terminology Flashcards
xerostomia
Salivary glands in the mouth do not make enough saliva to keep the mouth wet
Wheeze
A high pitched or coarse whistling sound that’s heard in the respiratory airway when one breathes.
Vesicular breath sounds
Heard over lower lung fields
Vertigo
A sense of spinning experienced even when someone is perfectly still.
Turgor
The degree of elasticity of skin, sometimes referred to as skin turgor
Thrombus
Semi-solid masses of blood that can either remain stationary (thrombosis) and obstruct blood flow or break loose (embolism) and migrate to different places of the body.
(Blood Clot)
Syncope
Fainting resulting from certain stressful triggers which lead to sudden drop in blood pressure and heart rate.
(Dizziness)
Stridor
High-pitched breath sounds resulting from airflow through an obstructed airway
Rhonchi
Rhonchi are continuous low pitched, rattling lung sounds that often resemble snoring. Obstruction or secretions in larger airways are frequent causes of rhonchi. They can be heard in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchiectasis, pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, or cystic fibrosis.
Pyrexia
Abnormal increase in body temperature (fever)
Ptosis
A condition in which there is drooping of upper eyelid either in one eye or both the eyes.
Pitting edema
occurs when excess fluid builds up in the body, causing swelling; when pressure is applied to the swollen area, a “pit”, or indentation, will remain.
Pallor
extreme paleness or a lack of healthy color in the skin. An example of pallor is when you are sick and your face is very pale as a result.
Orthostatic
of, relating to, or caused by an upright posture
(orthostatic hypotension)
Orthopnea
Difficulty in breathing while lying down.
Neutropenia
Low white blood count, less than 1.5
Neuralgia
A severe pain due to damaged nerves that causes severe burning pain
Malaise
Feeling uncomfortable, ill or lack of energy but you cannot explain the cause
Leukorrhea
White vaginal discharge
Leukocytes
White blood cell type
Leukocytosis
A higher than normal level of white blood cells in the blood. Greater than 10,000/mm3
Laparotomy
a surgical incision into the abdominal cavity, for diagnosis or in preparation for surgery
Jaundice
Characterized by a yellow discoloration of the eyes, skin, and urine
hyperemia
Increase of blood flow to specific tissues in the body
hemopytysis
the coughing up of blood.
emaciated
abnormally thin or weak, especially because of illness or a lack of food
edentulous
lacking teeth
dysphagia
A condition with difficulty in swallowing food or liquid. This may interfere in a person’s ability to eat and drink
dyspepsia
A condition where digestion is impaired. It causes persistent or recurrent pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen
dysphasia
Difficulty with speech
Diaphoresis
Sweating that does not occur due to heat but follows a sudden chill feeling in the body
(cold sweat)
Excessive sweating
Clubbing
Enlarge terminal phalanx of finger- caused by oxygenation deprivation
Cerumen
Earwax
Cachexia
general physical wasting and malnutrition usually associated with chronic disease
End stage emaciation, not easily fixed with nutrition. Due to disease.
Bruit
Abnormal sound made when blood rushes through a partly blocked blood vessel “whooshing sound”
Bronchovesicular
Normal sound heard between 1st and 2nd intercostal spaces anteriorly, and between scapula posteriorly
Bronchial
Bronchus: A large air tube that begins at the end of the trachea and branches into the lungs
Atrophy
A progressive and degeneration or shrikage of muscles or nerve tissues
Ataxia
describes poor muscle control that causes clumsy voluntary movements. It may cause difficulty with walking and balance, hand coordination, speech and swallowing, and eye movements.
Usually due to cerebellum damage.
Ascites
abnormal accumulation of fluid in the abdomen.
Rapidly developing (acute) ascites can occur as a complication of trauma, perforated ulcer, appendicitis, or inflammation of the colon or other tube-shaped organ
Aphasia
A comprehension and communication (reading, speaking, or writing) disorder resulting from damage or injury to the specific area in the brain
Anoxia
extreme form of hypoxia (low levels of oxygen in the blood) in which there is a complete lack of oxygen supply to the body as a whole or to a specific organ or tissue region.