Disease States Flashcards
Explain Reye’s syndrome and it’s causes
-Swelling of the brain and liver
-Rare but serious most common in children
-caused by a viral infection or aspirin use
What is Menieres disease?
An inner ear disorder that causes episodes of vertigo (spinning).
Describe Hashimotos disease
a common cause of hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid). Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune condition – immune system cells attack the thyroid gland, and the resulting inflammation and destruction of thyroid tissue reduces the thyroid’s ability to make hormones.
Describe graves disease
An autoimmune condition where the thyroid is overacting causing increased levels of thyroid hormones.
What is cushings disease?
A condition that occurs from exposure to high cortisol levels for a long time.
The most common cause is the use of steroid drugs, but it can also occur from overproduction of cortisol by the adrenal glands.
Signs are a fatty hump between the shoulders, a rounded face and pink or purple stretch marks.
Treatment options include reducing steroid use, surgery, radiation and medication.
What is pagets disease?
A chronic disease that disrupts the replacement of old bone tissue with new bone tissue. The bones most commonly affected include the pelvis and the skull.
Explain rickets?
Rickets is a bone disease that affects infants and young children. The child’s growing bones fail to develop properly due to a lack of vitamin D. This can result in soft and weakened bones, fractures, bone and muscle pain, and bony deformities.
What is addisons disease?
A disorder in which the adrenal glands don’t produce enough hormones.
Specifically, the adrenal glands produce insufficient amounts of the hormone cortisol and sometimes aldosterone, too. When the body is under stress (e.g. fighting an infection), this deficiency of cortisol can result in a life threatening Addisonian crisis characterised by low blood pressure.
What is blepharitis?
Seborrhoeic blepharitis is a type of seborrhoeic dermatitis characterised by greasy, easily removed scales on the lid margin.
Staphylococcal blepharitis is less common, characterised by adherent crusts and shallow ulceration of the eyelash base; it may be associated with marginal keratitis.
What is a chalazion?
A large red bump like cyst on the eye lid
what are the symptoms of meningitis and what is it caused by
Inflammation of the tissues surrounding the brain and spinal cord.
Usually caused by infections from pathogens N. meningitidis, S. pneumoniae, L. monocytogenes, H. influenzae.
Symptoms include high fever, stiff neck, headache, nausea, vomiting, seizures, sleepiness, light sensitivity
Explain multiple sclerosis
Where the immune system attacks myelin (the material that insulates our nerve cells - demyelination) in our brain, eyes and spinal cord.
What is pre-eclampsia and eclampsia?
Preeclampsia is a serious condition of pregnancy, usually characterised by high blood pressure, protein in the urine and severe swelling.
