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Chapter 18 vocab
Hartman’s Nursing Assistant Care: Long-Term Care and Home Care, 4th Edition
Term | Definition |
---|---|
acute illness | an illness that has rapid onset, is usually short-term, and is treated immediately. |
chronic illness | a disease or condition that is long-term or long-lasting and requires management of symptoms. |
scabies | a contagious skin infection caused by a tiny mite burrowing into the skin, where it lays eggs; causes intense itching and a skin rash that may look like thin burrow tracks. |
shingles | a skin rash caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) that causes pain, tingling, itching, and a rash of fluid-filled blisters. |
wound | a type of injury to the skin. |
dermatitis | a general term that refers to an inflammation of the skin causing swollen, reddened, irritated, and itchy skin. |
inflammation | swelling. |
fungus | a type of living organism that can sometimes cause illness or infection. |
arthritis | a general term that refers to inflammation of the joints, causing stiffness, pain, and decreased mobility. |
autoimmune illness | an illness in which the body’s immune system attacks normal tissue in the body. |
osteoarthritis | a common type of arthritis that usually affects the hips, knees, fingers, thumbs, and spine; also called degenerative joint disease or degenerative arthritis. |
rheumatoid arthritis | a type of arthritis in which joints become red, swollen, and very painful, resulting in restricted movement and possible deformities. |
osteoporosis | a condition in which bones become porous and brittle, causing them to break easily. |
closed fracture | a broken bone that does not break the skin. |
open fracture | a broken bone that penetrates the skin; also known as compound fracture. |
partial weight-bearing (PWB) | a doctor’s order stating that a person is able to support some body weight on one or both legs. |
non-weight-bearing (NWB) | a doctor’s order stating that a person is unable to touch the floor or support any body weight on one or both legs. |
full weight-bearing (FWB) | a doctor’s order stating that a person has the ability to support full body weight (100%) on both legs. |
prosthesis | a device that replaces a body part that is missing or deformed because of an accident, injury, illness, or birth defect; used to improve a person’s ability to function and/or to improve appearance. |
muscular dystrophy (MD) | a progressive, inherited disease that causes a gradual wasting away of muscle, weakness, and deformity. |
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) | a progressive disease that causes muscle atrophy and eventually leads to death; also called Lou Gehrig’s disease. |
amputation | the surgical removal of some or all of a body part. |
phantom sensation | warmth, itching, or tingling from a body part that has been amputated. |
phantom limb pain | pain in a limb (or extremity) that has been amputated. |
complementary medicine | treatments that are used in addition to the conventional treatments prescribed by a doctor. |
alternative medicine | health practices and treatments used instead of conventional methods. |
Parkinson’s disease | a progressive, incurable disease that causes a section of the brain to degenerate; causes stiff muscles, stooped posture, shuffling gait, pill-rolling, and tremors. |
multiple sclerosis (MS) | a progressive disease in which the myelin sheath breaks down over time; without this protective covering, nerves cannot conduct impulses to and from the brain in a normal way. |
paraplegia | the loss of function of the lower body and legs. |
quadriplegia | the loss of function in the legs, trunk, and arms. |
epilepsy | a brain disorder that results from a disruption in normal electrical impulses in the brain, which causes repeated seizures. |
cataract | a condition in which cloudy spots develop in the lens of the eye, causing vision loss. |
glaucoma | a disease in which increased pressure inside the eye causes damage that often leads to vision loss and blindness. |
diabetic retinopathy | a complication of diabetes caused by damage to the retina; causes spots, blurred vision, and difficulty seeing well at night and may lead to blindness. |
age-related macular degeneration (AMD) | a condition in which the macula gradually deteriorates, causing vision loss and problems such as the inability to recognize faces, drive, read, and write. |
hypertension | high blood pressure, regularly measuring 140/90 mm Hg or higher. |
atherosclerosis | a hardening and narrowing of the blood vessels. |
angina | chest pain, pressure, or discomfort. |
nitroglycerin | a medication that helps to relax the walls of the coronary arteries, allowing them to open and get more blood to the heart; comes in tablet, patch, or spray form. |
myocardial infarction (MI) | a condition that occurs when the heart muscle does not receive enough oxygen because blood flow to the heart is blocked; also called heart attack. |
congestive heart failure (CHF) | a condition in which the heart muscle is damaged and is no longer able to pump effectively. |
peripheral vascular disease (PVD) | a disease in which the legs, feet, arms, or hands do not have enough blood circulation due to fatty deposits in the blood vessels that harden over time; causes cold legs, feet, arms, and hands, as well as pain, swelling, and ulcers of the legs and feet. |
