(Q4) Diseases of the Nervous System (Ch.13) Flashcards
Trauma to the Head
- Common occurances
Cerebral Hemorrhage
- An emergency condition in which a ruptured blood vessel causes bleeding inside the brain.
- Categorized in relation to the meninges: extra-dural, subdural, subarachnoid
Epidural Hematoma
- Traumatic accumulation of blood between the skull and the dural membrane
- frequently due to rupture of a meningeal artery
- I think in this case cerebral hemorrhage and epidural hematoma are the same
Extra-dural Hemorrhage/Hematoma
Bleeding in the brain between the dura mater and the cranial bones
Sub-dural Hemorrhage/Hematoma
Bleeding in the brain between the dura mater and arachnoid mater
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage/hematoma
Bleeding between the pia mater and the arachnoid membrane
Contusion
- An injury to the brain where the skin has not been broken at the site of the injury
- Bruising of the brain accompanied by swelling and pain
Fracture
Bone in the skull is broken
Laceration
Tearing of the brain itself
Concussion
- Blow to the head that does not causes a fracture, laceration or hemorrhage
- A concussion occurs when the brain shifts inside the skull, striking the sides
- injury is widespread throughout the brain
Encephalitis
- Inflammation of the brain
-Two types: primary and secondary
Primary Encephalitis
Encephalitis that occurs when a virus directly invades the brain and spinal cord
Secondary Encephalitis
- Postinfectious encephalitis
- A virus that first infects another part of the body and then spreads to the brain
Common Causes of Encephalitis
- Viral encephalitis: mosquito-borne
- Malaria
- Influenza
- Measles
- Typhus Fever
- herpes 1 and 2
-Varicella-zoster virus - Epstein barr virus
- herpes virus, childhood infections, and arboviruses
Encephalomyelitis
Inflammation of the brain and spinal cord
Meningitis
Inflammation of the meninges surrounding the brain and spinal cord
Common Causes of Meningitis
- Hemophilus influenzae
- Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus)
- Neisseria meningitis (meningococcus)
How does meningitis organisms reach the meninges?
- Via either the blood, lymphatic system, or as extensions of local infections such as otitis media and mastoiditis
Myelitis
Inflammation of the spinal cord
Common causes of myelitis
- Injury of the spinal cord
- Polio virus (may cause paralysis)
Neuritis
Inflammation of a nerve or nerves
Common causes of neuritis
- Microbial
- Trauma
- Contusion
- Toxins
Rabies
- A deadly virus spread to people from the saliva of infected animals.
- An infection that affects the nervous system
Common causes of rabies
- Animal bites of infected raccoons, foxes, skunks, bats and dogs
Stroke
- Apoplexy, Cerebrovascular accident (CVA), Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
- Circulatory interruption occurring in the brain
Common causes of stroke
- Thrombosis
- Embolism
Hemorrhage
Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)
- mini stroke
- Temporary interference with the blood supply to a part of the brain
- no permanent damage usually occurs
Hydrocephalus
Water on the brain
- Condition which results when there is a blockage to the normal outflow of cerebrospinal fluid
Epilepsy
- A disorder of the brain characterized by repeated seizures.
- Results from some form of interference with normal electrical activity to the brain
Common causes of epilepsy
- Brain injury
- Trauma at birth
- Tumors
- Many causes are unknown
Grand Mal Epilepsy
- More serious form of epilepsy
- Characterized by strong convulsions, incontinence, making peculiar sounds, biting the tongue, excess salivation
Petite Mal Epilepsy
- Milder form of epilepsy
- Characterized by dizziness and brief loss of consciousness
- more common in children and may disappear by early adulthood
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
- T cells attack the nerves, messing up communication to the brain
- Chronic, degenerative disease affecting the nervous system in which infiltrating lymphocytes (T cells and macrophages) degrade the myelin sheath of nerves
- usually affects young adults (20-40 yrs)
- Assumed to be an autoimmune disease
- Characterized by muscular weakness and incoordination, tremors, paralysis, vision problems, rapid eyeball movements, destruction of myelin sheaths, impaired motor and sensory nerve impulses
Parkinson’s Disease/Shaking Palsy
- Chronic, degenerative, debilitating disease of the nervous system
- Develops later in life; no cure
- Characterized by muscular rigidity, expressionless face, peculiar gait, stooping forward
- Amyloid plaques (neurofibrillary tangles) affect the brain
- Most common form of dementia among older people in the US
Cerebral Palsy
- Non-progressive nervous system disorder affecting young children
- Usually the result of some type of brain damage either before or shortly after birth
- the most common motor disability in childhood
- Characterized by exaggerated reflexes, floppy or rigid limbs, and involuntary motions, possible mental retardation
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
- A rare, rapidly worsening brain disorder that causes unique changes in brain tissue and affects muscle coordination thinking, and memory
- Caused by a prion
- Has a long dormant period, proves fatal within a year, noncontagious
- Most infectious tissues and fluids are those of the nervous system and eyes
Alzheimer’s Disease
- A nervous system disorder characterized by loss of memory, mood changes, and other mental disturbances
- Destruction of neuron in the cortex, deposition of plaques upon the nerve fibers
Sundowning
- Confusion or disorientation that increases in the afternoon and evening
- Associated with Alzheimer’s disease
Glioma
- malignant, fast-growing tumors of glial cells
(glial cells provide physical and metabolic support to neurons)
Lou Gehrig’s Disease/Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
- A progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
- The result of the degeneration of specific nerve cells in the central nervous system that control voluntary movement
- Characterized by difficulty swallowing, severe muscle twitching and cramping, speech impairment, loss of motor control, persistent fatigue
Dysphagia
Difficulty swallowing
Seizures
Sudden, uncontrolled discharges of electrical activity in the brain
Convulsions
An abnormal, violent, and involuntary contraction or series of contractions of the muscles
- seizures may cause convulsions but may have other causes
Spina Bifida
A congenital defect in which the spinal cord protrudes
- can cause membranes to push through the opening and cause a tumor (spina bifida cystica)
Embalming Considerations for Diseases of the Nervous System
- Adequate disinfection
- Special concern about the cranial cavity
- Hemorrhages
- Atrophy of the body’s organs or parts
- brain purge
- diminished circulation
