NUR 308 Comprehensive Review: Sensory, Integumentary, Neurological, Musculoskeletal, and Genitourinary Alterations

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering visual, dermatologic, neurological, auditory, musculoskeletal, and genitourinary alterations from NUR 308 course materials.

Myopia

A visual acuity disorder known as nearsightedness in which distant objects appear blurred, often accompanied by headaches, eye strain, and squinting when looking at far away objects.

Hyperopia

A visual acuity disorder known as farsightedness in which close objects appear blurred, accompanied by headaches and eye aching or strain when reading.

Astigmatism

A visual acuity disorder caused by a misshaped cornea that alters the focal plane, producing blurred vision, eye strain, fatigue, and headaches across all distances.

Presbyopia

An age-related visual acuity alteration characterized by loss of lens elasticity, causing blurred near vision and requiring reading materials to be held farther away.

Cataracts

Opacity of the crystalline lens of the eye characterized clinically by progressive, painless vision loss, visible cloudiness/opacity, and an absent red reflex.

Atropine 1% Ophthalmic Solution

An anticholinergic ophthalmic medication that blocks pupillary constriction (inducing mydriasis) and relaxes ciliary muscles before cataract surgery, with therapeutic effects lasting $7\text{--}12\text{ days}$.

Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma

The most common form of glaucoma characterized by a gradual rise in intraocular pressure to $\sim 22\text{--}32\,\text{mm\,Hg}$, resulting in insidious loss of peripheral vision, mild eye aching, and headaches.

Primary Angle-Closure Glaucoma

An acute medical emergency caused by a rapid, sudden rise in intraocular pressure ($\text{over } 30\,\text{mm\,Hg}$), presenting with severe ocular pain, nausea, photophobia, a nonreactive pupil, blurred vision, and halo rings around lights.

Wet Macular Degeneration

An advanced form of macular degeneration resulting from the abnormal proliferation of thin-walled, fragile retinal blood vessels that leak fluid and blood, causing rapid central vision loss.

Dry Macular Degeneration

The most common form of macular degeneration, caused by gradual blockage and ischemia of retinal capillary beds leading to tissue necrosis and progressive loss of central and fine detail vision.

Amsler Grid

A diagnostic grid used to monitor macular degeneration by having the patient fixate on a center dot; positive findings include perceived wavy, distorted lines or central blind spots (scotomas).

Cellulitis

A bacterial skin infection that penetrates the dermis and underlying subcutaneous tissues, causing localized erythema, warmth, edema, and mild-to-moderate pain.

Impetigo

A contagious superficial bacterial skin infection marked by erythematous vesicular sores and blisters around the mouth and nose that rupture and form honey-colored crusts.

Furuncle (Boil)

A localized bacterial skin abscess that originates around a hair follicle or sweat gland, forming a superficial, pus-filled nodule.

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

A staphylococcal strain resistant to multiple first-line beta-lactam antibiotics, transmitted via direct contact with colonized skin, open wounds, or shared contaminated surfaces.

Dermatophytes (Tinea)

Aerobic fungi that digest dead keratinized structures of the epidermis, hair, and nails, typically causing superficial cutaneous infections characterized by an active raised border.

Potassium Hydroxide (KOH) Microscopy

A diagnostic procedure wherein cutaneous scrapings are dissolved in potassium hydroxide to eliminate non-fungal cellular debris, allowing direct microscopic inspection of branching fungal hyphae.

Tinea Cruris

A dermatophyte infection of the groin and upper inner thighs characterized by well-demarcated, symmetrical reddish-brown plaques with central clearing that spare the scrotum.

Onychomycosis

A fungal nail infection presenting with subungual hyperkeratosis, discoloration, brittleness, and nail plate thickening.

Intertrigo

An inflammatory condition of opposing skin folds (inframammary, axillary, or inguinal) exacerbated by moisture, friction, and heat, often complicated by candidal overgrowth.

