Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
35 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
A loss or total lack of appetite.
|
anorexia
|
|
The audible rumbling sounds of gas moving through the intestinal tract. This is the plural form. The singular form is blank
|
borborygmi
borborygmus . |
|
A shivering or a shaking.
|
chills
|
|
Shivering or trembling, usually accompanied by fever; also called chills
|
rigor
|
|
This term could be classified as either a symptom or a disease. Patients can subjectively relate that they are experiencing the discomfort of constipation, and it can also be the diagnosis.
|
constipation
|
|
Constipation that continues for a prolonged period of time.
|
obstipation
|
|
This is a subjective feeling of difficulty swallowing. It occurs when there is impaired progression of the food bolus from the pharynx to the stomach.
|
dysphagia
|
|
An elevation in temperature above normal. This is also called pyrexia. If a patient has a fever, physicians will usually refer to that patient as being febrile.
|
fever
|
|
Not having a fever.
|
afebrile
|
|
Gas produced by bacterial action on waste matter in the intestines. Composed primarily of hydrogen sulfide and methane
|
flatus
|
|
The feeling of excessive gas in the colon.
|
bloating
|
|
Expressing of excessive gas through the mouth.
|
belching
|
|
Expressing of excessive gas through the anus.
|
flatulence
|
|
A retrosternal sensation of burning felt in waves and arising upward toward the neck.
|
heartburn
|
|
Vomiting of blood.
|
hematemesis
|
|
The passage of bloody stools
|
hematochezia
|
|
Melan(o)- is a combining form that means black. The term melena refers both to the passage of dark and pithy stools stained with blood pigment, and black vomit. Although the combining form is spelled with an A, it is important to note that the term melena or melenic stools is spelled with an E.
|
melena
|
|
An unpleasant sensation in the epigastric and abdominal area, which often results in vomiting.
|
nausea
|
|
Pain during swallowing.
|
odynophagia
|
|
Paleness or the absence of skin color.
|
pallor
|
|
Flow in the opposite direction than is normal.
|
regurgitation
|
|
Straining, especially ineffective and painful straining during a bowel movement or urination.
|
tenesmus
|
|
Also called emesis. The forcible expulsion of stomach contents through the mouth. (Try not to think about it.)
|
vomiting
|
|
Lacking physical strength.
|
weakness
|
|
This is self-explanatory: losing pounds
|
weight loss
|
|
This is a mental condition characterized by an individual's refusal to eat enough to maintain a minimal body weight, usually fueled by an intense fear of becoming obese.
|
anorexia nervosa
|
|
This is an impairment of normal esophageal peristalsis. (You may remember that peristalsis is the movement of the muscles in the alimentary canal to propel the food bolus.) It also affects the ability of the lower esophageal sphincter to relax. The most common symptoms are dysphagia, regurgitation, nocturnal cough, and chest pain.
|
achalasia
|
|
Inflammation of the vermiform appendix. (The term appendix is actually a general term which means a supplementary, accessory, or dependent part of a main structure.) This is the first, but many individual structures which are found in the body (GI system and elsewhere) can be individually affected by infection which causes inflammation. You will notice that the suffix -itis appears in several disease processes.
|
appendicitis
|
|
The vermiform appendix specifically identifies the diverticulum of the cecum. However, healthcare professionals commonly drop the term vermiform when referring to this particular appendix
|
vermiform
|
|
The absence or closure of a normal body orifice or tubular organ.
|
atresia
|
|
Tightly packed, partially digested agglomerations of hair or vegetable matter. Seeds, bubble gum, medication, and other materials can mimic true bezoars.
|
bezoar
|
|
A type of food poisoning caused by the production of the bacteria Clostridium botulinum in improperly canned foods. It is characterized by vomiting, abdominal pain, difficulty seeing, dryness of the mouth and pharynx, dyspepsia, cough; it often results in death.
|
botulism
|
|
This is another term for cleft lip or harelip. It is a congenital abnormality.
|
cheiloschisis
|
|
Inflammation of the gallbladder. There are different types of cholecystitis, the most common being chronic and acute. An acute infection generally indicates severe infection and often necessitates a cholecystectomy, which is removal of the gallbladder. This is an extremely common procedure.
|
cholecystitis
|
|
The presence or formation of gallstones.
|
cholelithiasis
|