Introduction to Pathology Flashcards
What does the term “pathology” mean?
Pathology comes from the Greek words “pathos” (suffering or disease) and “logos” (science). It is the scientific study of diseases.
What are the components of pathology?
Pathology includes both functional and structural changes in disease. It examines molecular and macro effects on individual patients and includes the scientific knowledge and diagnostic methods needed to understand, treat, and prevent diseases.
How is pathology defined?
Pathology is a specialty of medical science concerned with the cause, development, structural and functional changes, and natural history of diseases
How is disease defined?
Disease is a condition where an abnormality (structural and/or functional) in the body causes a loss of normal health. It is an unhealthy state caused by the disruption of normal body functions.
What are the main causes of disease?
The main causes of disease are genetic, environmental, and multifactorial (a combination of both).
What are genetic causes of disease?
Genetic causes include:
Hereditary: Diseases passed from one generation to another, e.g., sickle cell anemia.
Congenital: Diseases acquired during development in the uterus and present at birth, e.g., congenital heart abnormalities, cleft lip, and cleft palate.
What are environmental causes of disease?
Environmental causes include infective agents, chemicals/poisons, radiation, and trauma.
What are multifactorial causes of disease?
Multifactorial causes involve both genetic and environmental factors.
What is epidemiology?
Epidemiology is the branch of medical science that deals with the incidence, distribution, and control of disease in a population.
What do the terms incidence and prevalence mean?
Incidence: The number of new cases of a disease in a given year.
Prevalence: The number of people with a disease at a given time.
What is the difference between mortality rate and morbidity?
Mortality Rate: The number of deaths due to a disease divided by the total population.
Morbidity: The incidence of ill health in a population
What is the difference between a sign and a symptom?
Sign: Objective evidence of disease (observed).
Symptom: Subjective functional evidence of disease (felt by the patient).
What is a syndrome?
A syndrome is a combination of signs and symptoms from which a disease can be diagnosed.
What do endemic, epidemic, and pandemic mean?
Endemic: A disease that exists permanently in a particular region or population.
Epidemic: An outbreak of disease that attacks many people at about the same time and can spread through one or several communities.
Pandemic: An epidemic that spreads throughout the world.
What do the terms idiopathic, iatrogenic, and nosocomial mean?
Idiopathic: A disease of unknown cause.
Iatrogenic: An illness induced by medical treatment or investigation.
Nosocomial: A hospital-acquired infection.
