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subdural hematoma

an accumulation of blood due to bleeding between the dura mater membrane and the brain surface. Because the hematoma enlarges and cannot escape through the skull, it causes pressure that distorts brain structures. The bleeding may occur over a period of days or weeks, producing symptoms of confusion, memory loss, or other neurological deficits that may be mistaken as signs of dementia in an older person.

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Psychology term of the day

January 19th 2025

herpetic neuralgia

herpetic neuralgia

pain associated with shingles, caused by reactivation of the herpes varicella-zoster virus (see herpes infection). Following an attack of chicken pox, the virus lies dormant in a dorsal nerve root and ganglion of the spinal cord; when reactivated, it spreads down the sensory nerve, causing vesicle formation and severe, burning, lancinating pain. This acute pain typically resolves in 3 to 5 weeks, but patients often develop the chronic, debilitating pain known as postherpetic neuralgia.