Psoriasis

A chronic, non-curable immune-mediated inflammatory skin disorder characterized by hyperproliferative epidermal turnover that generates well-demarcated, raised erythematous plaques with silvery scales on extensor surfaces.

Actinic Keratosis (AK)

A rough, scaly, precancerous cutaneous lesion composed of atypical epidermal keratinocytes induced by chronic UV radiation that carries risk of progression to squamous cell carcinoma.

Mohs Surgery

The gold-standard surgical technique for non-melanoma skin cancer involving progressive horizontal excisional tissue margins examined immediately by frozen-section microscopy until all cancerous cells are excised.

Ischemic Penumbra

The hypoperfused, ischemic zone of salvageable brain tissue surrounding the non-viable infarcted necrotic core during an acute ischemic stroke.

Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA)

A temporary episode of focal neurologic dysfunction caused by transient focal cerebral ischemia without acute tissue infarction, resolving within $1\text{ hour}$.

Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator (rt-PA)

An intravenous thrombolytic agent administered within $3\text{--}4.5\text{ hours}$ of ischemic stroke symptom onset to dissolve intravascular thrombi and restore cerebral blood flow.

Status Epilepticus

A life-threatening medical emergency defined by continuous, uninterrupted seizure activity lasting $\ge 5\text{ minutes}$ or repetitive seizures occurring over a $30\text{-minute}$ window without recovery of baseline consciousness.

Atonic Seizure

A generalized seizure manifestation characterized by a sudden, momentary loss of skeletal muscle tone lasting a few seconds, commonly causing the individual to abruptly collapse (drop attack).

Bradykinesia

A hallmark clinical manifestation of Parkinson's disease characterized by generalized slowness in initiating and executing voluntary motor movements, including reduced arm swing and masked facial expressions.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

An autoimmune neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system in which autoreactive immune responses destroy axonal myelin sheaths, leaving sclerotic demyelinating plaques that disrupt action potentials.

Status Migrainosus

A severe, debilitating, intractable migraine headache attack lasting longer than $72\text{ hours}$ that is refractory to outpatient abortive therapies.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

A fatal, rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by selective degeneration and death of upper and lower motor neurons, causing progressive skeletal muscle paralysis without sensory or cognitive impairment.

Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)

An acute post-infectious autoimmune polyradiculoneuropathy in which peripheral nerve myelin is destroyed, resulting in symmetrical, rapidly ascending flaccid motor paralysis and absent deep tendon reflexes.

Myasthenia Gravis

An acquired autoimmune neuromuscular junction disease caused by autoantibodies directed against postsynaptic acetylcholine (ACh) receptors, leading to fluctuating skeletal muscle weakness that worsens with exertion.

Myasthenic Crisis

A life-threatening exacerbation of myasthenia gravis characterized by profound respiratory muscle weakness causing acute ventilatory failure, accompanied by tachycardia and flaccid musculature.

Conductive Hearing Loss

A form of hearing impairment caused by mechanical disruption or physical occlusion preventing sound wave transmission through the external auditory canal or middle ear (such as cerumen or otitis media).

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Hearing impairment caused by pathology or degradation of inner ear structures (specifically the cochlea) or cranial nerve VIII (vestibulocochlear nerve).

Weber Test

A diagnostic auditory evaluation where a vibrating tuning fork is placed midline on the vertex of the skull; sound lateralizes to the impaired ear in conductive loss and to the healthy ear in unilateral sensorineural loss.

Rinne Test

A tuning fork evaluation comparing air conduction (AC) to bone conduction (BC); a normal test demonstrates $\text{AC} > \text{BC}$, whereas bone conduction exceeding air conduction ($\text{BC} \ge \text{AC}$) signifies conductive hearing loss.

Myringotomy

A surgical incision in the tympanic membrane to insert small ventilation tubes ('ear tubes') to relieve middle ear effusion, typically remaining in place for $\sim 6\text{--}18\text{ months}$.

