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Strokesaurus

Word Definition

DALY

Disability-adjusted life years
Disability-adjusted life years

DBP

Diastolic blood pressure
Diastolic blood pressure

Debilitation

Weakened condition.
Debilitation is when you are weak.

Deep vein thrombosis

Thrombosis (a clot of blood) in the deep veins of the leg, arm, or abdomen.
Thrombosis (a clot of blood) in the deep veins of the leg, arm, or abdomen.

Dehydrate

To lose water or body fluids.
Dehydrated is when you lose too much water from your body.

It’s like when you don’t drink enough water.

Dementia

Permanently impaired cognition, which includes things such as memory, thinking, language and judgment, which affects behaviour.
Dementia is when your mind is damaged. 

It can change the way you act. 

It includes changes to things like: 
  • Your memory
  • How you think
  • Talking and listening
  • How you make decisions

Diabetes

A condition that causes blood sugar to rise to dangerous levels, that if left untreated, can lead to stroke.
Diabetes is when your blood sugar rises. 

If your blood sugar gets too high for too long, you might have a stroke.

Diet

Although the term diet is commonly used to describe a weight-loss plan, the primary definition is what a person eats and drinks. Diet plays a major factor in lowering stroke risk.
Diet means what you eat. 

Eating a good diet can help stop strokes.

Diplopia

Double vision.
Diplopia is when you see double. 

You see two images of a single thing.

Disability

A defect in performing a normal activity or action (e.g. inability to dress or walk).
A defect in performing a normal activity or action (e.g. inability to dress or walk).

Drip and ship

A model of thrombolysis service provision that involves assessment of patients at a non-specialist centres with telemedicine support by stroke specialists, commencing thrombolysis (if deemed appropriate) and subsequent transfer to the stroke specialist centre.
A model of thrombolysis service provision that involves assessment of patients at a non-specialist centres with telemedicine support by stroke specialists, commencing thrombolysis (if deemed appropriate) and subsequent transfer to the stroke specialist centre.

Duplex doppler ultrasound

A diagnostic imaging technique in which an image of an artery can be formed by bouncing sound waves off the moving blood in the artery and measuring the frequency changes of the echoes.
Duplex doppler ultrasound is a type of medical test. 

Doctors can take a picture of an artery. 

They use it to see problems in your body and brain.

DVT

Deep vein thrombosis
Deep vein thrombosis

DWI

Diffusion-weighted imaging
Diffusion-weighted imaging

Dysarthria

Dysarthria is caused by weakness in the muscles used for speaking. Speech becomes slurred or a person is unable to say things clearly.
Dysarthria is when you can’t talk clearly. 

It happens when muscles in your mouth become weak. 

This makes you hard to understand.

Dysesthesia

A condition caused by lesions of the nervous system that impairs the sense of touch. Even light touch can feel unpleasant or painful. It can also include spontaneous or exaggerated feelings of burning, wetness, itching, electric shock, and pins and needles.
Dysesthesia is when your sense of touch is damaged. 

Even a light touch can be painful. 
You might also feel things like: 
  • burning
  • wetness
  • itching
  • electric shock
  • pins and needles.
Dysesthesia is caused by damage to your nerves.

Dyslexia

Impaired ability to read.
Dyslexia is when you have trouble reading.

Dysphagia

Impaired ability to swallow.
Dysphagia is when you have trouble swallowing.

Dysphasia

Also known as aphasia. Impaired ability to talk, read, write or understand others when they speak.
Dysphasia is when you have trouble with language. 

It includes: 
  • Talking 
  • Reading 
  • Writing
  • Understanding others

Sometimes is it called aphasia.

Dysphonia

Difficulty in speaking at the desired volume.
Dysphonia is when you have trouble speaking loudly enough. 

Your voice is hoarse or weak.

Dysport

See Botulinum toxin
See Botulinum toxin

Dyspraxia

Also known as apraxia. Impaired ability to do a body movement because the brain has difficulty planning that movement.
Dyspraxia is when you have trouble moving your body. 

It happens when parts of your body don’t do what you want them to. 

It is also called apraxia.

Dystonia

Dystonia causes muscles in the body to contract or spasm involuntarily. This can result in abnormal postures, pain and difficulty using the affected part of the body.
Dystonia is when the muscles in a part of your body are very tight. 

Your muscles might also spasm.  

It can mean your posture is not normal. 

It can also cause pain.

You might have trouble using that part of your body.