Practical Disease Concepts

Question 1

Disease

Answer 1

the interruption, cessation, or disorder of body functions, systems, or organs

Question 2

Where are diseases derived from

Answer 2

infectious agents

Question 3

All that is external to a human host

Answer 3

environment (physical, biological, social, cultural)

Question 4

Primary focus of Epidemiology

Answer 4

identify cause of disease and the mechanisms by which they spread

Question 5

Etiology

Answer 5

the science and study of the causes of disease and their mode of operation

Question 6

Communicability

Answer 6

the ability of a disease to be transmitted from one source to another or to spread through the population

Question 7

Communicable disease

Answer 7

an infectious disease that is contagious or capable of being transmitted

Question 8

Examples of communicable diseases include

Answer 8

HIV/AIDS, Cholera, Influenza, Malaria

Question 9

2 general typs of transmission

Answer 9

vertical & horizontal

Question 10

Vertical transmission

Answer 10

individual –> offspring through sperm, placenta, milk, or vaginal fluids

Question 11

Horizontal transmission

Answer 11

infected individual –> susceptible contemporary & may involve direct transmission

Question 12

Pathogen

Answer 12

organisms capable of producing disease (prions, bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites)

Question 13

Invasiveness

Answer 13

the ability to get into a susceptible host and cause disease

Question 14

Virulence

Answer 14

the disease evoking power of a pathogen

Question 15

Toxins

Answer 15

kill pathogens by poisoning them

Question 16

Antibiotics

Answer 16

work against pathogens beacuse of their toxicity

Question 17

Acute disease

Answer 17

disorder that is short-term with a sudden onset of symptoms and is relativey severe

Question 18

Chronic disease

Answer 18

disorder that is long-term or continuous throughout life with less severe symptoms

Question 19

Major stages of disease process

Answer 19

Susceptibility
Pre-symptomatic (incubation, latency)
Clinical disease
Recovery, disabiltiy, death

Question 20

Major stages of disease process

Answer 20

Susceptibility (host)
Pre-symptomatic disease/subclinical disease (incubation, latency)
Clinical disease
Recovery, disabiltiy, death

Question 21

Viability

Answer 21

the capacity of the pathogen or disease-causing agent to survive outside the host and thrive in the environment

Question 22

Viability

Answer 22

the capacity of the pathogen or disease-causing agent to survive outside the host and thrive in the environment

Question 23

5 major categories of diesease

Answer 23

Congenital & hereditary
Allergies & inflammatory 
Degenerative
Metabolic
Cancer

Question 24

Modes of entry

Answer 24

Conjunctival 
Oral
Respiratory
Skin
Intravenous
Gastrointestinal
Urinary
Reproductive
Transplancental

Question 25

Notifiable diseases

Answer 25

diseases of considerable importance because of their seriousness due to causing severe morbidity or death and have the potential to spread

Question 26

Active immunity

Answer 26

body produces its own antibodies (vaccine or response to pathogen)

Question 27

Passsive immunity

Answer 27

acquired through transplacental transfer of a mother’s immunity to diseases to the unborn child

Question 28

Herd immunity

Answer 28

80% of the population is resistant to the invasion and spread of an infectious disease