Vertigo

A clinical vestibular illusion characterized by a sensation of spinning, swaying, tilting, or rotational imbalance due to inner ear or cranial nerve VIII dysfunction.

Meniere's Disease

An inner ear condition of uncertain etiology characterized clinically by the classic symptom triad of episodic vertigo, unilateral sensorineural hearing loss, and tinnitus.

Ototoxicity

Inner ear damage induced by pharmacological agents such as aminoglycosides (gentamicin), loop diuretics (furosemide), NSAIDs, or chemotherapeutic drugs, manifesting as hearing loss, tinnitus, or imbalance.

Osteoarthritis (OA)

A progressive, non-inflammatory joint disorder characterized by the deterioration and loss of articular hyaline cartilage, joint space narrowing, and reactive osteophyte formation.

Osteophytes

Abnormal bony projections ('bone spurs') and fibrocartilaginous outgrowths that develop along arthritic joint margins, contributing to localized pain and decreased joint mobility.

Heberden Nodes

Bony enlargement and osteophyte formation occurring at the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joints of the fingers in patients with advanced osteoarthritis.

Bouchard Nodes

Bony enlargements and cartilaginous osteophytes that form specifically at the proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joints of the hands in osteoarthritis.

Passive Straight Leg Raise (SLR) Test

A physical assessment technique where a supine patient's lower extremity is passively elevated between $0^\circ\text{--}70^\circ$; reproduction of typical radiating radicular leg pain indicates lumbar nerve root irritation.

Kyphoplasty

A percutaneous spinal procedure for vertebral compression fractures in which an inflatable balloon catheter restores vertebral body height prior to injecting polymethylmethacrylate bone cement.

Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) Scan

The gold-standard non-invasive imaging modality that quantifies bone mineral density (BMD) of the hip and spine, expressing results as standard deviation T-scores relative to young adult peak bone mass.

Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERMs)

A pharmacological class (such as raloxifene) used to treat postmenopausal osteoporosis by binding to estrogen receptors to reduce osteoclastic bone resorption without stimulating uterine or breast tissue receptors.

BUN/Creatinine Ratio

A serum diagnostic ratio normally between $10:1$ and $20:1$; an increased ratio reflects hypovolemia or pre-renal azotemia, a decreased ratio reflects hypervolemia, and elevation of both indicates intrinsic renal failure.

Creatinine Clearance

A 24-hour urine and serum clearance evaluation measuring the volume of blood plasma cleared of creatinine per unit of time (normal $88\text{--}137\,\text{mL/min}$), reflecting glomerular filtration rate (GFR).

Urinalysis Specific Gravity

A measure of urine solute concentration (normal reference $1.005\text{--}1.030$) reflecting renal concentrating ability; values increase with hypovolemia and glycosuria and decrease with hypervolemia or hypothermia.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Stage 5

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) marked by a glomerular filtration rate (GFR) dropping below $15\,\text{mL/min}$, requiring ongoing renal replacement therapy (dialysis) or kidney transplantation to sustain life.

Dialysis Disequilibrium Syndrome

A severe central nervous system complication of hemodialysis caused by overly rapid clearance of urea from the intravascular space, resulting in transient cerebral edema, altered consciousness, and seizures.

Arteriovenous (AV) Fistula

A surgically created direct subcutaneous anastomosis of an artery to a vein (typically in the non-dominant forearm) that matures over weeks to months to provide long-term vascular access for hemodialysis.

Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD)

A form of manual peritoneal dialysis involving 4 to 5 exchanges throughout the day without machines, utilizing dwell times of $4\text{--}6\text{ hours}$ while allowing full patient ambulation.

Uremia

The clinical toxic syndrome caused by advanced kidney failure and systemic retention of nitrogenous metabolic wastes, manifesting as uremic frost, severe pruritus, anorexia, nausea, and cognitive dysfunction.

