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The signs of a head injury can occur immediately or develop slowly over several hours. Even if the skull is not fractured, the brain can bang against the inside of the skull and be bruised. (This is called a concussion) The head may look fine, but...
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A head injury may cause damage both from the direct physical injury to the brain and from secondary factors, such as lack of oxygen, brain swelling, and disturbance of blood flow. Both closed and penetrating head injuries can cause swirling moveme...
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Taste impairment ranges from distorted taste to a complete loss of taste.
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Dysgeusia is a disorder of the sense of taste. Any condition that affects the ability to taste is referred to as dysgeusia.
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Taste alteration refers to a decrease in the ability to taste foods (hypogeusia), changes in how food tastes (dysgeusia), or the complete loss of the ability to taste foods (ageusia). It also refers to the presence of a metallic or medicine-like taste in the mouth.
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Aphasia is condition characterized by either partial or total loss of the ability to communicate verbally or using written words. A person with aphasia may have difficulty speaking, reading, writing, recognizing the names of objects, or understanding what other people have said.
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Aphasia is a communication disorder that occurs after language has been developed, usually in adulthood. Not simply a speech disorder, aphasia can affect the ability to comprehend the speech of others, as well as the ability to read and write.
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Treating AphasiaAphasia occurs when a part of the brain that processes language is damaged. Most people who have a stroke or a brain injury are tested for aphasia.
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What Is Aphasia?Aphasia is a loss of language skills.
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Aphasia is an impairment of spoken language understanding and expression associated with brain damage. Neurologic etiologies that affect the left cerebral cortex can lead to aphasia (sometimes termed dysphasia).
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A condition, caused by neurological damage or disease, in which a person ' s previous capacity to understand or express language is impaired. In aphasia, the ability to understand language and to translate thoughts into words has been impaired by injury to the brain.
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Bruises, or ecchymoses, are a discoloration and tenderness of the skin or mucous membranes due to the leakage of blood from an injured blood vessel into the tissues. Pupura refers to bruising as the result of a disease condition.
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Blindness is the lack of vision, or a loss of vision that cannot be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. Blindness may be partial, with very limited vision, or complete, with no perception of light. People with vision worse than 20/200, or a field of vision of less than 20 degrees in the better eye, are considered legally blind in most states in the U.S.
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A bruise is an area of skin discoloration. A bruise occurs when small blood vessels break and leak their contents into the soft tissue beneath the skin.
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Bruises, or ecchymoses, are a discoloration and tenderness of the skin or mucous membranes due to the leakage of blood from an injured blood vessel into the tissues. Purpura refers to bruising as the result of a disease condition.
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Bruises, or ecchymoses, are a discoloration and tenderness of the skin or mucous membranes due to the leakage of blood from an injured blood vessel into the tissues. Pupura refers to bruising as the result of a disease condition.
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Choking is when someone can't breathe because food, a toy, or other object is blocking the airway (throat or windpipe).
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Choking is a condition caused by inhalation of a foreign object that partially or fully blocks the airway. Choking is a major cause of respiratory emergencies and cardiac arrest in infants and children.
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This is an extreme medical emergency. Knowing what to do can help save your baby's life.
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Blockage of the throat or windpipe by an object. Choking is a major cause of death for children under three, and is a hazard for older children as well.
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Choking is the inability to breathe because the trachea is blocked, constricted, or swollen shut. Choking is a medical emergency.
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First Aid: ChokingCall 911 if the victim loses consciousness.Choking occurs when the airway to the lungs becomes blocked, placing the victim's life in danger. Start rescue techniquesright away.1Identify ChokingLook for a hand raised to the throat,...
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Coma, from the Greek word " koma, " meaning deep sleep, is a state of extreme unresponsiveness, in which an individual exhibits no voluntary movement or behavior. Furthermore, in a deep coma, even painful stimuli (actions which, when performed on a healthy individual, result in reactions) are unable to affect any response, and normal reflexes may be lost.
