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Key Terms

alopecia
hair loss
autoimmune disorder
occurs when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys healthy body tissue
basal ganglia
a part of the brain that starts and coordinate movements; diseases of the cells leading into the basal ganglia include Parkinson’s disease that results in tremors
Braden scale
an assessment tool using six categories to determine pressure injury risk
crepitus
a grating sound produced by friction between bone and cartilage or bone and bone
diascopy
a test for determining how quickly the skin blanches under pressure
genu varum
bowing of legs
hirsutism
an abundance of hair in places where hair is normally scarce or absent
integumentary system
the body system that includes the skin, hair, nails, sweat glands, sebaceous glands, and nerves on the skin
intoeing
foot turned inward
kyphosis
an excessive outward curvature of the spine
lordosis
an excessive inward curvature of the spine
muscle tone
a measure of a muscle’s resistance to stretching while in a passive resting state
musculoskeletal system
the bones of the skeleton and the cartilages, ligaments, and other connective tissues and muscles
osteoarthritis
a degenerative joint disease resulting in chronic pain and often edema
patch testing
a skin test for allergies
polyphenols
beneficial plant compounds with antioxidant properties
psoriatic arthritis
a long-term inflammatory disease of the joints
range of motion (ROM)
reflects the client’s ability to move their joints actively or passively
scoliosis
a sideways curvature of the spine
scraping
a technique for obtaining superficial dead skin for testing
tenting
when the skin remains raised after being pinched on the back of the hand
Tzanck testing
a test used to diagnose viral disease with active vesicles
vitiligo
skin pigmentation disturbance
wood light test
a black light test used to diagnose lesions
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