NURS 351 Exam I

Physiology

how the body normally works

Pathophysiology

how and why normal body function changes because of disease or injury

etiology

the cause of a disease

risk factor

something that increases the chance of developing a condition but does not necessarily directly cause it

pathogenesis

how the disease develops and progresses inside the body

Clinical manifestations

the signs and symptoms you see because of the disease

Diagnostic

a test that helps confirm or support what you think is happening

Therapy

something we do to intervene in the disease process

homeostasis

the body’s attempt to maintain a stable internal environment (dynamic balance)

stressor

an event or stimulus that activates the stress response

Stress

the disruption itself and/or the body’s response to the disruption

compensation

the body doing something to make up for a problem so it can keep functioning

adaptation

a change that helps the body adjust to a stressors

sympathetic nervous system

the part of the ANS system that prepares you for fight, flight, freeze

parasympathetic nervous ssystem

rest and digest

catecholamines

stress chemicals including epinephrine + norepinephrine. They help create the rapid sympathetic stress response.

cortisol

a major stress hormone that raises blood glucose

hypoxia

not enough oxygen reaching tissues

apoptosis

programmed cell death

necrosis

uncontrolled or premature cell death

antigen

something the immune system recognizes as foreign

antibody

a protein made by B cells that binds very specifically to an antigen

leukocyte

white blood cell

neutrophil

an important early innate immune responder. they arrive quickly and engulf harmful organisms and debris

macrophage

a larger phagocytic immune cell that can engulf pathogens/debris and help activate other immune responses

mast cell

immune cell that can release histamine

cytokines

chemical messages between immune cells that can help start/amplify inflammation

chemokines

chemical signals taht recruit immune cells to a specific area

phagocytosis

the process in which an immune cell engulfs and destroys something

histamine

a major inflammatory/allergic mediator

vascular permeability

how easily fluids and substances move through vessel walls.

hypersensitivity

an immune response that is too strong/inappropriate

allergen

substance that triggers and allergic response

sensitization

the immune system has been exposed and is now “primed” to respond to later exposure

IgE

the immunoglobulin especially associated with Type I hypersensitivity/allergic reactions

anaphylaxis

a severe systemic Type I hypersensitivity reaction that can threaten airway, breathing, and circulation