Pain and Nutrition Assessment Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering pain assessment concepts and nutrition assessment definitions based on lecture notes.

Nociceptive Pain

Pain that develops when normal, intact nerve fibers respond to actual or potential tissue damage following a predictable, time-limited trajectory.

Neuropathic Pain

Pain caused by a lesion or disease in the somatosensory nervous system resulting in abnormal processing of pain signals, often described as burning, shooting, or electric-shock pain.

Nociceptors

Specialized primary afferent nerve endings located in skin, joints, connective tissue, muscle, and viscera that detect mechanical, thermal, or chemical stimuli.

A̦ Fibers

Myelinated, larger primary afferent nerve fibers that transmit fast, localized, sharp, and short-term pain signals to the central nervous system.

C Fibers

Unmyelinated, smaller primary afferent nerve fibers that transmit slow, diffuse, aching, and long-lasting pain signals to the central nervous system.

Transduction

The first phase of nociception where a peripheral noxious stimulus causes tissue damage and releases chemical mediators that trigger an action potential along nerve fibers.

Transmission

The second phase of nociception where the pain impulse moves from the spinal cord up the spinothalamic tract to the thalamus and cortex.

Perception

The third phase of nociception representing the conscious awareness of a painful sensation involving the somatosensory cortex and limbic system.

Modulation

The fourth phase of nociception where descending pathways from the brainstem release inhibitory neurotransmitters to naturally block or decrease pain signals.

Visceral Pain

Pain originating from large internal organs, characteristically described as dull, deep, squeezing, or cramping, poorly localized, and accompanied by autonomic symptoms.

Deep Somatic Pain

Pain originating from blood vessels, joints, tendons, muscles, or bones, characteristically described as aching or throbbing and well localized.

Cutaneous Pain

Superficial pain originating from skin or subcutaneous tissue, described as sharp or burning.

Referred Pain

Pain felt at a specific site that originates from a different location due to shared spinal nerve innervation.

Acute Pain

Short-term, self-limiting pain that predictably dissipates as the underlying injury or tissue damage heals.

Incident Pain

A subtype of acute pain triggered predictably by a specific movement or activity.

Chronic Pain

Persistent pain that lasts for $6\,\text{months}$ or longer, outlasting its protective purpose and failing to correlate directly with physical exam findings.

Malignant Pain

A type of chronic pain that parallels tumor pathology and fluctuates with the course of cancer growth.

Breakthrough Pain

A transient spike in pain intensity that occurs in an otherwise controlled pain syndrome.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

A chronic, progressive nerve condition occurring weeks to months after a nerve injury, characterized by intense severe pain triggered by innocuous stimulation like light touch.

Allodynia

A condition in which a severe pain response is evoked by a stimulus that normally does not cause pain, such as clothing or a cotton ball.

Hyperalgesia

An exaggerated or heightened pain response to a stimulus that is normally painful.

Analgesia

The absence of pain sensation.

Trigeminal Neuralgia

A chronic neuropathic condition causing sudden, intense, electric-like shock pain on one side of the face.

PAINAD Scale

Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia scale, a behavioral assessment tool that scores Breathing, negative Vocalizations, facial expressions, body language, and consolability from $0$ to $2$.

CRIES Scale

A neonatal postoperative pain assessment tool measuring Crying, Requires $O_2$ for saturation $>95\%$, Increased vital signs, Expression, and Sleeplessness.

FLACC Scale

A nonverbal behavioral pain assessment tool for infants and children under $3\,\text{years}$ old evaluating Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability.

FPS-R

Faces Pain Scale–Revised, a pediatric self-report pain scale for children aged $4$–$5\,\text{years}$ and older using $6$ realistic face drawings scored $0$ to $10$.

PQRST Method

A pain assessment mnemonic covering Provocation/Palliation, Quality/Quantity, Region/Radiation, Severity, and Timing.

Gabapentin

An anticonvulsant medication commonly prescribed to treat neuropathic pain, which carries abuse potential and fall risk due to side effects like drowsiness.

Substantia Gelatinosa

Lamina II of the dorsal horn in the spinal cord, serving as the first synaptic location where primary sensory fibers connect with interneurons.

Wind-up

A mechanism of neuropathic pain where repeated nerve injury leads to central neuron hyperexcitability and spontaneous, seizure-like firing.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

A formula calculating weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared ($\text{BMI} = \text{weight}(\text{kg}) / \text{height}(\text{m})^2$) to categorize nutritional weight status.

Obesogenic Environment

An environment that encourages large portions of energy-dense, high-fat foods while simultaneously discouraging physical activity.

Metabolic Syndrome

A clinical condition diagnosed by meeting at least $3$ of $5$ markers: elevated blood pressure, elevated fasting glucose, elevated triglycerides, increased waist circumference, and low HDL cholesterol.

Sarcopenia

The age-related loss of muscle mass.

Sarcopenic Obesity

A condition in aging adults characterized by low muscle mass combined with excess body fat, resulting in diminished strength and physical function.

24-Hour Recall

A dietary intake assessment method where an individual completes a questionnaire or interview listing all food and beverages consumed in the preceding $24\,\text{hours}$.

Bitot Spots

Foamy, white plaque accumulations of dead epithelial cells on the conjunctiva, characteristic of Vitamin A deficiency.

Xanthomas

Fatty deposit nodules that form under the skin due to elevated blood levels of lipids, specifically excess LDL or VLDL.

Corkscrew Hair

Abnormal hair curling associated with severe Vitamin C deficiency (scurvy) and Copper deficiency.

Cheilosis

An inflammatory skin condition producing painful vertical cracks and fissures at the corners of the mouth and lips, associated with Riboflavin or Niacin deficiency.

Angular Stomatitis

Redness and painful cracking at the corners of the mouth linked to deficiencies in Riboflavin, Niacin, Iron, or Vitamin B6.

Glossitis

Inflammation of the tongue resulting in a swollen, smooth, or beefy-red appearance, indicating Vitamin B-complex deficiency.

Koilonychia

Brittle, spoon-shaped nails that indicate an Iron deficiency.

Osteomalacia

Softening and weakening of bones in adults caused by Vitamin D and Calcium deficiency (known as Rickets in children).

Marasmus

Protein-calorie malnutrition caused by starvation or severe inadequate intake of both protein and calories, characterized by a starved appearance while serum albumin levels remain normal.

Kwashiorkor

Protein malnutrition caused by inadequate protein intake despite adequate or excess calories, characterized by an edematous appearance and abnormally low serum albumin levels.

Marasmus-Kwashiorkor Mix

A severe form of malnutrition caused by prolonged inadequate calorie and protein intake combined with acute catabolic stress, presenting with extreme emaciation and very low albumin.

Pellagra

A deficiency syndrome caused by lack of Niacin, characterized by the classic manifestations of diarrhea, dermatitis, dementia, and death.

Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR)

A body composition measurement calculated as waist circumference divided by hip circumference, where a ratio $\ge 1.0$ in men or $\ge 0.8$ in women signals android obesity and elevated risk.