crisis
(krī'sis 
, krī'sēz‵)
Plural: crises
[Gr. krisis, turning point]
- The turning point of a disease.
- The sudden descent of a high temperature to normal or below.
- A sudden painful experience.
- An unstable period in a person's life in which coping skills are severely challenged.
SEE: crisis intervention.
abdominal c.Severe pain in the abdomen caused by biliary or renal colic, testicular or ovarian torsion, ruptured ectopic pregnancy, sickle cell anemia, bowel obstruction and /or perforation, aortic dissection, hemorrhage, and trauma, among other illnesses.
addisonian c.Acute adrenocortical insufficiency.
adrenal c.Acute adrenocortical insufficiency.
blast c.In chronic myelogenous leukemia, a rapid expansion in the clone of leukemic cells, which overrun the blood or bone marrow.
bronchial c.An historical term for coughing spells in those with tertiary syphilis.
celiac c.The rapid onset of dehydration and metabolic disarray in fulminant celiac disease. Patients are treated with intravenous hydration, electrolytes, and parenteral nutrition.
SEE: Dietl crisis.
hypertensive c.Any severe elevation in blood pressure (usually a diastolic pressure greater than 130 mm Hg) with or without damage to internal organs or other structures, e.g., brain, heart, aorta, kidneys. In hypertensive emergencies, end organs are damaged, and antihypertensive drugs usually are given intravenously to try to lower the blood pressure within an hour. Agents used in hypertensive emergencies include sodium nitroprusside, nitroglycerin, labetalol, and enalaprilat.
In hypertensive urgencies, the blood pressure is extremely elevated, but there is no sign or immediate threat of organ damage. Typically, oral beta blockers, ACE inhibitors, or clonidine, alone or in combination, are given to lower pressures over 1 or 2 days.
oculogyric c.A spasm of involuntary deviation and fixation of the eyeballs, usually upward, often occurring as an adverse reaction to the use of phenothiazine medications. It may last for only several minutes or for hours. This condition is a dystonic reaction.
SEE: dystonia.
rectal c.Tenesmus and rectal pain in locomotor ataxia.
salt-losing c.Acute vomiting, dehydration, hypotension, and sudden death as a result of acute loss of sodium. It may be caused by adrenal hyperplasia, salt-losing nephritis, or gastrointestinal disease.
scleroderma renal c.The abrupt onset of kidney failure and severe hypertension in patients with progressive systemic sclerosis. It is treated by controlling blood pressure with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, sometimes in association with other agents.
sickle cell c.Vaso-occlusive crisis (in sickle cell disease).
tabetic c.Abdominal pain due to tabes dorsalis in patients with syphilis.
ABBR: TAC
A serious complication of infection with human parvovirus B-19 infection in patients with chronic hemolytic anemia such as sickle cell disease. This virus causes erythema infectiosum.SEE: erythema infectiosum.
true c.Temperature drop accompanied by a fall in the pulse rate.
vaso-occlusive c. (in sickle cell disease) Painful occlusions of blood vessels in bones, the chest, the lungs, or the abdomen in patients with sickle cell anemia. The syndrome is caused by sickling of blood cells in small blood vessels, with resulting infarction and tissue death. SYN: sickle cell crisis.