Terminology Flashcards
Epidemic
a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time.
“a flu epidemic”
Pandemic
a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease over a whole country or the world at a particular time.
Epidemiology
the study of how often diseases occur in different groups of people and why.
Etiology
Cause or causes of disease
Homeostasis
the ability of an organism to maintain the internal environment of the body within limits that allow it to survive.
Iatrogenic
relating to illness caused by medical examination or treatment.
“drugs may cause side effects which can lead to iatrogenic disease”
Idiopathic
arising spontaneously or from an obscure or unknown cause
Incidence
the number of individuals who develop a specific disease or experience a specific health-related event during a particular time period (such as a month or year).
Incubation period
time taken for an infection to develop after a person has been exposed to a disease-causing organism
Insidious
insidious disease is any disease that comes on slowly and does not have obvious symptoms at first. The person is not aware of its development.
Latent stage
the incubation period of an infectious disease, before symptoms appear.
Mortality
Death
Morbidities
Morbidity is the state of having a specific illness or condition. While morbidity can refer to an acute condition, such as a respiratory infection, it often refers to a condition that’s chronic (long-lasting). Some examples of common morbidities include: diabetes. high blood pressure (hypertension)
Prevalence
the total number of individuals in a population who have a disease or health condition at a specific period of time, usually expressed as a percentage of the population.
Prophylaxis
measures designed to preserve health
Sequelae
a condition which is the consequence of a previous disease or injury.
“the long-term sequelae of infection”
Sign
a sign refers to something others can observe or measure
Like: such as a skin rash or a cough, is a sign.
Symptom
A symptom is a manifestation of disease apparent to the patient himself, while a sign is a manifestation of disease that the physician perceives
Syndrome
a group of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterize a particular abnormality or condition.
Dysplasia
Abnormality of development
See image
Hyperplasia
Cells increase in number
Ischemia
a condition in which blood flow (and thus oxygen) is restricted or reduced in a part of the body.
Neoplasia
the presence or formation of new, abnormal growth of tissue.
