Chapter 15 Medical Overview Terms

Communicable disease

A disease that can be spread from one person or species to another

Epidemic

Occurs when new cases of a disease in a human population substantially exceed the number expected based on recent experience

Herpes simplex

A common virus that is asymptomatic in 80% of people carrying it, but characterized by small blisters on the lips or genitals in symptomatic infections

Index of suspicion

Awareness that unseen life-threatening injuries or illness may exist

Infectious disease

A medical condition caused by the growth and spread of small, harmful organisms within the body

Influenza

A virus that has crossed the animal/human barrier and infected humans and that kills thousands of people every year

Medical emergencies

Emergencies that are not caused by an outside force; illness or conditions

Meningitis

An inflammation of the meningeal coverings of the brain and spinal cord; it is usually caused by a virus or a bacterium

Meningococcal meningitis

An inflammation of the meningeal coverings of the brain and spinal cord; can be highly contagious

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

A bacterium that can cause infections in different parts of the body and is often resistant to commonly used antibiotics; it is transmitted by different routes, including the respiratory route, and can be found on the skin, in surgical wounds, in the bloodstream, lungs, and urinary tract.

Nature of illness (NOI)

The general type of illness a patient is experiencing

Pandemic

An outbreak that occurs on a global scale

Trauma emergencies

Emergencies that are the result of physical forces applied to the body; injuries

Tuberculosis

A chronic bacterial disease, caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, that usually affects the lungs but can also affect other organs such as the brain and kidneys; it is spread by cough and can lie dormant in a person's lungs for decades and than reactive

Virulence

The strength or ability of a pathogen to produce disease