Week 1 Medical Terminology

pt evaluation class

constitutional symptoms

patient concerns that accompany many disease processes whose underlying etiologies are often not confined to a specific organ system but rather broadly affecting a patient’s physical state with regard to vitality, health, and strength; may include fatigue, weakness, fever, chills, night sweats, weight loss or weight gain, and pain

significant weight loss

defined as loss of 5% or more of usual body weight over a 6-month period

general survey

series of observations regarding the patient’s overall general health and obvious physical characteristics based on certain parameters, such as appearance, consciousness, level of stress or discomfort, dress, personal hygiene, facial expression, odors, posture, gait, and motor activity

body mass index (BMI)

measure of body fat based on weight in relation to height and applies to most adult men and women

vital signs

collective term for blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature

sphygmomanometer

device for measuring blood pressure

korotkoff sounds

auscultatory sounds heard through a stethoscope during measurement of blood pressure; phase I is the appearance of faint, repetitive, clear tapping sounds that gradually increase in intensity for at least two consecutive beats in the systolic blood pressure, and phase V is the point at which all sounds finally disappear completely, which corresponds to the diastolic pressure

white coat hypertension (isolated clinic hypertension)

blood pressure greater than or equal to 140/90 mm Hg in medical settings and mean awake ambulatory readings of less than 135/85 mm Hg

masked hypertension

office blood pressure less than 140/90 mm Hg, but an elevated daytime blood pressure of greater than 135/85 mm Hg on home or ambulatory testing

home blood pressure monitoring (HBPM)

regular self-monitoring measurements of blood pressure by a patient outside the clinic setting

ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM)

blood pressure monitoring that provides 24-hour average blood pressures and averages of daytime (awake), nighttime (asleep), systolic, and diastolic blood pressures; considered to be the reference standard

acute pain

normal, predicted physiologic response to an adverse chemical, thermal, or mechanical stimulus that typically lasts less than 3 to 6 months and is commonly associated with surgery, trauma, and acute illness

chronic pain

pain not associated with cancer or other medical conditions that persists for more than 3 to 6 months; pain lasting more than 1 month beyond the course of an acute illness or injury; or pain recurring at intervals of months or years

nociceptive (somatic) pain

unpleasant sensory and emotional experience linked to tissue damage to the skin, musculoskeletal system, or viscera (visceral pain), but the sensory nervous system is intact; usually described as dull, pressing, pulling, throbbing, boring, spasmodic, colicky

neuropathic pain

unpleasant sensory and emotional experience as a direct consequence of a lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory system; often described as electric shock-like, stabbing, burning, or “pins and needles”

bradykinesia

slowness of movement

ataxia

loss of control of coordinated voluntary movements

myoclonus

intermittent, brief, irregular jerking movements that may be generalized or affect a single muscle or body segment

extinction

condition in which sensory stimuli (visual, tactile, or otherwise) can be correctly detected on one side of the body when it is presented individually, but not when it is presented simultaneously with a similar stimulus on the other side of the body

anisocoria

difference of greater than 0.4 mm in the diameter of one pupil in comparison to the other; seen in healthy individuals but could also be an important indication of CN III palsy or Horner syndrome

diplopia

double vision

nystagmus

involuntary, rapidly repetitive eye movements that may be horizontal, vertical, or rotary; may be physiologic or associated with either a peripheral or central cause of vertigo

ptosis

drooping of the upper eyelid seen in CN III palsy, Horner syndrome, myasthenia gravis, or mechanical problems with the muscles that lift the eyelid

dysmetria

manifestation of ataxia in which a movement over or undershoots the intended target; most commonly used to describe inaccuracy on finger-to-nose testing but can refer to coordinated movement of any body part, even eye movements

clonus

rhythmic, beating movement of a joint in alternating directions that may be provoked by testing the muscle strength reflexes; seen most commonly at the ankle, where there is alternative dorsiflexion and plantarflexion; indicates abnormal hyperreflexia