ataxia
staggering, unsteady gait that can occur with excessive alcohol or drug ingestion
bradycardia
adult heart rate of less than 60 bpm
bradypnea
adult respiratory rate of less than 12 rpm
cachectic
condition in which the patient looks emaciated or very thin, with sunken eyes and hollowed cheeks
cyanosis
bluish discoloration of the skin caused by an inadequate amount of oxygen in the blood
diastolic blood pressure
resting pressure that that the blood exerts between each ventricular contraction
eclampsia
occurence of seizures that cannot be attributed to other causes in a woman with preeclampsia
isolated systolic hypertension
systolic blood pressure of 140 mm Hg or greater and diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or lower
jaundice
yellowing of the skin caused by an excessive amount of bilirubin in the blood
kyphosis
hunched back; commonly associated with osteoporosis
lesion
area of tissue with impaired function resulting from disease or physical trauma
lethargic
condition in which the patient drifts off to sleep easily, looks drowsy, and responds to questions very slowly
lordosis
inward curvature of the spine, typically located in the lower back
pallor
abnormal paleness of the skin resulting from reduced blood flow or decreased hemoglobin level
preeclampsia
pregnancy specific syndrome of reduced organ perfusion secondary to vasospasm and activation of coagulation cascade
stupor
condition in which patient responds only to persistent and vigorous shaking and answers questions with only a mumble
systolic blood pressure
max pressure felt on the arteries during ventricular contraction
tachycardia
adult blood pressure greater than 100 bpm
tachypnea
adult respiratory rate greater than 20 rpm
arcus senilis
gray-white arc or circle around the cornea
cataracts
complete or partial opacity of the ocular lens
conjunctivitis
inflammation of the clear mucous membrane of the eye
ectropion
turning outward of the lower lid of the eye
entropion
turning inward of the lower lid of the eye
exophthalmos
protrusion of the eyeball as a result of increased volume of orbital content; also known as proptosis
glaucoma
group of eye disorders involving optic neuropathy and characterized by changes in the optic disc and loss of visual sensitivity and field
mydriasis
long-continued or excessive dilatation of the pupil of the eye
nystagmus
involuntary oscillating eye movements
otalgia
ear pain
otitis externa
inflammation of the skin lining the external auditory canal
otitis media
inflammation of the middle ear
presbycusis
hearing loss that occurs with aging as the auditory nerve degenerates
presbyopia
far-sightedness
proptosis
bulging eyes; also known as exophthalmos
pseudoptosis
upper lid of the eye resting on the lashes
scotoma
blind spot in the visual field surrounded by an area of normal or decreased vision
strabismus
deviation of one eye
styes
acute pustular infections of an eyelash follicle or sebaceous glands of the eye
xanthelasma
soft, raised, yellow plaques on lid at inner canthus
xanthomas
soft, yellowish, raised waxy lesions on or beneath the eyelid
acromegaly
abnormal enlargement of the bones of both the face and skull resulting from hyperactivity of the pituitary gland
acute sinusitis
inflammation of the sinuses that remains for 7-10 days or longer
chronic sinusitis
inflammation if the sinuses that is present for 8 weeks, occurs for periods of longer than 10 days on more than 4 occasions during a 1-year period, or repeatedly unresponsive to medical therapy
Cushing's disease
excessive plasma cortisol resulting in a central obesity, abnormal rounding of the face, excess hair above the lip and on the chin. These individuals may also present with striae, myopathy, muscular weakness, hypertension, glucose intolerance, menstrual a
gingivitis
inflammation of the gingivae; the most common and mildest form of periodontal disease
Graves' disease
autoimmune disorder in which thyroid-stimulating immunoglobulins stimulate the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor to cause overproduction of thyroid hormones; characterized by thinning of the face and protruding or bulging eyes; also known as toxic diff
hydrocephalus
excess fluid in the skull; seen as an enlargement of the head without a change in the face
macroencephalopathy
disease of the brain resulting from an abnormally large skull
microencephalopathy
disease of the brain resulting from an abnormally small skull
periodontitis
inflammation of the tissue supporting the teeth
pharyngitis
inflammation of the pharynx and surrounding lymphoid tissues; often caused by viruses or bacteria
phonophobia
sensitivity to sound; associated with migraine headaches
photophobia
sensitivity to light; associated with migraine headaches
rhinitis
inflammation of the nasal mucous membrane
rhinorrhea
recurrent or chronic watery nasal discharge
asthma
chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways
bronchitis
inflammation and edema of the bronchioles causing excessive mucus production and airway obstruction
bronchophony
the sound of the voice as heard through the stethoscope
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
pulmonary disease characterized by airflow limitation (primarily expiratory flow) that is not reversible
crackles
