Health Assessment - Skin, Head, Eyes, and Ears Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering skin, hair, nails, head, neck, lymphatics, eye, and ear physical assessment concepts.

Epidermis

The outer, highly differentiated layer of skin consisting of a basal cell layer that forms new skin cells and an outer horny cell layer of dead keratinized cells.

Dermis

The inner supportive layer of skin consisting of connective tissue or collagen, and elastic tissue.

Melanin

Brown pigment produced in the skin that provides general pigmentation and protection against ultraviolet radiation.

Sebum

A lipid substance secreted by sebaceous glands through hair follicles that lubricates the skin and forms an emulsion.

Profile Sign

An assessment of the index finger viewed from its profile to note the angle of the nail base, which should measure about $160^\bullet$.

ABCDEF Rule

A health promotion guideline for skin self-examination: Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Color variations, Diameter greater than $6\,mm$, Elevation or evolution, and Funny looking.

Annular Lesion

begins in the center and spreads to the periphery (ringworm or tinea versicolor)

Confluent Lesions

Skin lesions that run together, such as urticaria (hives).

Zosteriform

A linear arrangement of skin lesions following a unilateral nerve route, as seen in herpes zoster (shingles).

Macule

A flat, circumscribed skin color change that is less than $1\,cm$ in diameter, such as freckles or petechiae.

Papule

A solid, elevated, circumscribed skin lesion less than $1\,cm$ in diameter, such as a mole or wart.

Wheal

A superficial, raised, transient, and irregularly shaped skin lesion caused by edema, such as a mosquito bite.

Fissure

A linear crack or break in the skin extending into the dermis, such as athlete's foot or cheilosis.

Keloid

A hypertrophic scar resulting from excess collagen tissue formation, which has a higher incidence in Black, Hispanic, and Asian populations.

Stage I Pressure Injury

Localized intact skin featuring non-blanchable redness, usually located over a bony prominence.

Senile Purpura

A red-purple skin discoloration in aging adults resulting from increasing capillary fragility.

Normocephalic

A clinical term describing a skull that is round, symmetric, and appropriately proportioned to body size.

Preauricular Lymph Nodes

Lymph nodes located directly in front of the ear.

Posterior Auricular Lymph Nodes

Lymph nodes located superficial to the mastoid process behind the ear.

Occipital Lymph Nodes

Lymph nodes located at the base of the skull.

Submental Lymph Nodes

Lymph nodes located along the midline behind the tip of the mandible.

Submandibular Lymph Nodes

Lymph nodes located halfway between the angle and tip of the mandible.

Jugulodigastric Lymph Node

A lymph node located under the angle of the mandible.

Superficial Cervical Lymph Nodes

Lymph nodes located overlying the sternomastoid muscle.

Deep Cervical Lymph Nodes

Lymph nodes located deep underneath the sternomastoid muscle.

Posterior Cervical Lymph Nodes

Lymph nodes located in the posterior triangle along the edge of the trapezius muscle.

Supraclavicular Lymph Nodes

Lymph nodes located just above and behind the clavicle at the sternomastoid muscle.

Thyroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine (T3)

Hormones synthesized and secreted by the thyroid gland that stimulate the rate of cellular metabolism.

Simple Diffuse Goiter

Endemic chronic enlargement of the thyroid gland caused by iodine deficiency.

Graves Disease

A hyperthyroid disorder characterized by physical manifestations including goiter, eyelid retraction, and exophthalmos.

Bruit

A soft, pulsatile, blowing sound auscultated over an enlarged thyroid gland using a stethoscope, indicating turbulent blood flow.

Palpebral Fissure

The elliptical open space between the upper and lower eyelids.

Limbus

The structural border on the anterior eye between the sclera and the cornea.

Cranial Nerve VI

The abducens nerve, which innervates the lateral rectus muscle to abduct the eye.

Corneal Reflex

A bilateral protective blink response triggered by touching the cornea with a wisp of cotton, mediated by CN V (sensory) and CN VII (motor).

Pupillary Light Reflex

The normal subcortical constriction of the pupils occurring when bright light shines on the retina.

Accommodation

The functional adaptation of the eye for near vision, characterized by pupillary constriction and convergence of the axes of the eyeballs.

PERRLA

An acronym documenting normal ocular findings: Pupils Equal, Round, React to Light, and Accommodation.

Presbyopia

The loss of lens elasticity in aging adults, which decreases the ability of the eye to accommodate for near vision.

Snellen Eye Chart

The standard assessment tool for measuring central visual acuity, positioned exactly $20\,ft$ away from the patient.

Confrontation Test

A gross assessment comparing the patient's peripheral visual fields with that of the examiner.

Strabismus

A deviation in the parallel axes of the eyes leading to disconjugate gaze.

Ptosis

Neuromuscular weakness or cranial nerve III damage causing drooping of the upper eyelid.

Hordeolum

An acute, localized staphylococcal infection of a hair follicle at the lid margin, commonly known as a stye.

Anisocoria

A condition characterized by unequal pupil size.

Cerumen

A yellow, waxy material secreted by glands in the external auditory canal that lubricates and protects the ear.

Tympanic Membrane

A translucent, pearly gray, oval membrane that separates the external auditory canal from the middle ear.

Conductive Hearing Loss

A mechanical hearing loss involving the external or middle ear, which can be caused by impacted cerumen, foreign bodies, or otosclerosis.

Sensorineural Hearing Loss

A perceptive hearing loss signifying pathology of the inner ear, cranial nerve VIII, or auditory areas of the cerebral cortex.

Presbycusis

A gradual sensorineural hearing loss caused by nerve degeneration in the inner ear or auditory nerve in aging adults.