point)

Question 2

burn

Answer 2

injury to body tissue caused by heat, chemicals, electricity, radiation, or gases

Question 3

first-degree burn

Answer 3

a burn involving only the epidermis; characterized by erythemia (redness) and hyperesthesia (excessive sensation)

Question 4

second-degree burn

Answer 4

a burn involving the epidermis and the dermis; characterized by erythema, hyperesthesia, and vesications (blisters)

Question 5

third-degree burns

Answer 5

a burn involving all layers of the skin; characterized by the destruction of the epidermis and dermis, with damage or destruction of subcutaneous tissue

Question 6

dermatitis

Answer 6

inflammation of the skin characterized by erythema, pruritus (itching), and various lesions

Question 7

dermatosis

Answer 7

any disorder of the skin

Question 8

exanthematous viral disease

Answer 8

an eruption of the skin caused by a viral disease (exanthema = eruption)

Question 9

rubella

Answer 9

reddish; German measles

Question 10

rubeola

Answer 10

reddish; 14-day measles

Question 11

varicella

Answer 11

a tiny spot; chickenpox

Question 12

eczema

Answer 12

to boil out; often used interchangeable with dermatitis to denote a skin condition characterized by the appearance of inflamed, swollen papules and vesicles that crust and scale, often with sensations of itching and burning

Question 13

furnuncle

Answer 13

boil; a painful nodule formed in the skin by inflammation originating in a hair folicle; cause by staphalococcosis

Question 14

carbuncle

Answer 14

a skin infection consisting of clusters of furnuncles (carbo = small, glowing embers)

Question 15

abscess

Answer 15

a localized collection of pus in a cavity formed by the inflammation of surrounding tissues, which heals when drained or excised (abscessus = a going away)

Question 16

gangrene

Answer 16

an eating sore; death of tissue associated with loss of blood supply

Question 17

herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1)

Answer 17

transient viral vesicles (e.g., cold sores or fever blisters) that infect the facial area, especially the mouth and nose (herpes = creeping skin disease)

Question 18

herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2)

Answer 18

sexually transmitted, ulcer-like lesions of the genital and anorectal skin and mucosa; after initial infection, the virus lies dormant in the nerve cell root and may recur at times of stress

Question 19

herpes zoster

Answer 19

a viral disease affecting the peripheral nerves characterized by painful blisters that spread over the skin following affected nerves, usually unilateral; also known as shingles (zoster = girdle)

Question 20

impetigo

Answer 20

a highly contagious, bacterial skin inflammation marked by pustules that rupture and become crusted, most often around the mouth and nostrils

Question 21

keratoses

Answer 21

thickened areas of the epidermis

Question 22

actinic (or solar) keratoses

Answer 22

localized thickening of the skin caused by excessive exposure to sunlight, a known precursor to cancer (actinic = ray; solar = sun)

Question 23

seborrheic keratoses

Answer 23

benign, wart-like tumors; more common on elderly skin

Question 24

lupus

Answer 24

a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation of various parts of the body (lupus = wolf)

Question 25

cutaneous lupus

Answer 25

limited to the surface of the skin; evidenced by a characteristic rash, especially on the face, neck, and scalp

Question 26

systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE)

Answer 26

a more severe form of lupus involving the skin, joints, and often vital organs

Question 27

malignant cutaneous neoplasm

Answer 27

skin cancer

Question 28

squamous cell carcinoma

Answer 28

malignant tumor of the squamous epithelium

Question 29

basil cell carcinoma (BCC)

Answer 29

malignant tumor of the basal layer of the epidermis; the most common type of skin cancer

Question 30

malignant melanoma

Answer 30

malignant tumor composed of melanocytes

Question 31

Kaposi sarcoma

Answer 31

malignant tumor of the wall of blood vessels, appearing as painless, dark bluish-purple plaques on the skin; often spreads to the lymph nodes and internal organs; commonly seen in patients with HIV/AIDS

Question 32

onychia

Answer 32

inflammation of the fingernail or toenail

Question 33

paronychia

Answer 33

inflammation of the nail fold

Question 34

pediculosis

Answer 34

infestation with lice that causes itching and dermatitis

Question 35

pediculosis capitis

Answer 35

head lic (capitus = head)

Question 36

pediculosis pubis

Answer 36

lice that generally infect the pubic region and sometimes also hair of the axilla, eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, or other hairy body surfaces; also called crabs (pubis = groin)

Question 37

psorasis

Answer 37

itching; a chronic, recurrent skin disease marked by silvery scales covering red patches, papules, and/or plaques on the skin that result from overproduction and thickening of the skin cells; common sites of involvement are the elbows, knees, genitals, arms, legs, scalp, and nails

Question 38

scabies

Answer 38

a contagious disease caused by a parasite (mite) that invades the skin, causing an intense itch, most often at articulations between the fingers or toes, elbow, etc. (scabo = to scratch)

Question 39

seborrhea

Answer 39

a skin condition marked by the hypersecretion of sebum from the sebaceous glands

Question 40

tinea

Answer 40

a group of fungal skin diseases identified by the body part affected, including tinea corporis (body), commonly called ringworm, and tinea pedis (foot), also called athlete’s foot

Question 41

vitiligo

Answer 41

a condition caused by the destruction of melanin that results in the appearance of white patches on the skin (commonly the face, hands, legs, and genital areas)