Chapter 1: Concepts of Health & Disease

Question 1

Physiology

Answer 1

study of the function of the human body

Question 2

Pathology

Answer 2

study of the structural and functional changes in cells, tissues, and organs that either cause disease or is caused by disease

Question 3

Pathophysiology

Answer 3

focuses on both the mechanisms and total effects of body changes that occur with disease – physiology of altered health

Question 4

Morbidity

Answer 4

describes the effects an illness has on a person’s life

Question 5

Mortality

Answer 5

pertains to the leading causes of death related to age, gender, race, geographic location, etc.

Question 6

Etiological Factors

Answer 6

sets the disease process in motion: biological agents (bacteria, viruses), physical forces (trauma, burns), chemical agents (alcohol, poisons), genetics, or nutritional imbalances

Question 7

Congenital defects

Answer 7

defects present at birth due to genetic variation or environmental influences (maternal infections/drug use)

Question 8

Acquired defects

Answer 8

defects caused by events that occur after birth (injury, exposure to infectious agents, insufficient nutrition, hypoxia, and neoplasia)

Question 9

Primary prevention

Answer 9

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)

Question 10

Preclinical Stage

Answer 10

disease is not clinically evident but is destined to progress to clinical disease

(transmission is possible at this stage)

Question 11

Carrier

Answer 11

one who harbors an organism but is not infected - evidenced by antibody response

(can still transmit/affect others)

Question 12

Reliability

Answer 12

refers to the extent to which an observation provides the same results when repeated

Question 13

Incidence

Answer 13

number of new cases of influenza in Detroit over a period of 3 months

Question 14

Prevalence

Answer 14

48% of the population in the US are currently living with diabetes

Question 15

Subacute disease

Answer 15

not as severe as acute and not as prolonged as chronic

Question 16

Validity

Answer 16

is it measuring what it is intended to measure

Example: comparing a manual blood pressure to that of intra-arterial findings

Question 17

Sensitivity

Answer 17

refers to the proportion of individuals with a disease who are positive on a given test (true positive)

Question 18

Predictive value

Answer 18

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

Question 19

Endemic

Answer 19

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

Question 20

Specificity

Answer 20

refers to the proportion of people without the disease who are negative on a given test (true negative)

Question 21

Subjective data

Answer 21

Symptoms

data examples: nausea, constipation, dyspnea, pain

Question 22

Positive predictive value

Answer 22

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

Question 23

Iatrogenic etiology

Answer 23

a state of ill health or adverse effect caused by medical treatment
Example: development of Cushing’s Syndrome due to excessive steroid use

Question 24

Risk factors

Answer 24

factors that predispose one to a particular disease(s)

Examples: smoking, high-fat diet, sedentary lifestyle, obesity

Question 25

Objective data

Answer 25

Signs

data examples: erythema, emesis, puffy eyes

Question 26

Subclinical disease

Answer 26

not clinically apparent and not destined to become apparent clinically
diagnosed by antibodies or cultures
Example: tuberculosis

Question 27

Secondary prevention

Answer 27

Screenings

Example: Pap smear, mammogram, colonoscopy

Question 28

Congenital conditions

Answer 28

Examples: sickle cell, Down syndrome, hemophilia, Fragile X syndrome

Question 29

Evidence-based practice

Answer 29

refers to making decisions based on scientific data showing a specific way of managing disease

Question 30

Clinical practice guidelines

Answer 30

refers to systematic statements intended to inform practitioners in making healthcare decisions for specific conditions (i.e. algorithms)

Question 31

Tertiary prevention

Answer 31

involves the prevention of complications in people who have already developed disease
Examples: medication, physical therapy, occupational therapy

Question 32

Idiopathic etiology

Answer 32

unknown cause of a disease

Question 33

Syndrome

Answer 33

set of signs and symptoms that represent a specific disease

Question 34

Acute

Answer 34

state of disease that reaches full intensity but is self-limiting

Question 35

Prognosis

Answer 35

expected outcome of a disease

cure - management - palliative care

Question 36

Pandemic

Answer 36

when an epidemic spreads across continents

Question 37

Incubation

Answer 37

sequence of events that occur from the time on initial contact with an etiological agent until the disease is expressed

Question 38

Pathogenesis

Answer 38

explains how the disease process evolves

Question 39

Prodromal

Answer 39

disease state where the signs and symptoms are usually mild and nonspecific
(fatigue, malaise, aches, fever)

Question 40

Exacerbation

Answer 40

when clinical manifestations flare up and increase in severity

Question 41

Remission

Answer 41

the period of time where there is a decrease in both severity and clinical manifestations

Question 42

Latent or incubation

Answer 42

state of disease where no signs or symptoms are evident

Question 43

Precipitating factors

Answer 43

a specific event or trigger to the onset of the current problem
Example: stress, exercise, dust, and cold weather are precipitating factors in asthma