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Coma, from the Greek word koma , meaning deep sleep, is a state of extreme unresponsiveness, in which an individual exhibits no voluntary movement or behavior. Furthermore, in a deep coma, even painful stimuli (actions which, when performed on a healthy individual, result in reactions) are unable to cause any response, and normal reflexes may be lost.
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Confusion is the inability to think with your usual speed or clarity. When confused, you have difficulty focusing your attention and may feel disoriented. Confusion interferes with your ability to make decisions.
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Uncoordinated movement is an abnormality of muscle control or an inability to finely coordinate movements, resulting in a jerky, unsteady, to-and-fro motion of the trunk or the limbs.
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Ataxia, a medical term originated from the Greek language meaning " without order, " refers to disturbances in the control of body posture, motor coordination, speech control, and eye movements. Several brain areas, including the cerebellum and the spinocerebellar tracts, substantia nigra, pons, and cerebral cortex control these functions.
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Lack of coordination in the muscles. Ataxia, an extreme lack of coordination of the muscles, is a symptom of damage to the central nervous system.
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Developmental coordination disorder is diagnosed when children do not develop normal motor coordination (coordination of movements involving the voluntary muscles). Developmental coordination disorder has been known by many other names, some of which are still used today.
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When one pupil (of the eye) is a different size from the other one, there may be a serious underlying cause.
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An ear discharge is drainage of blood, ear wax , pus, or fluid from the ear.
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Nasal discharge is any mucus-like material that comes out of the nose.
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Drowsiness refers to feeling abnormally sleepy during the day -- often with a strong tendency to actually fall asleep in inappropriate situations or at inappropriate times.
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Hypersomnia refers to a set of related disorders that involve excessive daytime sleepiness. There are two main categories of hypersomnia: primary hypersomnia (sometimes called idiopathic hypersomnia) and recurrent hypersomnia (sometimes called recurrent primary hypersomnia).
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Facial swelling involves an accumulation of fluid in the face, which may extend to the neck and upper arms.
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A facial fracture means you have one or more broken bones in your face. These may be in your jaw, nose, cheeks, or the sockets around your eyes.
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A generalized tonic-clonic seizure is a seizure involving the entire body, usually characterized by muscle rigidity , violent rhythmic muscle contractions , and loss of consciousness . The condition is caused by abnormal electrical activity in the nerve cells of the brain.
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A headache is pain or discomfort in the head, scalp, or neck. Serious causes of headaches are extremely rare. Most people with headaches can feel much better by making lifestyle changes, learning ways to relax, and occasionally by taking medications. See also: Tension headache Cluster headache Migraine with aura Migraine without aura
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A headache involves pain in the head which can arise from many disorders or may be a disorder in and of itself. There are three types of primary headaches: tension-type (muscular contraction headache), migraine (vascular headaches), and cluster.
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Headache is a pain in the head and neck region that may be either a disorder in its own right or a symptom of an underlying medical condition or disease. The medical term for headache is cephalalgia.
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A headache involves pain in the head that can arise from many disorders or may be a disorder in and of itself. Headaches can be categorized as primary or secondary.
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Hearing loss is the total or partial inability to hear sound in one or both ears. See also: Hearing loss of aging
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Most people over age 65 have some hearing loss, and by age 80, almost everyone does. Because hearing loss usually occurs slowly over the years, you may not realize your hearing ability has gotten worse.
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As you age, some hearing loss is normal. You lose more than the ability to hear how loud a sound is. You also lose the ability to hear certain types of sounds. For example, you might not be able to hear some of the high-pitched sounds of a child's voice.
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Hearing loss is any degree of impairment of the ability to apprehend sound. Sound can be measured accurately.
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Hearing begins in the womb- pregnant women have reported feeling the fetus move in response to loud noises at 31 weeks (7 weeks before full-term delivery). Newborns are sensitive to the location, frequency, pitch, and volume of sounds.
