General Pathology Flashcards
What is a sign in pathology?
Signs can be detected by someone next to the patient for example lumps and high blood pressure
What are symptoms?
Symptoms are felt by the patient example pain, fatigue, anxiety and thirst
What is meant by localized?
Localized refers to only a specific organ or area in the body.
What is meant by systemic?
Systemic means that the whole body is affected by the condition
What is meant by acute?
Acute diseases begin suddenly, and are short-lived and resolvable.
What is meant by chronic?
Chronic diseases are persistent, and not always resolvable.
What is meant by cachexia?
Cachexia refers to muscle wasting. Cachexic people lose fat and muscle. Their weight loss is accompanied by fatigue and a loss of appetite.
What is meant by cyanosis?
Cyanosis is a bluish discoloration of the skin or mucous membranes. It usually represents low oxygen levels in the blood.
What is meant by fever?
A fever is an elevated body temperature. Acute fevers indicate infection, while chronic fever can be indicative of chronic disease such as cancer.
What is meant by inflammation?
Inflammation is a common immune response to injury or invasion and is characterized by localized swelling, warmth, redness, pain and sometimes loss of movement.
What is jaundice?
Jaundice is a yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes. It is a sign that there is an underlying disorder that needs to be investigated.
What is Edema?
Edema is the excessive accumulation of interstitial fluid in the tissues of the body. It results in swelling or puffiness. It can be localized or more generalized.
What is pallor?
Pallor is a lack of color or paleness. It can be difficult to access so looking at a patients skin increases or conjunctiva can help.
What is etiology?
The cause or origin of the disease
What is diagnosis?
The identification or process of naming the disease
What is prognosis?
Prognosis is the doctor’s opinion of how the disease will progress and what its most likely outcome will be for the patient.
What is pathogenesis?
It is how a disease process is set up in the body, including the cause and mechanism of the disease.
What is the fight-flight-freeze response?
When people are put under short-term stress, such as being physically threatened, our autonomic nervous system responds with a fight-flight-freeze response.
What part do epinephrine and norepinephrine play in the fight-flight-freeze response?
When we are under short term stress, the autonomic nervous system responds with stimulating the adrenal medulla, it secretes epinephrine and norepinephrine into the blood. They prepare the body to either fight or flee by causing changes in the body that result in more oxygen and glucose in the blood and faster circulation of blood to the brain, muscles and heart.
What part does cortisol play in long term stress?
To help us deal with long term stress, glucocorticoids like cortisol are secreted by the adrenal cortex. They help protect the body from the long term effects of stress.
What is a side effect of cortisol in the body?
It depresses the immune system
eBay is meant by anoxia?
The absence of oxygen in an area
What is mean by benign?
Not harmful, not cancerous
What is hypoxia?
A lack of or deficiency of oxygen
What is ischemia?
A reduced or inadequate blood supply to an area
What is meant by malignant?
Abnormally and uncontrollable dividing cells, cancerous
What is meant by metastatis?
The spread of cancer cells
