Medical Examination and Symptoms

These flashcards cover key terms and definitions related to medical examination and symptoms, focusing on history taking, vital signs, respiratory issues, and cardiovascular findings.

History Taking

The most important aspect of the medical examination that focuses attention, assesses severity and progression, and enables diagnosis.

Vital Signs

Measurements of physiological parameters such as heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate important for assessing health.

Dyspnea

Subjective feeling of difficulty in breathing, often related to the rate, rhythm, or depth of respiration.

Palpitations

Awareness of the heartbeat, which can result from changes in rhythm, rate, or force of contraction.

Chest Pain

A symptom that may indicate various conditions such as cardiac ischemia or respiratory diseases.

Hemoptysis

Coughing of blood originating from the respiratory tract, indicating potential serious underlying conditions.

Cough

An explosive expiratory maneuver to clear airways; it can be productive (bringing up sputum) or non-productive.

General Physical Exam

A thorough assessment including inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation to evaluate a patient's health.

Lymphadenopathy

Enlarged lymph nodes, which may indicate infection or malignancy.

Ascites

Abnormal accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity, often associated with conditions such as heart failure.

S3 Heart Sound

A low-pitched sound occurring early in diastole, indicative of volume overload or heart failure.

Auscultation

The act of listening to internal sounds of the body, often using a stethoscope to identify abnormal findings.

Kussmaul's Sign

An increase in JVP on deep inspiration, associated with right heart failure and constrictive pericarditis.

Jugular Venous Pressure (JVP)

A measurement of pressure in the jugular vein; elevated in conditions like heart failure.

Clinical Signs of Heart Failure

Symptoms such as dyspnea, edema, jugular venous distention, and abnormal heart sounds indicating heart failure.

COPD

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease characterized by chronic bronchitis and emphysema, leading to breathing difficulties.

Pectoriloquy

Increased clarity of whispered sounds heard over areas of lung consolidation.

Aegophony

A change in the voice sound transmission where 'e' sounds like 'a', indicative of pleural effusion.