chp. 40 key terms Flashcards
Addiction
A physical or psychological dependence on a substance. pattern of behavior that includes obsessive or compulsive preoccupation with the substance
Bilirubin
bile pigment formed by the breakdown of hemoglobin in the liver
Contraindication
symptom that renders use of a remedy or procedure inadvisable, usually because of risk.
Enuresis
Bed-wetting.
Fontanels
Soft spots in an infant’s skull that consist of tough membranes that connect to incompletely developed bone.
growth chart
A chart consisting of percentile curves that are used to determine a child’s growth in relation to average rates.
Immunizations
Administration of a vaccine to protect susceptible individuals from communicable diseases.
Jaundice
A condition characterized by yellowness of the skin, eyes, mucous membranes, and excretions; occurs in newborns due to an inability to break down bilirubin and in people of all ages during the second stage of hepatitis infection.
Menarche
A woman’s first menstrual period.
moro reflex
A reflex in which an infant’s arms spread out and then back in, often with crying, because the infant feels as if she is falling. The moro reflex is a result of the infant’s immature nervous system.
phenylketonuria
A genetically inherited disorder in which the body cannot properly metabolize the nutrient phenylalanine, resulting in the buildup of phenylketones in the blood and their presence in the urine. The accumulation of phenylketones results in mental retardation.
puberty
The period of adolescence when a person begins to develop secondary sexual traits and reproductive functions.
substance abuse
The use of a substance in a way that is not medically approved, such as using diet pills to stay awake or consuming large quantities of cough syrup that contains codeine. Substance abusers are not necessarily addicts.
