Medical Terminology and Conditions Flashcards
(31 cards)
Demyelination
Loss or destruction of myelin sheaths around axons in the CNS or PNS
Guillain-Barré syndrome GBS
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.
Neuroblastoma
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.
Neuropathy
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.
Rabies
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.
Analgesia
Pain relief
Anesthesia
Loss of sensation
Dementia
Permanent or progressive general loss of intellectual abilities, including impairment of memory, judgment, and abstract thinking, and changes in personality.
Encephalitis
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.
Meningitis
Inflammation of the meninges
Nerve block
Loss of sensation due to injection of a local anesthetic; an example is local dental anesthesia.
Neuralgia
Attacks of pain along the entire length or a branch of a peripheral sensory nerve.
Neuritis
Inflammation of one or several nerves, resulting from irritation caused by bone fractures, contusions, or penetrating injuries.
Reye syndrome
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.
Sciatica
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.
Anosmia
Total lack of sense of smell
Barotrauma
Damage or pain, mainly effecting the middle ear, as a result of pressure changes.
Blepharitis
An inflammation of the eyelid.
Cochlear implant
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.
Conjunctivitis (pinkeye)
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.
Corneal transplant
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.
Detached retina
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.
Diabetic retinopathy
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.
Nystagmus
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.