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) | a chronic, progressive, and incurable lung disease that causes difficulty breathing, weakness, and a high risk for lung infections. |
bronchitis | an irritation and inflammation of the lining of the bronchi. |
emphysema | a chronic disease of the lungs that usually results from cigarette smoking. |
pneumonia | a bacterial, viral, or fungal infection that causes acute inflammation in lung tissue, causing fever, chills, cough, greenish sputum, chest pains, and rapid pulse. |
asthma | a chronic inflammatory disease that makes it difficult to breathe and causes coughing and wheezing. |
bronchiectasis | a condition in which the bronchial tubes are abnormally enlarged, causing chronic coughing, thick sputum, recurrent pneumonia, and weight loss. |
upper respiratory infection (URI) | a viral or bacterial infection of the nose, sinuses, and throat causing nasal discharge, sore throat, fever and fatigue. |
lung cancer | the growth of abnormal cells or tumors in the lungs. |
tuberculosis (TB) | a highly contagious disease caused by a bacterium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, that is carried on mucous droplets suspended in the air; causes fatigue, loss of appetite, slight fever, prolonged coughing, and shortness of breath. |
diabetes | a condition in which the pancreas produces no insulin, too little insulin, or does not properly use insulin. |
insulin | a hormone that works to move glucose from the blood and into the cells for energy for the body. |
glucose | natural sugar. |
type 1 diabetes | a type of diabetes in which the pancreas produces no insulin or too little insulin; is usually diagnosed in children and young adults and will continue throughout a person’s life. |
type 2 diabetes | a common form of diabetes in which either the body does not produce enough insulin or the body fails to properly use insulin; typically develops after age 35 and is the milder form of diabetes. |
prediabetes | a condition that occurs when a person’s blood glucose levels are above normal but not high enough for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. |
gestational diabetes | a type of diabetes that appears in pregnant women who have never had diabetes before but who have high glucose levels during pregnancy. |
hyperthyroidism | a condition in which the thyroid produces too much thyroid hormone, causing body processes to speed up, resulting in rapid heartbeat, sweating, weight loss, and nervousness. |
hypothyroidism | a condition in which the body lacks thyroid hormone, causing the body processes to slow down and resulting in fatigue, weight gain, constipation, and intolerance to cold. |
sexually transmitted infections (STIs) | infections caused by sexual contact with infected people; signs and symptoms are not always apparent. |
chlamydia | a sexually transmitted infection that is caused by organisms introduced into the mucous membranes of the reproductive tract. |
syphilis | a type of sexually transmitted infection caused by bacteria; causes open sores on the penis or inside the vagina, as well as headache, fever, weight loss, and muscle aches. |
chancres | open sores. |
gonorrhea | a sexually transmitted infection caused by bacteria; signs include white, yellow, or green discharge from the penis, swollen testes, burning during urination, cloudy vaginal discharge, vaginal bleeding between periods, and rectal itching and soreness. |
genital herpes | an incurable type of sexually transmitted infection that is caused by herpes simplex viruses type 1 (HSV-1) or type 2 (HSV-2); causes painful sores on the genitals. |
genital HPV infection | a sexually transmitted infection caused by human papillomavirus; may cause genital warts and an abnormal pap test, and can lead to cervical cancer. |
benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) | a disorder that can occur in men as they age, in which the prostate becomes enlarged and causes problems with urination and/or emptying the bladder. |
vaginitis | an inflammation of the vagina that may be caused by bacteria, protozoa, or a fungus. |
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) | the final stage of HIV infection, in which infections, tumors, and central nervous system symptoms appear due to a weakened immune system that is unable to fight infection. |
AIDS dementia complex | a group of symptoms including memory loss, poor coordination, paralysis, and confusion that occurs in the late stages of AIDS due to damage to the central nervous system. |
Kaposi’s sarcoma | a rare form of skin cancer that appears as purple, red, or brown skin lesions. |
opportunistic infections | infections that invade the body when the immune system is weak and unable to defend itself. |
neuropathy | numbness, tingling, and pain in the feet and legs. |
cancer | general term to describe a disease in which abnormal cells grow in an uncontrolled way. |
tumor | a cluster of abnormally growing cells. |
benign tumors | tumors that are considered noncancerous. |
malignant tumors | tumors that are cancerous. |
mastectomy | the surgical removal of all or part of the breast and sometimes other surrounding tissue. |