Blood, Lymphatic, and Cardiovascular System Disorders

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering blood disorders, lymphatic system pathologies, diuretic pharmacotherapy, and cardiovascular conditions from Chapters 10, 11, and 12.

Anemia

A condition characterized by a deficit of hemoglobin, resulting in decreased oxygen delivery to tissues, decreased cellular energy production, and compensatory tachycardia and peripheral vasoconstriction.

Microcytic and Hypochromic

Descriptive terms for erythrocytes that are abnormally small in size and pale in color due to a low concentration of synthesized hemoglobin, typical of iron deficiency anemia.

Pernicious Anemia

A form of anemia resulting from a vitamin $B_{12}$ deficiency caused primarily by a lack of intrinsic factor secretion by the gastric mucosa.

Intrinsic Factor

A glycoprotein normally secreted by the gastric mucosa that is necessary for the adequate absorption of vitamin $B_{12}$ in the ileum.

Aplastic Anemia

A condition caused by the failure or impairment of the bone marrow, resulting in a deficit of all formed blood elements.

Pancytopenia

A collective reduction across all three blood cell lineages, consisting of decreased red blood cells (anemia), decreased white blood cells (leukopenia), and decreased platelets (thrombocytopenia).

Hemolytic Anemia

An anemia caused by the excessive destruction (hemolysis) of red blood cells, which can stem from genetic defects, immune reactions, infections, toxins, or incompatible blood transfusions.

Sickle Cell Anemia

A hereditary disorder involving abnormal hemoglobin ($\text{HbS}$) caused by a genetic alteration in the $\beta$ chain of hemoglobin, leading to red blood cell elongation and microvascular occlusion during low oxygen states.

Acute Chest Syndrome

A severe vascular occlusion complication in sickle cell disease involving the microvasculature of the lungs.

Hydroxyurea

A pharmacologic agent used in sickle cell disease to reduce the frequency and severity of painful sickle cell crises.

Primary Polycythemia (Polycythemia Vera)

A neoplastic disorder of the bone marrow characterized by increased production of erythrocytes and other bone marrow cells alongside low serum erythropoietin levels.

Secondary Polycythemia (Erythrocytosis)

A compensatory increase in red blood cells that develops in response to prolonged hypoxia, driven by high secretion of erythropoietin.

Phlebotomy

A therapeutic procedure used in polycythemia that involves the periodic removal of blood from the circulation to reduce blood viscosity and cellular volume.

Petechiae

Pinpoint, flat, red spots on the skin or mucous membranes caused by capillary bleeding.

Purpura / Ecchymosis

Larger confluent areas of bleeding or bruising beneath the skin and mucous membranes.

Hemarthrosis

Bleeding into a joint cavity, commonly causing the affected joint to become swollen, red, and painful.

Hemoptysis

The coughing up of blood or blood-stained sputum from the respiratory tract.

Hematemesis

The vomiting of blood, which may present as bright red blood or dark brown coarse particles described as coffee-ground emesis if exposed to gastric acid.

Hemophilia A

An X-linked recessive bleeding disorder resulting from a deficiency or abnormality of clotting factor VIII, primarily manifested in males and carried by females.

Desmopressin (DDAVP)

A medication that stimulates vascular endothelial cells to release stored von Willebrand factor (vWF) and factor VIII into the circulation.

Von Willebrand Disease

The most common hereditary clotting disorder, caused by a deficiency or defect in von Willebrand factor and manifested by frequent nosebleeds, easy bruising, bleeding gums, and abnormal menstrual bleeding.

Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC)

A complex disorder characterized by widespread abnormal microvascular clotting that consumes platelets and clotting factors, culminating in severe, uncontrollable hemorrhage.

Myelodysplastic Syndromes

A group of bone marrow disorders involving the inadequate production of functional blood cells, which may arise secondary to chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

Leukemia

A group of malignant disorders involving white blood cells characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of abnormal, immature, and nonfunctional leukocytes in the bone marrow and lymphoid tissue.

Acute Leukemia

A rapidly progressing leukemia characterized by a high proportion of immature, nonfunctional blast cells and sudden onset, more commonly seen in children and younger adults.

Chronic Leukemia

An insidious leukemia characterized by a higher proportion of mature but poorly functioning leukocytes and a gradual onset, more commonly occurring in older adults.

Multiple Myeloma

A neoplastic disorder in older adults involving the excessive proliferation of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow, leading to multiple bone tumors, bone loss, and severe bone pain.

Lymph

A clear, watery, isotonic fluid that resembles blood plasma with a lower protein concentration, derived from interstitial fluid and returned to the venous circulation.

Hodgkin Lymphoma

A malignant lymphoma that typically begins in a single lymph node and spreads in an orderly contiguous pattern to adjacent nodes, characterized histologically by Reed-Sternberg cells.

Reed-Sternberg Cells

Characteristic atypical giant multinucleated cells found in lymph node biopsies of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma.

B Symptoms

A constellation of systemic manifestations seen in lymphoma comprising unexplained weight loss, low-grade fever, and drenching night sweats.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

A diverse group of lymphoid malignancies that exhibit disorganized and widespread metastasis early on, occasionally associated with viral infections or HIV.

Lymphedema

A condition characterized by the accumulation of protein-rich lymph in interstitial tissues, caused by congenital absence or acquired obstruction of lymphatic drainage pathways.

