Chapter 39 - Geriatrics

Question 1

acute

Answer 1

with rapid onset.

Question 2

ageism

Answer 2

stereotyping or discrimination against old people.

Question 3

Alzheimer’s disease

Answer 3

disease characterized by cerebral function loss as seen with diseases that affect the brain.

Question 4

arteriosclerosis

Answer 4

disease process that causes the loss of elasticity in the vascular walls from thickening and hardening of the vessels.

Question 5

aspiration pneumonia

Answer 5

inflammation of the lungs caused by the aspiration of vomitus or other foreign matter.

Question 6

cardiac hypertrophy

Answer 6

an increase in the size of the heart from a thickening of the heart wall, without a parallel increase in the size of the cavity.

Question 7

chronic

Answer 7

long term, progressing gradually.

Question 8

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Answer 8

umbrella term used to describe pulmonary diseases such as emphysema or chronic bronchitis.

Question 9

congestive heart failure (CHF)

Answer 9

a cardiac disease in which the heart cannot pump blood sufficiently to meet the needs of the body.

Question 10

delirium

Answer 10

sudden onset altered mental status that may involve illusions, disjointed thought processes, incoherent speech, and increased or decreased psychomotor activity.

Question 11

dementia

Answer 11

chronic condition rustling in the malfunctioning of normal cerebral processes.

Question 12

drug toxicity

Answer 12

an adverse or toxic reaction to a drug or drugs.

Question 13

dysrhythmias

Answer 13

irregular contraction of the myocardium secondary to electrical disturbances in the heart.

Question 14

hyperthermia

Answer 14

abnormally high core body temperature; core body temperature above the normal 37C (98.6F)

Question 15

hypothermia

Answer 15

abnormally low core body temperature; core body temperature under 35C (95F). See also generalized hypothermia.

Question 16

intercranial pressure (ICP)

Answer 16

the amount of pressure within the skull.

Question 17

kyphosis

Answer 17

abnormal curvature of the spine with convexity backward. Also called slouch.

Question 18

neuropathy

Answer 18

any disease of the nerves. Peripheral neuropathy is a syndrome in which weakness, numbness, tingling, or other neuropathic symptoms are experienced in the extremities, especially the hands and feet.

Question 19

osteoporosis

Answer 19

a degenerative bone disorder associated with an accelerated loss of minerals, primarily calcium, from the bone.

Question 20

pneumonia

Answer 20

infection of the lungs, usually from a bacterium or virus.

Question 21

pulmonary edema

Answer 21

fluid in and around the alveoli in the lungs.

Question 22

pulmonary embolism

Answer 22

blockage in the pulmonary arteries of the lungs.

Question 23

seizure

Answer 23

a sudden and temporary alteration in the mental status caused by massive electrical discharge in a group of nerve cells in the brain.

Question 24

silent heart attack

Answer 24

a myocardial infarction (heart attack) that does not cause chest pain or discomfort.

Question 25

stenosis

Answer 25

contraction or narrowing of a passage or opening, for example of the valves of the heart.

Question 26

stroke

Answer 26

a sudden disruption in blood flow to the brain that results in brain cell damage. Blood flow might be interrupted by a ruptured artery or blocked by a clot or other foreign matter in an artery that supplies the brain.

Question 27

syncope

Answer 27

a brief period of unresponsiveness caused by a lack of blood flow to the brain; fainting.

Question 28

transient ischemic attack (TIA)

Answer 28

brief, intermittent episode with stroke like symptoms that typically disappear within minutes, but usually last no longer than 1 hour. TIAs are caused by an oxygen deficit in the brain tissue (ischemia) and are often a precursor to a stroke.