Left Hemisphere Stroke

A cerebral vascular occlusion presenting clinically with contralateral hemiparesis, expressive or receptive aphasia, altered mathematical abilities, and deficits in analytical thinking.

Right Hemisphere Stroke

A cerebral vascular infarction characterized clinically by spatial-perceptual disorientation, altered visual-spatial awareness, and unilateral neglect of the affected side.

Thrombotic Stroke

An ischemic stroke subtype caused by in situ clot formation along the wall of an atherosclerotic cerebral vessel, characteristically causing symptoms that evolve over hours to days.

Embolic Stroke

An ischemic stroke subtype resulting from occlusion of a cerebral vessel by an intravascular fragment (such as a cardiac mural thrombus) originating elsewhere, presenting with sudden-onset focal deficits.

Unilateral Neglect

A post-stroke perceptual complication most commonly observed with right-sided brain lesions, manifested by inattention and lack of awareness of the contralateral side of the body and surrounding space.

Tonic-Clonic Seizure

A generalized motor seizure previously called grand mal, characterized by a sudden loss of consciousness, continuous skeletal muscle stiffness, followed by rhythmic limb jerking, cyanosis, and tongue biting.

Typical Absence Seizure

A non-motor generalized seizure most common in pediatric patients, characterized by brief behavioral arrest and staring spells lasting less than $10\text{ seconds}$ without loss of postural tone.

Myoclonic Seizure

A brief seizure manifestation consisting of sudden, shock-like motor twitches or muscle jerks lasting a few seconds without accompanied impairment of consciousness.

Aural Phase of Seizure

A stereotypical focal sensory warning phenomenon (such as olfactory, gustatory, or visual sensations) perceived immediately prior to the onset of seizure activity.

Emergency Seizure Abortive Medications

Parenteral benzodiazepines, specifically intravenous lorazepam or diazepam, administered emergently to rapidly arrest ongoing seizure activity.

Vagal Nerve Stimulation (VNS)

A surgically implanted neurostimulator system used in refractory focal epilepsy that delivers programmed electrical impulses to interrupt hypersynchronous epileptic discharges.

Pill-Rolling Tremor

A rhythmic, low-frequency resting tremor of the fingers and hands that classically manifests as an early unilateral feature of Parkinson's disease.

Cogwheel Rigidity

A parkinsonian physical sign characterized by intermittent, jerky resistance encountered during passive range-of-motion assessment of hypertonic limbs.

Levodopa-Carbidopa

A first-line antiparkinsonian combination therapy in which a dopamine metabolic precursor crosses the blood-brain barrier while a peripheral decarboxylase inhibitor prevents outside breakdown.

Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis (RRMS)

The most frequent disease phenotype of multiple sclerosis, defined by distinct acute inflammatory clinical attacks followed by partial or full symptom recovery.

Intrathecal Baclofen Pump

A surgically implanted device that continuously infuses a GABA-receptor agonist directly into the spinal subarachnoid space to treat severe, debilitating muscle spasticity.

Tension Headache

A primary cephalalgia characterized by mild-to-moderate, non-pulsatile, dull aching pain distributed symmetrically in a band-like or vice-like pattern around the head.

Cluster Headache

A severe, unilateral primary headache lasting $15\text{--}180\text{ minutes}$, localized around the orbit or temple and accompanied by ipsilateral facial sweating, rhinorrhea, ptosis, and lacrimation.

Trigeminal Neuralgia (Tic Douloureux)

A cranial nerve V neuropathic condition marked by paroxysms of excruciating, lancinating, shock-like unilateral facial pain triggered by light touch or breeze.

Cholinergic Crisis

A life-threatening complication of excessive acetylcholinesterase inhibitor therapy in myasthenia gravis, presenting with profound flaccid weakness, bradycardia, pupillary miosis, fasciculations, and hypersecretions.

