Chapter 19 Glossary- Diabetic Emergencies And Altered Mental Status

Question 1

aura

Answer 1

a sensation experienced by a seizure patient right before the seizure, which might be a smell, sound, or general feeling.

Question 2

diabetes mellitus

Answer 2

also called “sugar diabetes” or just “diabetes”, the condition brought about by decreased insulin production or the inability of the body cells to use insulin properly. the person with this condition is a diabetic.

Question 3

diabetic ketoacidosis

Answer 3

a condition that occurs as the result of high blood sugar (hyperglycemia), characterized by dehydration, altered mental status, and shock.

Question 4

epilepsy

Answer 4

a medical condition that causes seizures.

Question 5

generalized seizure

Answer 5

a seizure that affects both sides of the brain.

Question 6

glucose

Answer 6

a form of sugar, the body’s basic source of energy.

Question 7

hyperglycemia

Answer 7

high blood sugar.

Question 8

hypoglycemia

Answer 8

low blood sugar.

Question 9

insulin

Answer 9

a hormone produced by the pancreas or taken as a medication by many diabetics.

Question 10

partial seizure

Answer 10

a seizure that affects only one part or one side of the brain.

Question 11

postical phase

Answer 11

the period of time immediately following a tonic-clonic seizure in which the patient goes from full loss of consciousness to fill mental status.

Question 12

reticular activating system (RAS)

Answer 12

series of neurologic circuits in the brain that control the functions of staying awake, paying attention, and sleeping.

Question 13

seizure

Answer 13

a sudden change in sensation, behavior, or movement. the most severe form of seizure produces violent muscle contractions called convulsions.

Question 14

sepsis

Answer 14

infection, especially a severe, systemwide response to infection.

Question 15

status epilepticus

Answer 15

a prolonged seizure or situation when a person suffers two or more conclusive seizures without regaining full consciousness.

Question 16

stroke

Answer 16

a condition of altered function caused when an artery in the brain is blocked or ruptured, disrupting the supply of oxygenated blood or causing bleeding into the brain. formerly called a cerebrovascular accident (CVA).

Question 17

syncope

Answer 17

fainting.

Question 18

tonic-clonic seizure

Answer 18

a generalized seizure in which the patient loses consciousness and has jerking movements of paired muscle groups.