June 25, 2014

Conditions of the Blood, Immune, and Lymphatic

Systems

Emily Larson

Anaphylactic Shock

Definition and Word Parts:

✤ Anaphylactic Shock is a life-threatening condition resulting from a severe allergic reaction.

✤ Also called anaphylaxis.

✤ Systemic reaction occurs in a susceptible individual upon second exposure to a specific antigen.

✤ Ana-: against

✤ phylact/o: protecting, guarding

✤ -ic: pertaining to

Causes:

✤ Anaphylactic Shock can be triggered by a variety of different allergens.

✤ Common instances that may trigger anaphylaxis: bee stings, medications, or the ingestion of foods.

Signs and Symptoms:

✤ Circulatory and respiratory problems occur

✤ Including but not limited to: respiratory distress, hypotension, edema, tachycardia, and convulsions.

Mononucleosis

Definition and word parts:

✤ Acute infectious disease with a large number of abnormal mononuclear lymphocytes.

✤ mono-: one

✤ nucle/o: nucleus

✤ -osis: abnormal condition

Causes:

✤ Cuased by the Epstein-Barr virus.

✤ Can be transmitted through saliva and mucus.

✤ Nicknamed “the kissing disease” because it can be passed from one person to another by kissing.

Signs and Symptoms:

✤ Early symptoms resemble those of the flu including: fatigue, headache, sore throat, fever, chills, and muscle aches

✤ Other symptoms may develop such as: swollen lymph nodes, a rash, jaundice, and tiny red spots or bruise-like areas in the mouth

✤ Can cause abnormal liver function.

Hodgkins Disease

Definition and Word Parts:

✤ Cancer of the lymphatic cells found in concentration in the lymph nodes.

✤ Named after British physician Thomas Hodgkin, who first described it.

✤ Also called Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

✤ lymph/o: lymph

✤ -oma: tumor

Causes:

✤ The lymphocytes begin to multiply uncontrollably.

✤ These infection-fighting cells develop deformities in their DNA that cause them to continue to live and produce when a normal cell would die.

Signs and Symptoms:

✤ Painless swelling in the lymph nodes

✤ Fever

✤ Loss of appetite and weight loss

✤ Coughing

✤ Itching

✤ Sensitivity to the effects of alcohol

Aplastic Anemia

Definition and Word Parts:

✤ Severe form of anemia that develops due to the loss of functioning red bone marrow.

✤ May eventually require a bone marrow transplant.

✤ a-: without

✤ -plastic: pertaining to development

✤ an-: without

✤ -emia: blood condition

Causes:

✤ Bone marrow stops properly producing erythrocytes, leukocytes, and platelets.

Signs and Symptoms:

✤ Aplastic anemia has many negative effects throughout the body. Some common symptoms include: fatigue, shortness of breath, tachycardia or arrhythmia, pallor, skin rashes, nosebleeds, bleeding from the gums, headaches, and dizziness.

✤ An infected individual may also become more susceptible to infections, may bruise easily or experience excessive bleeding from minor cuts.

Fin.