Elephantiasis (Lymphatic Filariasis)

A severe form of secondary lymphedema caused by parasitic nematode infection (Wuchereria bancrofti, Brugia malayi, or Brugia timori), leading to massive extremity swelling and subcutaneous fibrosis.

Diethylcarbamazine (DEC)

An anthelmintic medication that immobilizes microfilariae and alters their surface structure, rendering them vulnerable to destruction by host immune defenses.

Castleman Disease

A rare disorder marked by benign overgrowth of lymphoid tissue, categorized as unicentric when confined to a single lymph node or multicentric when involving multiple nodes and systemic organs.

Osmotic Diuretics

A class of diuretics, such as mannitol, that inhibit water reabsorption in the nephron by increasing osmotic pressure, highly effective for reducing cerebral edema.

Mannitol

An osmotic diuretic administered intravenously to decrease intracranial pressure and reduce cerebral edema.

Thiazide Diuretics

A diuretic class (e.g., hydrochlorothiazide) that inhibits sodium and chloride reabsorption in the distal convoluted tubule while increasing excretion of potassium, magnesium, and bicarbonate.

Loop Diuretics

A potent class of diuretics (e.g., furosemide) that acts directly on the ascending limb of the loop of Henle to inhibit sodium and chloride reabsorption; drugs of choice for acute pulmonary edema.

Furosemide

A loop diuretic commonly indicated for the treatment of acute pulmonary edema, peripheral edema, and hypertension.

Potassium-Sparing Diuretics

Diuretics (e.g., spironolactone) that block sodium reabsorption in the distal tubule without promoting potassium loss, carrying a major risk of hyperkalemia.

Carbonic Anhydrase Inhibitors

Medications like acetazolamide that block the conversion of carbon dioxide to bicarbonate ions, used to treat glaucoma, high-altitude sickness, and select seizure types.

Arteriosclerosis

A general term for degenerative arterial changes characterized by thickening and loss of elasticity in arterial walls, narrowing of the vascular lumen, and increased blood pressure.

Atherosclerosis

A form of arteriosclerosis characterized by the progressive accumulation of lipids, cholesterol, and cell debris forming atheromas inside the walls of large and medium arteries.

Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL)

A plasma lipoprotein that transports cholesterol from the liver to peripheral tissues; elevated levels promote the formation of atheromatous plaques.

High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL)

A plasma lipoprotein that scavenges cholesterol from peripheral cells and returns it to the liver for catabolism and excretion.

Angina Pectoris

Substernal chest pain or discomfort resulting from transient myocardial ischemia due to an imbalance between myocardial oxygen supply and metabolic demand.

Variant (Prinzmetal) Angina

Chest discomfort caused by focal coronary artery vasospasm that characteristically occurs at rest rather than with physical exertion.

Unstable Angina

Prolonged or worsening chest pain occurring at rest that signals severe coronary artery narrowing and often precedes a myocardial infarction.

Myocardial Infarction (MI)

Ischemic necrosis of cardiac muscle tissue caused by complete obstruction of coronary arterial blood flow, most commonly by a thrombus overlying an atheromatous plaque.

Troponin

A cardiac biomarker protein released into the serum during myocardial injury that is highly sensitive and specific for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction.

Ventricular Fibrillation

A rapid, chaotic, and uncoordinated ventricular dysrhythmia that prevents effective mechanical pumping, resulting in immediate cessation of tissue perfusion and rapid cardiac arrest.

Sick Sinus Syndrome

A dysfunction of the sinoatrial node characterized by alternating periods of bradycardia and tachycardia, frequently requiring placement of a permanent pacemaker.

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

An impairment of ventricular emptying or filling that renders the heart unable to pump an adequate cardiac output to meet the metabolic demands of the body.

Paroxysmal Nocturnal Dyspnea

A condition in which a patient wakes from sleep with acute shortness of breath and coughing, indicating sudden pulmonary congestion and edema from left-sided heart failure.

Ascites

An accumulation of serous fluid within the peritoneal cavity that produces noticeable abdominal distention, commonly seen in right-sided heart failure and liver cirrhosis.

Digoxin

A cardiac glycoside that exerts positive inotropic and negative chronotropic effects, causing the failing heart to beat more forcefully and efficiently.

Infective Endocarditis

An infection of the endocardial surface of the heart (primarily the heart valves), presenting acutely with Staphylococcus aureus or subacutely with Streptococcus viridans.

Essential (Primary) Hypertension

Sustained elevation of systemic arterial pressure consistently above $140/90\,\text{mm Hg}$ without an identifiable secondary underlying medical cause.

Secondary Hypertension

Elevated blood pressure that results directly from a specific identifiable medical cause, such as renal parenchymal disease or an endocrine disorder like pheochromocytoma.

Malignant Hypertension

An uncontrollable, rapidly progressive, and severe form of hypertension characterized by dangerously elevated diastolic pressure and acute vascular organ damage.

Hypovolemic Shock

A state of systemic hypoperfusion caused by a critical reduction in circulating intravascular blood volume, resulting in decreased venous return and cardiac output.

Cardiogenic Shock

A form of shock that develops when the heart is unable to maintain an adequate stroke volume and cardiac output despite normal intravascular volume.

Distributive Shock

Shock resulting from widespread loss of vascular tone and altered peripheral resistance, causing severe vasodilation and abnormal pooling of blood in peripheral capillary beds.