Exam 1 Flashcards
W.H.O. definition of health
A state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.
What are some determinants of health?
Genetics, stress levels, physical and social environments, government policies and interventions, access to quality health care.
Disease
any deviation from or interruption of the normal structure/function of the body which is manifested by specific symptoms or signs
Symptom
What the patient tells you.
Sign
What is observable
Asymptomatic vs Symptomatic
Asymptomatic is when the disease is present but without any associated symptoms or discomfort.
Symptomatic is when the disease is present with symptoms
Describe the disease continuum
The left side has the end of life, severe, life-threatening illness. The Right side has the WHO definition of health. Mostly everyone falls in between these 2 spots, with the right side being the goal
Patho-
physi/o
-ogy
Bad/diseased
functioning
study of
Focus on the mechanisms underlying disease.
Exam quote #1
Pathophysiology provides basis for preventive & therapeutic health measures and nursing practice
etiologic factors
the reason something is in the body
Concepts of etiology to note
1 disease agent can affect multiple organs
Multiple disease agents can affect 1 organ
Most diseases have many causes.
Risk factors (definition and types)
Predisposing conditions for a particular disease
Congenital (present at birth) or Acquired (caused by events that occur after birth)
pathogenesis
The sequence of events that take place from initial contact to expression of disease
describe how the disease process evolves
morphology
gross anatomical and microscopic changes that are characteristic of a disease
Lesion
ANY discontinuity of a body organ or itssue
syndrome
a compilation of signs & symptoms that show a specific disease state
diagnosis
nurses will never do this
designation as to the nature or cause of a health problem based on information from health history and physical examination
Diagnostic tests and procedures
assist in diagnosis to weigh risks against benefits
may be invasive or noninvasive
validity vs reliability
validity is how correct a measurement is while reliability is how repeatable the measurement is
reference ranges
Healthy volunteers are tested to create a frequency distribution/bell curve to reference patient levels
acute vs chronic vs subacute disease
acute disorders are short-lived and relatively severe
chronic disorders have a long-term process and continuous symptoms
subacute disease is somewhere between acute and chronic disease
preclinical vs subclinical vs clinical vs carrier
preclinical is when the disease is not evident but is destined to progress into clinical
subclinical is when the disease is not evident and not destined to become clinically apparent
clinical is when the disease is evident and characterized by signs and symptoms
carrier status is when someone harbors the organism and can spread it but does not have the disease
stress as a transitional or interactional concept
how the person reacts to stress/a situation will impact how they physically react/develop/fight a diseased state
homeostasis (another word for it and definition)
allostasis
purposeful maintenance of a stable internal environment by physiologic processes that oppose change
*does not occur by chance but rather by organized self-governance
negative feedback mechanisms
maintains stability in the system by lessening when too high and increasing when too low
positive feedback mechanisms
produces a cycle in which the stimulus produces more of the same
stress, endogenous, exogenous
state manifested by specific signs and symptoms of the body developed in response to stimuli (stressors)
endogenous are stressors occurring inside the body
exogenous are stressors occurring outside the body
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
General; effect is a general systemic reaction
Adaptation; the response is in reaction to a stressor
Syndrome; the physical manifestations are coordinated & dependent on each other
Stages of GAS
Alarm; CNS aroused and body defenses mobilize
Resistance; Fight or flight response initiates to attempt to return to homeostasis
Exhaustion; if body has not adapted and there is a chronic stressor, there could be progressive breakdown of body mechanisms
types of stress
eustress; “good stress” mild, brief, controllable periods of stress; critical for emotional and intellectual growth
distress; “bad stress” severe, protracted, uncontrollable situations of stress that could be potentially disruptive of health
Exam quote #2
the relative risk for development of a stress-related pathologic process depends on internal and external adaptive capacity
immune system and stress
Stress response is mediated by nervous and endocrine systems
chronically high stress, low immune function, bigger chance of chronic disease
chronically low stress, high immune function, bigger chance of autoimmune disease
hypothalamic pituitary adrenal cortex axis (HPA axis)
mediated by glucocorticoids secreted by adrenal CORtex; CORtisol
sympathetic nervous system hormones
mediated by CATECHOLAMINES secreted by adrenal medulla (epi and norepi)
