Week 5: Chapter 24 Clinical Terms

Question 1

Appetite

Answer 1

A desire for food. A psychological phenomenon dependent on memory and associations, as opposed to hunger, which is a physiological need to eat.

Question 2

Familial hypercholestorolemia

Answer 2

An inherited condition in which the LDL receptors are absent or abnormal, the uptake of cholesterol by tissue cells is blocked, and the total concentration of cholesterol and LDLs in the blood if enormously elevated. Atherosclerosis develops at an early age, heart attacks begin in the third or fourth decade, and most die by age 60 from coronary artery disease. Treatment entails dietary modifications, exercise and cholesterol-reducing drugs.

Question 3

Pica

Answer 3

The craving and eating of nonfood substances such as clay or dirt.

Question 4

Protein energy malnutrition

Answer 4

Severe deficiency of calories and protein. Marasmus, caused by inadequate overall calorie intake, results in weight loss and depletion of fat and muscle. Kwashiorkor is caused by proportionately lower protein intake than calories in children. It is characterised by a bloated abdomen (edema) because the amount of plasma proteins is inadequate to keep fluid in the bloodstream. Skin lesions and infections are likely. In children, both conditions cause failure to grow.

Question 5

Skin-fold test

Answer 5

Clinical test of body fatness. A skin fold in the back of the arm or below the scapula is measured with a caliper. A fold over 1 inch in thickness indicates excess fat.