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Hearing impairment is the temporary or permanent loss of some or all hearing in one or both ears. There are three types of hearing impairment that occur in young children: conductive hearing loss, a usually temporary interference with the reception of sound from the outer ear to the middle or inner ear sensorineural hearing impairment, a permanent abnormality of the cochlear hair cells of the inner ear, the auditory nerve, or the auditory center of the brain mixed hearing impairment, a combination of conductive and sensorineural impairments Hearing impairments also are classified as prelingual (occurring before a child learns to speak) and post-lingual (occurring after the child has acquired language).
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Hearing loss is any degree of impairment of the ability to apprehend sound. Sound can be measured accurately.
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Hearing loss is any degree of impairment of the ability to comprehend sound. Sound can be accurately measured.
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The term anosmia means lack of the sense of smell. It may also refer to a decreased sense of smell.
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The term anosmia means lack of the sense of smell. It may also refer to a decreased sense of smell.
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A normal breathing rate for an adult at rest is 8 to 16 breaths/minute. For an infant, a normal rate is up to 44 breaths/minute. Tachypnea is a medical term that your doctor would use to describe your breathing if it is too fast, particularly if you have rapid, shallow breathing due to an associated lung disease or other medical cause. In contrast, the term hyperventilation is usually used if you are taking rapid, deep breaths because of anxiety or panic. The terms may be used interchangeably, however.
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Irritability is an excessive response to stimuli .
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Unconsciousness is when a person is unable to respond to people and other stimuli around him or her. Often, this is called a coma or being in a comatose state. Other changes in awareness can occur without becoming unconscious. Medically, these are called "Altered Mental Status" or "Changed Mental Status." They include sudden confusion, disorientation, or stupor. Unconsciousness and any other SUDDEN change in mental status must be treated as a medical emergency. If someone is awake but less alert than usual, ask a few simple questions -- What is your name? What is the date? How old are you? If the person doesn't know or answers incorrectly, then his or her mental status is diminished.
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Swallowing pain refers to a strong feeling of uncomfortable squeezing and burning while swallowing, which may be felt high in the neck or lower down behind the breastbone. Such pain may be a symptom of a serious disorder. See also: Swallowing difficulty
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Nausea is the sensation of having an urge to vomit. Vomiting is forcing the contents of the stomach up through the esophagus and out of the mouth.
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Nausea is the sensation of having a queasy stomach or being about to vomit. Vomiting , or emesis, is the expelling of undigested food through the mouth.
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Definition and classification Pain is a universal human experience. The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines pain as " an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage.
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Pain, medically termed "nociception," is a response to noxious stimuli that is conveyed to the brain by sensory neurons . The discomfort signals actual or impending injury to the body.
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Communicating About PainResourcesAmerican Pain Foundation888-615-7246www.painfoundation.orgAmerican Chronic Pain Associationwww.theacpa.orgThe National Pain Foundation www.painconnection.orgYou have a right to have pain treated. Untreated pain can...
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Pain is an unpleasant feeling that is conveyed to the brain by sensory neurons. The discomfort signals actual or potential injury to the body.
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Measuring Your PainA pain scale helps you rate pain intensity. In the scale, 0 means no pain, and 10 is the worst pain possible.
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Pain is an unpleasant feeling that is conveyed to the brain by sensory neurons. The discomfort signals actual or potential injury to the body.
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Pain is an unpleasant feeling that is conveyed to the brain by nerves in the body. Pain arises from any number of situations.
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Paralysis is defined as complete loss of strength in an affected limb or muscle group. The chain of nerve cells that runs from the brain through the spinal cord out to the muscle is called the motor pathway.
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Paralysis is defined as complete loss of strength in an affected limb or muscle group. The chain of nerve cells that runs from the brain through the spinal cord out to the muscle is called the motor pathway.