short, sharp, or rough sounds heard with a stethoscope over the chest
egophony
condition in which the sound "ee" spoken by the patient is heard as "ay" through a stethoscope placed over the lungs, possibly indicating consolidation. In a normal test, a muffled "ee" sound would be heard
emphysema
respiratory disease characterized by an abnormal, permanent enlargement of airspaces distal to the bronchioles
friction rub
the sound, heard on the auscultation, made by the rubbing of 2 opposed serous surfaces roughened by an inflammatory exudate, or, if chronic, by nonadhesive fibrosis
hyperpnea
fast, deep breathing that occurs normally with exercise or with emphysema or a pneumothorax in which a large amount of air is present
hyperresonance
abnormally long, low-pitched sound that is heard with emphysema or a pneumothorax in which a large amount of air is present
hypoxemia
low oxygen concentration in the blood
orthopnea
shortness of breath that occurs while the patient is lying flat
paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea
sudden gasping for air that occurs while sleeping at night
pneumonia
inflammation if the lungs; most commonly caused by a community-acquired bacterial infection
resonance
long, low-pitched sound that can usually be heard over all the lung fields
rhonchi
an added sound with a musical pitch occurring during inspiration or expiration, heard on auscultation of the chest, and caused by air passing through bronchi that are narrowed by inflammation, spasm of smooth muscle, or presence of mucus in the lumen
tactile fremitus
palpable vibrations that are transmitted through the bronchial tree to the chest wall when a patient speaks
wheezes
whistling respiratory sounds caused by turbulent airflow through constricted bronchi
whispered pectoriloquy
condition in which the words "one-two-three" whispered by the patient are heard distinctively and clearly through a stethoscope placed over the lungs; possibly indicitive of consolidation and pleural effusions. In a normal test, words would sound faint an
afterload
vascular resistance against which the ventricle must contract
angina pectoris
presence of intermittent chest pain caused by temporary oxygen insufficiency and myocardial ischemia
angioplasty
nonsurgical method of mechanically dilating a partially obstructed coronary artery
arteriosclerosis
condition in which the blood vessels become more rigid, lose elasticity, and become thicker as the body ages; calcification of weakened vessel walls
bruit
blowing, murmur-like sound of vascular rather than cardiac origin
cardiac output
volume of blood pumped from ventricle in 1 minute; product of the heart rate and stroke volume
circus senilis
white circle around the cornea that results from deposits of fat
congestive heart failure
condition in which the heart cannot pump a sufficient amount of blood to meet the metabolic needs of the body
contractility
ability of the cardiac muscle, when given a load, to shorten and contract
corneal arcus
lipid deposits in the periphery of eye that may be detected when light is directed to the iris
coronary heart disease
degenerative changes in coronary circulation that are caused by an imbalance between myocardial oxygen demand and blood supply; also termed coronary artery disease or ischemic heart disease
diastole
phase of the cardiac cycle during which the ventricles relax, the atrioventricular valves open, and blood passively flows from the pressure-filled atria into the low-pressure ventricles
first heart sound
S1, heart sound that is produced by closure of the atrioventricular valves and that signals the beginning of systole; characterized as "lub" and usually loudest over the apex area of the heart
hepatojugular reflex
sustained elevated jugular venous pressure that occurs during abdominal compression; indicates that hepatic venous congestion is present
hypertension
elevated systolic blood pressure (>140 mmHg) and/or diastolic blood pressure (>90 mmHg) measured on at least two seperate occasions; classified according to severity as stage 1 or 2
murmur
gentle, blowing, swishing sound heard on the chest wall of cardiac or vascular origin
myocardial infarction
occurence of myocardial cell death and necrosis caused by local , severe, or prolonged ischemia
orthopnea
shortness of breath that occurs while the patient is lying flat
preload
passive stretching of the ventricular muscle as the volume of blood in the ventricle at the end of diastole increases
Prinzmetal angina
a variant angina pectoris that occurs at rest
pulse pressure
difference between the systolic and diastolic pressure; reflects stroke volume
second heart sound
S2, heart sound produced by closure of the semilunar valves; signals the ending of systole
stable angina
angina that occurs most commonly when the workload of the heart increases through exertion or stress; usually associated with significant amount of atherosclerotic narrowing of one or more coronary arteries
stroke volume
amount of blood ejected in one full heartbeat
systole
phase of the cardiac cycle during which pressure in the ventricles
unstable angina
angina characterized by an increased frequency of anginal pain; anginal attacks are usually precipitated by less exertion or may occur at rest, are more intense, and last longer than episodes of stable angina