trauma
Quick Summary
Trauma, originating from the Greek word for "wound," can refer to both physical and emotional injuries. In the context of pathology, trauma encompasses any damage to the body or nervous system caused by an applied force. This can range from direct contact injuries to damage caused by severe shaking or rotational forces.123
In the nervous system, traumatic injuries can affect all levels. Serious head injuries can lead to brain compression, laceration, or bruising, potentially causing swelling, seizures, and personality changes. Even less severe head injuries, like concussions, can result in temporary loss of awareness. Once neurons are destroyed by trauma, they are not replaced, leading to permanent loss of function, particularly in the spinal cord.2
Beyond physical harm, severe emotional trauma can lead to psychological conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), characterized by symptoms such as depression, anxiety, flashbacks, and nightmares. Forensic medicine utilizes medical knowledge to analyze trauma in legal contexts, helping to determine causes of death and identify victims.145
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- bone cancerCauses and symptoms
…to the mistaken conclusion that traumatic injuries can cause bone cancer. Other symptoms that can occur include bone fractures, decreased mobility of a joint, fever, fatigue, and anemia. These symptoms are not specific to bone cancer and can be the result of other, benign processes.
Read More…to the mistaken conclusion that traumatic injuries can cause bone cancer. Other symptoms that can occur include bone fractures, decreased mobility of a joint, fever, fatigue, and anemia. These symptoms are not specific to bone cancer and can be the result of other, benign processes.
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joint diseaseTraumatic joint diseasesBlunt injuries to joints vary in severity from mild sprains to overt fractures and dislocations. A sprain is ligament, tendon, or muscle damage that follows a sudden wrench and momentary incomplete dislocation (subluxation) of a joint. There is some slight hemorrhage into…
Read MoreBlunt injuries to joints vary in severity from mild sprains to overt fractures and dislocations. A sprain is ligament, tendon, or muscle damage that follows a sudden wrench and momentary incomplete dislocation (subluxation) of a joint. There is some slight hemorrhage into…
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platelet…number of platelets rises following trauma or asphyxiation, at high altitudes, after exercise, and in cold temperatures; the number may be temporarily lowered by menstruation in women. Certain chemicals may prolong the life of platelets; smoking is believed to shorten their life spans.
Read More…number of platelets rises following trauma or asphyxiation, at high altitudes, after exercise, and in cold temperatures; the number may be temporarily lowered by menstruation in women. Certain chemicals may prolong the life of platelets; smoking is believed to shorten their life spans.
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nervous system diseaseTraumaTraumatic and mechanical injuries can affect all levels of the nervous system. Serious head injuries can lead to compression, laceration, or bruising of the brain inside the cranium. Compression is commonly due to a blood clot inside the brain or formed outside or beneath…
Read MoreTraumatic and mechanical injuries can affect all levels of the nervous system. Serious head injuries can lead to compression, laceration, or bruising of the brain inside the cranium. Compression is commonly due to a blood clot inside the brain or formed outside or beneath…
Read More- nervous system diseaseCraniocerebral trauma
The concussive and shearing stresses of head injury may cause concussion, contusion of the brain (most often of the tips of the frontal and temporal lobes, called contrecoup injury), or laceration of the brain tissue. In the last two cases, neurological deficits are detected…
Read MoreThe concussive and shearing stresses of head injury may cause concussion, contusion of the brain (most often of the tips of the frontal and temporal lobes, called contrecoup injury), or laceration of the brain tissue. In the last two cases, neurological deficits are detected…
Read More - nervous system diseaseTrauma
Damage to the spinal cord may result from spinal fractures or dislocations. The severity of damage varies with the severity of the injury. Transient weakness and hyperactive reflexes may occur because of damage to the corticospinal tracts, or paraplegia may occur because of damage…
Read MoreDamage to the spinal cord may result from spinal fractures or dislocations. The severity of damage varies with the severity of the injury. Transient weakness and hyperactive reflexes may occur because of damage to the corticospinal tracts, or paraplegia may occur because of damage…
Read More - spinal cord injuryCauses and levels of spinal cord injury
…spinal cord injury is acute trauma, such as from motor vehicle accidents, sports accidents, accidental falls, and violence (e.g., gunshot and stab wounds). However, chronic trauma, such as from herniated intervertebral disks or primary or secondary tumours, and injury sustained as a result of certain medical conditions, such as interrupted…
Read More…spinal cord injury is acute trauma, such as from motor vehicle accidents, sports accidents, accidental falls, and violence (e.g., gunshot and stab wounds). However, chronic trauma, such as from herniated intervertebral disks or primary or secondary tumours, and injury sustained as a result of certain medical conditions, such as interrupted…
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- memory disorderTraumatic amnesia
On recovery of consciousness after traumatic brain injury, individuals at first typically are dazed, confused, and imperfectly aware of their whereabouts and circumstances. This so-called post-traumatic confusional state may last for an hour or so and in some cases may last as long as several days or even weeks. While…
Read MoreOn recovery of consciousness after traumatic brain injury, individuals at first typically are dazed, confused, and imperfectly aware of their whereabouts and circumstances. This so-called post-traumatic confusional state may last for an hour or so and in some cases may last as long as several days or even weeks. While…
Read More - mental disorderMajor mood disorders
Childhood traumas or deprivations, such as the loss of one’s parents while young, can increase a person’s vulnerability to depression later in life, and stressful life events, especially where some type of loss is involved, are, in general, potent precipitating causes. Both psychosocial and biochemical mechanisms…
Read MoreChildhood traumas or deprivations, such as the loss of one’s parents while young, can increase a person’s vulnerability to depression later in life, and stressful life events, especially where some type of loss is involved, are, in general, potent precipitating causes. Both psychosocial and biochemical mechanisms…
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