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Nausea is the sensation of being about to vomit. Vomiting, or emesis, is the expelling of undigested food through the mouth.
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Nausea is the sensation of being about to vomit. Vomiting, or emesis, is the expelling from the stomach of undigested food through the mouth.
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Forcibly disgorging the contents of the stomach through the mouth. Vomiting in children has a wide range of causes, from ordinary cases of stomach flu that spontaneously resolve within days to serious disorders of the digestive tract and other problems.
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Nausea and vomiting are recognized as two separate and distinct conditions. Nausea is the subjective, unpleasant feeling or urge to vomit, which may or may not result in vomiting.
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Agitation refers to an unpleasant state of extreme arousal, increased tension , and irritability.
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A seizure is a sudden change in behavior due to an excessive electrical activity in the brain.
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A seizure is a sudden change in behavior characterized by changes in sensory perception (sense of feeling) or motor activity (movement) due to an abnormal firing of nerve cells in the brain. Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent seizures that may include repetitive muscle jerking called convulsions.
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A seizure is a sudden change in behavior characterized by changes in sensory perception (sense of feeling) or motor activity (movement) due to an abnormal firing of nerve cells in the brain . Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent seizures that may include repetitive muscle jerking called convulsions.
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A temporary series of uncontrollable muscle spasms brought on by unusual electrical activity in the brain. Also known as convulsion, clonic seizure, or tonic-clonic seizure.
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Children with epilepsy may have seizures only once in a while, or every day. Though seizures can be scary for parents and caregivers, they aren’t painful and are usually brief.
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First Aid: SeizuresA seizure results from a sudden rush of abnormal electrical signals in the brain. Symptoms may range from a minor daze to uncontrollable muscle spasms(convulsion).In some cases, the victim may even lose consciousness.
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Breathing difficulties involve a sensation of difficult or uncomfortable breathing or a feeling of not getting enough air. See also difficulty breathing - first aid.
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Shortness of breath, or dyspnea, is a feeling of difficult or labored breathing that is out of proportion to the patient ' s level of physical activity. It is a symptom of a variety of different diseases or disorders and may be either acute or chronic.
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Speech impairment may be any of several speech problems, particularly the following: Dysarthria is difficult, poorly articulated speech, such as slurring. Aphasia is impaired expression or comprehension of written or spoken language. Dysarthria is occasionally confused with aphasia. It is important to distinguish between a difficulty in articulation of words versus a problem with the production of language, as these have different causes.
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Dysarthria is a speech diagnostic term that can be used to classify various types of neuromuscular speech disturbances. Dysarthria results from notable degrees of one or more abnormalities involving speech musculature, including weakness, paralysis, incoordination, sensory deprivation, exaggerated reflex patterns, uncontrollable movement activities, and excess or reduced tone.
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What Is Dysarthria?Dysarthriais a speech problem caused by a lack of control over muscles in the face and mouth.
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Dysarthria is a group of speech impairments due to weakness, incoordination, spasticity, rigidity, or irregular movements caused by damage to the nervous system. Speech abilities depend on the coordinated function of muscles of respiration, phonation (larynx), and articulation.
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Treating DysarthriaDysarthria occurs when the part of the brain that controls speech production is damaged. When this happens, the muscles needed to make certain sounds can’t be used fully.
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Speech disorders include several speech-related problems that result in impaired or ineffective oral communication. Also see speech impairment .
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According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), a language disorder is an impairment in comprehension use of the spoken, written, or other symbol system. Speech disorders affect the language and mechanics, the content of speech, or the function of language in communication.
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Speech disorders are characterized by a difficulty in producing normal speech patterns. Children go through many stages of speech production while they are learning to communicate.
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Treatment for the improvement or cure of communication disorders, including both speech problems and language disorders. Formerly referred to as speech therapy, the techniques, strategies, and interventions designed to improve or correct communication disorders are known as speech-language pathology.
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