Dictionary

Signs and symptoms

What a client reports and what a nurse observes, named the way charts and handoffs name them.

dysuriaPain, burning or discomfort when passing urine.

ecchymosisA bruise: a flat purple or blue patch where blood has leaked from small vessels into the skin.

edemaSwelling caused by extra fluid trapped in the body's tissues.

emesisVomiting, or the material that is vomited.

enlarged liverA liver that is larger than normal; the medical word is hepatomegaly.

epistaxisBleeding from the nose; a nosebleed.

erythemaRedness of the skin caused by more blood flowing in the small vessels near the surface.

exacerbationA time when a long-term disease suddenly gets worse, or its symptoms flare up.

excoriationA raw, scraped area of skin where the top layer has been scratched or rubbed away.

exudateFluid, cells or other material that has leaked out of blood vessels into a wound or tissue.

FACES scaleA pain scale of six drawn faces, from smiling to crying, that a person points to in order to show how much they hurt.

facial droopA sagging of one side of the face, often easiest to see at the corner of the mouth.

facial expressionThe look on a person's face made by the facial muscles, such as a smile, frown or grimace.

faintingA short loss of consciousness from a brief drop in blood flow to the brain, with a quick return to being awake.

fatigueA lasting feeling of tiredness or lack of energy that rest does not fully relieve.

febrile seizureA seizure in a young child brought on by a fever, without an infection of the brain or another known cause.

feverA body temperature higher than normal, usually 38 °C (100.4 °F) or above.

flatulenceGas in the stomach or intestines, or passing that gas through the anus.

flatusGas passed from the intestines through the anus.

fluctuationA rising and falling, or a change back and forth, such as in a lab value, a symptom or a client's alertness.

fluid retentionExtra fluid that the body holds in its tissues instead of removing it.

flushingA sudden warm reddening of the skin, usually of the face, neck or chest.

friction rubA grating or scratching sound, heard with a stethoscope, made when two inflamed layers of tissue move against each other.

Gowers signA way of rising from the floor in which a child pushes on the thighs with the hands, "walking" the hands up the legs to stand.

Grey Turner signBluish or purplish bruising of the skin of the flanks, the sides of the body between the ribs and the hips.

gruntingA short, low sound made at the end of each breath out.

guardingTightening of muscles, or protecting a body part with the hands or posture, to avoid pain when it is touched or moved.

gynecomastiaEnlarged breast gland tissue in a male.

hallucinationHearing, seeing, feeling, smelling or tasting something that is not really there.

haloA ring shape: either a ring of light seen around lights, or a metal ring fixed to the skull to hold the neck still.

halo signA ring of clear or pale yellow fluid around a central spot of blood when drainage dries on gauze or a sheet.

Hamman signA crunching or crackling sound heard over the heart in time with the heartbeat.

headachePain in any part of the head.

heart murmurA whooshing or swishing sound heard with a stethoscope, made by blood flowing unevenly through the heart.

heartburnA burning feeling behind the breastbone or in the upper belly, often rising toward the throat.

Hegar signSoftening of the lower part of the uterus, felt by the examiner in early pregnancy.

hematemesisVomiting blood, either bright red or dark and grainy like coffee grounds.

hematocheziaPassing bright red or maroon blood from the rectum, alone or with stool.

hematomaA collection of blood, often clotted, that has leaked out of the blood vessels into the tissue.

hematuriaBlood in the urine, either seen by eye or found only by a test.

hemiplegiaParalysis of one side of the body.

hemoptysisCoughing up blood or blood-streaked mucus from the lungs or airways.

hemorrhageA large loss of blood from a blood vessel, inside the body or out of it.

hepatomegalyAn enlarged liver.

hirsutismThick, dark hair growing in a male-type pattern, such as on the face, chest or back, in a woman.

hoarsenessA rough, strained or breathy voice that is harder to make or sounds different from normal.

Homans signPain in the calf when the foot is bent sharply upward with the knee straight.

hopelessnessA feeling that things will not get better and that nothing a person does can change that.

Hutchinson teethSmall, widely spaced upper front teeth that are narrow at the biting edge, with a notch in the middle.

hyperactive bowel soundBowel sounds that are louder, more frequent or longer than normal when listening to the abdomen.