Chapter 1: Concepts of Health & Disease Flashcards
Physiology
study of the function of the human body
Pathology
study of the structural and functional changes in cells, tissues, and organs that either cause disease or is caused by disease
Pathophysiology
focuses on both the mechanisms and total effects of body changes that occur with disease – physiology of altered health
Morbidity
describes the effects an illness has on a person’s life
Mortality
pertains to the leading causes of death related to age, gender, race, geographic location, etc.
Etiological Factors
sets the disease process in motion: biological agents (bacteria, viruses), physical forces (trauma, burns), chemical agents (alcohol, poisons), genetics, or nutritional imbalances
Congenital defects
defects present at birth due to genetic variation or environmental influences (maternal infections/drug use)
Acquired defects
defects caused by events that occur after birth (injury, exposure to infectious agents, insufficient nutrition, hypoxia, and neoplasia)
Primary prevention
Examples: wearing a bike helmet, vaccinations, exercise, proper diet
(If there is a disease process in the question and it discusses diet or exercise - this is considered tertiary prevention)
Preclinical Stage
disease is not clinically evident but is destined to progress to clinical disease
(transmission is possible at this stage)
Carrier
one who harbors an organism but is not infected - evidenced by antibody response
(can still transmit/affect others)
Reliability
refers to the extent to which an observation provides the same results when repeated
Incidence
number of new cases of influenza in Detroit over a period of 3 months
Prevalence
48% of the population in the US are currently living with diabetes
Subacute disease
not as severe as acute and not as prolonged as chronic
Validity
is it measuring what it is intended to measure
Example: comparing a manual blood pressure to that of intra-arterial findings
Sensitivity
refers to the proportion of individuals with a disease who are positive on a given test (true positive)
Predictive value
extent to which an observation or test result is able to predict the presence of a given disease or condition
proportion of true value results
Endemic
a disease or condition regularly found among particular people or in a certain area
Example: Goiter was very common in the Midwest before the general availability of fresh fish or iodized salt
Specificity
refers to the proportion of people without the disease who are negative on a given test (true negative)
Subjective data
Symptoms
data examples: nausea, constipation, dyspnea, pain
Positive predictive value
the ratio of patients truly diagnosed as positive to all those who had positive test results
Example: those with a high PSA developed prostate cancer
Iatrogenic etiology
a state of ill health or adverse effect caused by medical treatment
Example: development of Cushing’s Syndrome due to excessive steroid use
Risk factors
factors that predispose one to a particular disease(s)
Examples: smoking, high-fat diet, sedentary lifestyle, obesity
Objective data
Signs
data examples: erythema, emesis, puffy eyes
Subclinical disease
not clinically apparent and not destined to become apparent clinically
diagnosed by antibodies or cultures
Example: tuberculosis
Secondary prevention
Screenings
Example: Pap smear, mammogram, colonoscopy
Congenital conditions
Examples: sickle cell, Down syndrome, hemophilia, Fragile X syndrome
Evidence-based practice
refers to making decisions based on scientific data showing a specific way of managing disease
Clinical practice guidelines
refers to systematic statements intended to inform practitioners in making healthcare decisions for specific conditions (i.e. algorithms)
Tertiary prevention
involves the prevention of complications in people who have already developed disease
Examples: medication, physical therapy, occupational therapy
Idiopathic etiology
unknown cause of a disease
Syndrome
set of signs and symptoms that represent a specific disease
Acute
state of disease that reaches full intensity but is self-limiting
Prognosis
expected outcome of a disease
cure - management - palliative care
Pandemic
when an epidemic spreads across continents
Incubation
sequence of events that occur from the time on initial contact with an etiological agent until the disease is expressed
Pathogenesis
explains how the disease process evolves
Prodromal
disease state where the signs and symptoms are usually mild and nonspecific
(fatigue, malaise, aches, fever)
Exacerbation
when clinical manifestations flare up and increase in severity
Remission
the period of time where there is a decrease in both severity and clinical manifestations
Latent or incubation
state of disease where no signs or symptoms are evident
Precipitating factors
a specific event or trigger to the onset of the current problem
Example: stress, exercise, dust, and cold weather are precipitating factors in asthma
