NURS 209 EXAM 2 TOPIC 5

Concussion

Results after a direct blow to the skull that causes the brain to shift rapidly back and forth inside.

Presyncope

Light-headed, swimming sensation or feeling of fainting or falling caused by decreased blood flow to the brain or heart irregularity causing decreased cardiac output.

Vertigo

True rotational spinning often from disorder of the inner ear

Dysphagia

Difficulty swallowing

Lymphadenopathy

Enlargement of the lymph nodes

Normocephalic

Round, symmetric skull appropriately related to body size

Microcephaly

Abnormally small head.

Macrocephaly

Abnormally large head.

Bruit

Soft, pulsatile, whooshing, blowing sound heard with turbulent blood flow

Isolated head tremors

Benign tremor of the head in older adults including head nodding and tongue protruding

Direct light reflex

Constriction of the pupil of the eye that the light is being shown in

Consensual light reflex

Constriction of the opposite pupil that the light is not being shown in.

Fixation

Reflex direction of the eye toward an object attracting our attention; gives ability to target a moving object.

Accommodation

Adaptation of the eye for near vision by increasing the curvature of the lens (observed as pupil constriction) and convergence of the eyeballs.

Presbyopia

Decreased ability of the lens to change shape to accommodate near vision.

Cataract

Clouding of the crystalline lens

- due to continual growth of lens fibers with aging, UV light exposure, smoking, diabetes, and obesity causing blurred vision.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR)

Inflammation of the retina

- leading to edema of the macula and new growth of nonfunctional blood vessels causing vision loss.

Glaucoma

Optic nerve compression caused by increased ocular pressure;

- if left untreated, first causes loss of peripheral vision (tunnel vision) and then central vision.

Age related macular degeneration

Loss of central vision of unknown cause,

- characterized by yellow deposits (drusen) and neovascularity in the macula; peripheral vision not affected.

Photophobia

Inability to tolerate light

Diplopia

Perception of two images of a single object ("double vision").

Nystagmus

Fine, oscillating movement, best seen around the iris.

Scleral icterus

Even yellowing of the sclera extending up to the cornea indicating jaundice.

Arcus senilis

Gray-white arc or semi-circle around the limbus.

Anisocoria

Two pupils of different sizes.

Pupillary light reflex

Dilation of pupils with darkening of the room and direct and consensual light reflex observed when light is shown into the pupil.

PERRLA

Pupils Equal, Round, React to Light, and Accommodate

Ocular fundus

Internal surface of the retina

Red reflex

Red glow filling a person's pupil

- caused by the reflection of ophthalmoscope light off the inner retina

Myopia

Nearsighted; eyeball is longer than normal

Hyperopia

Farsighted; eyeball is shorter than normal

Strabismus

One eye deviates off the fixation point ("lazy eye")

Pseudostrabismus

False appearance of misalignment of the eyes when epicanthal folds are present; corneal light reflex is normal.

Pterygium

Triangular opaque growth of bulbar conjunctiva toward the center of the cornea.

Esotropia

Internal turning of the eye.

Exotropia

External turning of the eye.

Conductive hearing loss

Involves a mechanical dysfunction of the external or middle ear; hearing improves if sound amplitude is increased (e.g., cerumen impaction, foreign bodies, perforated tympanic membrane, otosclerosis).

Sensorineural hearing loss

Perceptive hearing loss due to pathology of the inner ear, cranial nerve VIII, or auditory centers of the cerebral cortex

- (e.g., presbycusis, ototoxic drugs, noise exposure).

Otosclerosis

Gradual bone formation that causes the footplate of the stapes to become fixed, impeding sound conduction; causes conductive hearing loss

Presbycusis

Age-related hearing loss

Otitis media

Middle ear infection

Cerumen

Ear wax

Otalgia

Ear pain referred from a problem with the teeth or oropharynx

Otorrhea

Discharge from the ear

Tinnitus

Perception of sounds without external source ("ringing" or "buzzing" in the ear)

Malocclusion

Misaligned teeth

Epistaxis

Nosebleed

Xerostomia

Dry mouth

Rhinorrhea

Nasal discharge or runny nose

Halitosis

Breath odor

Parkinson's Syndrome

A neurological disorder causing a masklike facial expression, tremors, rigidity, and slow movements

Cachexia

Extreme weight loss and muscle wasting, often seen in chronic illness or cancer

Cushing Syndrome

Hormonal disorder from excess cortisol; causes moon face, fat deposits, and thin skin

Acromegaly

Enlargement of facial bones, hands, and feet caused by excess growth hormone in adults

Hydrocephalus

Accumulation of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain, leading to an enlarged head

Ectropion

Outward turning of the eyelid, exposing the inner surface

Entropion

Inward turning of the eyelid, causing lashes to rub against the eye

Ptosis

Drooping of the upper eyelid

Hyphema

Blood in the anterior chamber of the eye, usually after trauma

Miosis

Constriction of the pupils