Vital Signs

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Vital Signs Noun

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[vai-tuhl sainz]

Back

Vital Signs

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Measurements of the body's most basic functions, such as temperature and pulse, used to assess general physical health.

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Example: This infographic details strategies for controlling high blood pressure involving patients and doctors, rather than defining the four main vital signs.

Front

Febrile Adjective

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[feb-rail]

Back

Febrile

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A medical term describing the condition of having or showing the symptoms associated with a fever.

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Example: This illustration shows a person with a fever, a key sign of being febrile. The thermometer, red face, and sweating visually represent an elevated body temperature.

Front

Afebrile Adjective

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[ay-feb-rail]

Back

Afebrile

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A medical term for not being feverish and having a body temperature within the normal, expected range.

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Example: This diagram shows a thermometer with different body temperature ranges. The highlighted 'Normal range' (96.8°F–98.6°F) is the state of being afebrile, or without fever.

Front

Hyperthermia Noun

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[hai-per-thur-mee-uh]

Back

Hyperthermia

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The condition of having a body temperature greatly above normal, often resulting from failed bodily thermoregulation.

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Example: This diagram shows a medical treatment using nanoparticles to heat and destroy a tumour, a specific and advanced application of hyperthermia.

Front

Hypothermia Noun

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[hai-poh-thur-mee-uh]

Back

Hypothermia

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A medical emergency where the body loses heat faster than it produces it, causing a dangerously low temperature.

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Example: This image is an infographic on how to prevent hypothermia and frostbite by dressing warmly, not an explanation of the physiological condition of hypothermia.

Front

Tympanic Membrane Noun

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[tim-pan-ik mem-brayn]

Back

Tympanic Membrane

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A thin membrane, also known as the eardrum, that separates the external ear from the middle ear.

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Example: This diagram shows the tympanic membrane (eardrum), a thin membrane in the ear that vibrates in response to sound waves, allowing us to hear.

Front

Antipyretics Noun

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[an-tee-pai-ret-iks]

Back

Antipyretics

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A class of drugs, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, that are used to prevent or reduce fever.

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Example: This image shows a bottle of ibuprofen, a common medicine labeled as a 'fever reducer,' which is an example of an antipyretic used to lower body temperature.

Front

Tachycardia Noun

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[tak-i-kahr-dee-uh]

Back

Tachycardia

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A condition characterized by a faster than normal heart rate, typically over 100 beats per minute at rest.

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Example: This ECG diagram shows tachycardia, a heart rate that is too fast, indicated by the heartbeats being very close together (over 150 BPM).

Front

Bradycardia Noun

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[brad-i-kahr-dee-uh]

Back

Bradycardia

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A condition characterized by a slower than normal heart rate, typically fewer than 60 beats per minute.

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Example: This ECG (electrocardiogram) tracing shows heartbeats that are spaced far apart, indicating a slow heart rate, which is known as bradycardia.

Front

Apical Pulse Noun

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[ay-pi-kuhl puls]

Back

Apical Pulse

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The pulse measured directly over the apex of the heart with a stethoscope, representing the actual heartbeat.

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Example: This diagram shows the location of the apical pulse by tracing a path down the chest to the space between the fifth and sixth ribs.