Tonometry

An ophthalmic diagnostic assessment using an instrument (such as a tono-pen or air-puff device) to measure intraocular pressure to evaluate for glaucoma.

Photodynamic Therapy (PDT)

A specialized ocular procedure in which an intravenous photosensitive dye is selectively activated by a nonthermal laser light to coagulate and close abnormal choroidal neovascular vessels in wet macular degeneration.

Folliculitis

A superficial bacterial skin condition characterized by inflammation or infection of the hair follicle, typically presenting with acne-like pustules and exacerbated by shaving, hot tubs, or sweating.

Basal Cell Carcinoma (BCC)

A non-melanoma skin malignancy originating from the epidermal basal cell layer, clinically presenting as a pearly, translucent, flesh-colored papule with superficial telangiectasias and rolled borders.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC)

An invasive epidermal malignancy of keratinocytes caused by cumulative UV exposure, clinically presenting as crusted, indurated, or ulcerated plaques that may bleed and rapidly damage adjacent structures.

Cutaneous Melanoma

A highly malignant cutaneous neoplasm originating from epidermal basement membrane melanocytes that carries high risk for rapid lymphatic and hematogenous metastasis.

Tinea Pedis

A superficial dermatophyte infection of the feet characterized by interdigital maceration, erythema, pruritus, and diffuse scaling along the plantar surfaces.

Wood's Lamp

A diagnostic ultraviolet illumination device that causes specific fungal or bacterial pathogens and abnormal cutaneous cells to fluoresce distinct colors.

Oropharyngeal Candidiasis

An opportunistic mucosal fungal infection that manifests as creamy white plaques on the tongue and buccal mucosa that scrape off to reveal an erythematous base.

Hemorrhagic Stroke

An acute cerebrovascular event caused by arterial or aneurysmal rupture, leading to extravasation of blood into the parenchyma or subarachnoid space and rapid intracranial pressure elevation.

Carotid Endarterectomy (CEA)

A surgical intervention for ischemic stroke prophylaxis in which atherosclerotic plaque is directly excised from the carotid artery lumen to restore cerebral perfusion.

Complex Partial Seizure

A focal seizure originating in a single cerebral hemisphere characterized by impaired awareness, amnesia, and involuntary automatisms such as lip-smacking or clothes-picking.

Simple Partial Seizure

A focal seizure confined to one hemisphere in which consciousness is fully preserved, manifesting with isolated sensory distortions, déjà vu, autonomic flushing, or motor twitches.

Prodromal Phase of Seizure

A premonitory epoch occurring hours or days prior to seizure onset, marked by subtle emotional, behavioral, or constitutional alterations.

Pyridostigmine

An oral reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitor administered $30\text{--}60\,\text{minutes}$ prior to meals to enhance acetylcholine receptor binding and skeletal muscle endurance in myasthenia gravis.

Riluzole

A disease-modifying neuroprotective agent that modulates glutamate neurotransmission, indicated to slow clinical progression and prolong tracheostomy-free survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Cochlear Implant

A surgically implanted neuroprosthetic device that directly provides electrical stimulation to cranial nerve VIII to facilitate sound perception in severe-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss.

Electronystagmography (ENG)

A diagnostic vestibular assessment that records involuntary nystagmus to evaluate balance organs, requiring fasting and pre-procedure withholding of caffeine, alcohol, and sedatives.

Meclizine

An oral antihistaminic and anticholinergic agent indicated to suppress vestibular end-organ overstimulation and alleviate acute vertigo and motion-related nausea.

Joint Effusion in Osteoarthritis

Accumulation of excess synovial fluid from secondary synovial inflammation that stretches collateral ligaments, destabilizing the joint and aggravating mechanical wear.

Bisphosphonates (Alendronate)

A pharmacological class that inhibits osteoclastic bone resorption; oral formulations require administration upon waking on an empty stomach with plain water, remaining upright for $30\,\text{minutes}$.