Medical Terminology and Conditions

Question 1

Demyelination

Answer 1

Loss or destruction of myelin sheaths around axons in the CNS or PNS

Question 2

Guillain-Barré syndrome GBS

Answer 2

A demyelinating disorder in which macrophages remove myelin from PNS axons. It is a common cause of sudden paralysis and may result from the immune systems response to a bacterial infection. Most patients recover completely or partially, 15% remain paralyzed.

Question 3

Neuroblastoma

Answer 3

A malignant tumor that consists of immature nerve cells (neuroblasts); most common in the abdomen and most frequently in the adrenal glands. Although rare its the most common tumor in infants.

Question 4

Neuropathy

Answer 4

Any disorder that affects the nervous system but particularly a disorder of a cranial or spinal nerve. Bell’s palsy, a disorder of the facial nerve.

Question 5

Rabies

Answer 5

A fatal disease caused by a virus that reaches the CNS via fast axonal transport. Usually transmitted by an infected meat-eating animal. The symptoms are excitement, aggressiveness, madness followed by paralysis and death.

Question 6

Analgesia

Answer 6

Pain relief

Question 7

Anesthesia

Answer 7

Loss of sensation

Question 8

Dementia

Answer 8

Permanent or progressive general loss of intellectual abilities, including impairment of memory, judgment, and abstract thinking, and changes in personality.

Question 9

Encephalitis

Answer 9

An acute inflammation of the brain caused by either a direct attack by any of several viruses or an allergic reaction to any of the many viruses that are normally harmless to the CNS. If it affects the spinal cord as well it is called encephalomyelitis.

Question 10

Meningitis

Answer 10

Inflammation of the meninges

Question 11

Nerve block

Answer 11

Loss of sensation due to injection of a local anesthetic; an example is local dental anesthesia.

Question 12

Neuralgia

Answer 12

Attacks of pain along the entire length or a branch of a peripheral sensory nerve.

Question 13

Neuritis

Answer 13

Inflammation of one or several nerves, resulting from irritation caused by bone fractures, contusions, or penetrating injuries.

Question 14

Reye syndrome

Answer 14

Occurs after a viral infection, particularly chickenpox or influenza, most often in children or teens who have taken aspirin; characterized by vomitting and brain dysfunction (disorientation, lethargy and personality changes) that may progress to coma and death.

Question 15

Sciatica

Answer 15

A type of neuritis characterized by severe pain along the path of the sciatic nerve or its branches; may be caused by a slipped disc, pelvic injury, osteoarthritis of the backbone or pressure from an expanding uterus during pregnancy.

Question 16

Anosmia

Answer 16

Total lack of sense of smell

Question 17

Barotrauma

Answer 17

Damage or pain, mainly effecting the middle ear, as a result of pressure changes.

Question 18

Blepharitis

Answer 18

An inflammation of the eyelid.

Question 19

Cochlear implant

Answer 19

A device that translates sound into electrical signals that can be interrupted by the brain. It is especially useful for people with deafness caused by damage to hair cells in the cochlea.

Question 20

Conjunctivitis (pinkeye)

Answer 20

An inflammation of the conjunctiva; when caused by bacteria such as pneumococci, staphylococci, or hemophilus influenzae. It is very contagious and more common in children.

Question 21

Corneal transplant

Answer 21

A procedure in which a defective cornea is removed and a donor cornea of similar diameter is sewn in.it is the most common and most successful transplant operation. Since the cornea is avascular, antibodies in the blood that might cause rejection do not enter the transplanted tissue, and rejection rarely occurs.

Question 22

Detached retina

Answer 22

Detachment of the neural portion of the retina from the pigment epithelium due to trauma, disease, or age-related degeneration. The result is distorted vision and blindness.

Question 23

Diabetic retinopathy

Answer 23

Degenerative disease of the retina due to diabetes mellitus, in which blood vessels in the retina are damaged or new ones grow and interfere with vision.

Question 24

Nystagmus

Answer 24

A rapid involuntary movement of the eyeballs, possibly caused by a disease of the central nervous system. It is associated with conditions that cause vertigo.

Question 25

Otalgia

Answer 25

Earache

Question 26

Retinoblastoma

Answer 26

A tumor arising from immature retinal cells; it accounts for 2% of childhood cancers.

Question 27

Scotoma

Answer 27

An area of reduced or lost vision in the visual field.

Question 28

Strabismus

Answer 28

An imbalance in the extrinsic eye muscles that causes a misalignment of one eye so that it’s line of vision is not parallel with that of the other eye (cross eyes) and both eyes are not pointed at the same object at the same time; the condition produces a squint.

Question 29

Tinnitus

Answer 29

A ringing, roaring or clicking in the ears.

Question 30

Trachoma

Answer 30

A serious form of conjunctivitis and the greatest single cause of blindness in the world. It is caused by the bacterium chlamydia trachomatis. The disease produces an excessive growth of subjunctival tissue and invasion of blood vessels into the cornea, which progresses until the entire cornea is opaque, causing blindness.

Question 31

Vertigo (dizziness)

Answer 31

A sensation of spinning or movement in which the world seems to revolve or the person seems to revolve in space.