Chapter 16: Skin: Pathology and Laboratory Tests Flashcards
lesion
Area of abnormal tissue anywhere on the body
crust
Collection of dried serum and cellular debris
cyst
Thick-walled, closed sac or pouch containing fluid or semisolid material
erosion
Wearing away or loss of epidermis
fissure
Groove or crack-like sore
macule
Flat, pigmented lesion measuring less than 1 cm in diameter
patch
A macule over 1 cm in diameter
nodule
Solid, round or oval elevated lesion 1 cm or more in diameter
papule
Small (less than 1 cm in diameter) solid elevation of the skin
polyp
Growth extending from the surface of mucous membrane
pustule
Papule containing pus
ulcer
Open sore on the skin or mucous membrane (deeper than an erosion)
decubitus ulcer
Bedsores caused by pressure that results from lying in one position
abscess
Collection of pus
pilonidal cyst
Cyst found over the sacral area of the back in the midline and contains hairs
sebaceous cyst
A collection of yellowish, cheesy sebum commonly found on the scalp, vulva, and scrotum
plaque
Elevated flat lesion
pimple
Type of papule
vesicle
Small collection (papule) of clear fluid (serum); blister
bulla
(singular)
bullae
(plural)
A large vesicle
wheal
Smooth, edematous (swollen) papule or plaque that is centrally redder or paler than the surrounding skin
alopecia
Absence of hair from areas where it normally grows
alopecia areata
An autoimmune disease in which hair falls out in patches without scarring or inflammation
ecchymosis
(singular)
ecchymoses
(plural)
Bluish-purplish mark (bruise) on the skin
petechia
(singular)
petechiae
(plural)
Small, pinpoint hemorrhage
pruritus
Itching
acne
Chronic papular and pustular eruption of the skin with increased production of sebum
acne vulgaris
Caused by buildup of sebum and keratin in the pores of the skin
comedo
(singular)
comedone
(plural)
Blackhead
whitehead
A pore becomes completely blocked
burns
Injury to tissues caused by heat contact
first-degree burn
Superficial epidermal lesions, erythema, hyperesthesia, and no blisters
second-degree burn
partial-thickness burn injury
Epidermal and dermal lesions, erythema, blisters, and hyperesthesia
third-degree burn
full-thickness burn injury
Epidermis and dermis are destroyed (necrosis of skin) and subcutaneous layer is damaged, leaving charred, white tissue
cellulitis
Diffuse, acute infection of the skin marked by local heat, redness, pain, and swelling
eczema
atopic dermatitis
Inflammatory skin disease with erythematosus, papulovesicular, or papalosquamous lesions
exanthematous viral diseases
Rash (exanthem) of the skin due to a viral infection
rubella
German measles
rubeola
Measles
varicella
Chickenpox
gangrene
Death of tissue associated with loss of blood supply
impetigo
Bacterial inflammatory skin disease characterized by vesicles, pustules, and crusted-over lesions
psoriasis
Chronic, recurrent dermatosis marked by itchy, scaly, red plaques covered by silvery gray scales
palliative
Relieving symptoms but not curing
scabies
Contagious, parasitic infection of the skin with intense pruritus
scleroderma
Chronic progressive disease of the skin and internal organs with hardening and shrinking of connective tissue
systemic lupus erythematosus
SLE
Chronic autoimmune disease of collagen in skin, joints, and internal organs
discoid lupus erythematosus
Photosensitive, scaling, plaque-like eruption of the skin confined to the face, scalp, ears, chest, arms, and back. It heals with scarring
lupus vulgaris
A cutaneous form of tuberculosis
tinea
Infection of the skin caused by a fungus
tinea corporis
Ringworm. Infection is in a ring-like pattern
tinea pedia
Athlete’s foot
tinea capitis
Skin infection on the scalp
tinea barbae
Skin infection under a beard
tinea unguium
Skin infection of the nails
urticaria
hives
Acute allergic reaction in which red, round wheals develop on the skin
angioedema
Swelling around the face
vitiligo
Loss of pigment (depigmentation) in areas of the skin (milk-white patches). Form of leukoderma
callus
Increased growth of cells in the keratin layer of the epidermis caused by pressure or friction
corn
Type of callus that develops a hard core (a whitish, cone-shaped central kernel)
keloid
Excess hypertrophied, thickened scar developing after trauma or surgical incision
keratosis
Thickened and rough lesion of the epidermis; associated with aging or skin damage
cicatric
A normal scar left by a healed wound
actinic keratosis
A precancerous lesion caused by long-term ultraviolet light exposure. Can evolve into squamous cell carcinoma
seborrheic keratosis
A benign lesion that results from overgrowth of the upper epidermis and is dark in colour
leukoplakia
White, thickened patches on mucous membrane tissue of the tongue or cheek. Evolves to squamous cell carcinoma
nevus
(singular)
nevi
(plural)
Pigmented lesion of the skin. Commonly known as moles
dysplastic nevi
Moles that have atypical calls and may progress to form a type of skin cancer called melanoma
verruca
(singular)
verrucae
(plural)
Epidermal growth (wart) caused by a virus
verruca vulgaris
More frequent type of wart
plantar wart
Occur on the soles of the feet
basal cell carcinoma
Malignant tumor of the basal cell layer of the epidermis
squamous cell carcincoma
Malignant tumor of the squamous epithelial cells in the epidermis
malignant melanoma
Cancerous growth composed of melanocytes
Kaposi sarcoma
Malignant, vascular neoplastic growth characterized by cutaneous nodules
bacterial analyses
Samples of skin are examined for presence of microorganisms
fungal tests
Scraping from skin lesions, hair specimens, or nail clippings are sent to a laboratory for culture and microscopic examination
cryosurgery
Use of subfreezing temperature achieved with liquid nitrogen application to destroy tissue
curettage
Use of a sharp dermal curette to scrape away a skin lesion
electrodesiccation
Tissue is destroyed by burning with an electric spark
Mohs surgery
Thin layers of malignant tissue are removed, and each slice is examined microscopically to check for adequate extent of the resection
skin biopsy
Suspicious skin lesions are removed or sampled and examined microscopically by a pathologist
skin test
Substances are injected intradermally or applied to the skin, and results are observed
patch test
An allergen-treated piece of gauze or filter paper is applied to the skin
scratch test
Several scratches are made in the skin and a very minute amount of test material is inserted into the scratches
