Study Guide for McCance & Huether's Pathophysiology 9th
Edition- 200 Questions with Correct Verified Answers -
2026/2027
1. What is the term for a reversible increase in cell size due to increased workload? Hypertrophy.
2. What is the term for an increase in the number of cells in a tissue or organ? Hyperplasia.
3. What is the term for a decrease in cell size due to disuse, denervation, or inadequate nutrition?
Atrophy.
4. What is the term for the reversible replacement of one mature cell type with another cell type better
suited to withstand stress? Metaplasia.
5. What is the term for disordered, abnormal growth of cells that is often a precursor to cancer?
Dysplasia.
6. What is the most common cause of reversible cell injury involving swelling of the cell and
organelles? Hydropic swelling (cellular edema) due to failure of the sodium-potassium ATPase
pump, often from hypoxia.
7. What is the primary mechanism by which hypoxia leads to cell injury? Decreased oxidative
phosphorylation leads to decreased ATP production, impairing the sodium-potassium pump and
causing cellular swelling and dysfunction.
8. What is the difference between necrosis and apoptosis in terms of cell death? Necrosis is
uncontrolled, pathologic cell death that triggers inflammation, while apoptosis is a programmed,
controlled form of cell death that does not typically trigger an inflammatory response.
9. What type of necrosis is characteristic of ischemic injury in solid organs such as the kidney and heart?
Coagulative necrosis.
10. What type of necrosis is characteristic of brain tissue after an ischemic stroke? Liquefactive
necrosis.
11. What type of necrosis is associated with tuberculosis infection, characterized by a soft, cheese-like
appearance? Caseous necrosis.
12. What type of necrosis occurs in adipose tissue, often as a result of pancreatic enzyme release? Fat
necrosis.
13. What is the term for cell death and tissue death due to a lack of blood supply? Ischemic necrosis
(infarction).
14. What are free radicals, and why are they damaging to cells? Free radicals are highly reactive
molecules with an unpaired electron that can damage cell membranes, proteins, and DNA through
oxidation.
15. What is oxidative stress? An imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (free
radicals) and the body's antioxidant defenses, leading to cellular damage.
16. What are antioxidants, and what is their role in the body? Substances (e.g., vitamins C and E,
glutathione) that neutralize free radicals and protect cells from oxidative damage.
17. What is the term for the accumulation of triglycerides within liver cells, often due to alcohol use or
obesity? Fatty liver (hepatic steatosis).
, 18. What is the term describing the wear-and-tear brown pigment that accumulates in aging cells?
Lipofuscin.
19. What term describes cell injury caused by the deposition of calcium salts in dead or dying tissue?
Dystrophic calcification.
20. What term describes calcium deposition in normal tissue due to hypercalcemia? Metastatic
calcification.
21. What is the inheritance pattern of cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease? Autosomal recessive.
22. What is the inheritance pattern of Huntington disease and Marfan syndrome? Autosomal dominant.
23. What is the inheritance pattern of hemophilia A and Duchenne muscular dystrophy? X-linked
recessive.
24. What proportion of offspring are affected when both parents are carriers of an autosomal recessive
disorder? 25% (1 in 4) chance of being affected, 50% chance of being a carrier, and 25% chance of
being unaffected/non-carrier.
25. What is a karyotype, and what is it used to evaluate? A visual representation of an individual's
complete set of chromosomes, used to detect numerical or structural chromosomal abnormalities.
26. What chromosomal abnormality causes Down syndrome? Trisomy 21 (an extra copy of
chromosome 21).
27. What is the term for a chromosomal abnormality involving only one sex chromosome (45,X),
causing Turner syndrome? Monosomy X.
28. What is nondisjunction, and how does it lead to trisomy or monosomy conditions? The failure of
chromosome pairs to separate properly during meiosis, resulting in gametes with an abnormal
number of chromosomes.
29. What is genomic imprinting, and how does it relate to conditions such as Prader-Willi and Angelman
syndrome? A phenomenon in which gene expression depends on whether the gene is inherited from
the mother or father; the same deletion on chromosome 15 causes Prader-Willi syndrome when
inherited from the father and Angelman syndrome when inherited from the mother.
30. What is a point mutation? A change in a single nucleotide base within a DNA sequence.
31. What is the difference between a missense mutation and a nonsense mutation? A missense mutation
changes a codon to code for a different amino acid, while a nonsense mutation changes a codon to
a premature stop codon, truncating the protein.
32. What is a frameshift mutation, and how does it typically affect protein synthesis? An insertion or
deletion of nucleotides that is not a multiple of three, shifting the reading frame and typically
resulting in a completely altered and usually nonfunctional protein.
33. What is multifactorial inheritance, and what is an example of a condition caused by it? Inheritance
involving multiple genes combined with environmental factors; examples include cleft lip/palate,
neural tube defects, and type 2 diabetes.
34. What laboratory/prenatal screening test can detect neural tube defects through elevated levels in
maternal serum? Elevated maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP).
35. What is the purpose of genetic counseling for a family with a history of a hereditary disorder? To
provide information about inheritance patterns, recurrence risk, and reproductive/testing options
to help families make informed decisions.
Edition- 200 Questions with Correct Verified Answers -
2026/2027
1. What is the term for a reversible increase in cell size due to increased workload? Hypertrophy.
2. What is the term for an increase in the number of cells in a tissue or organ? Hyperplasia.
3. What is the term for a decrease in cell size due to disuse, denervation, or inadequate nutrition?
Atrophy.
4. What is the term for the reversible replacement of one mature cell type with another cell type better
suited to withstand stress? Metaplasia.
5. What is the term for disordered, abnormal growth of cells that is often a precursor to cancer?
Dysplasia.
6. What is the most common cause of reversible cell injury involving swelling of the cell and
organelles? Hydropic swelling (cellular edema) due to failure of the sodium-potassium ATPase
pump, often from hypoxia.
7. What is the primary mechanism by which hypoxia leads to cell injury? Decreased oxidative
phosphorylation leads to decreased ATP production, impairing the sodium-potassium pump and
causing cellular swelling and dysfunction.
8. What is the difference between necrosis and apoptosis in terms of cell death? Necrosis is
uncontrolled, pathologic cell death that triggers inflammation, while apoptosis is a programmed,
controlled form of cell death that does not typically trigger an inflammatory response.
9. What type of necrosis is characteristic of ischemic injury in solid organs such as the kidney and heart?
Coagulative necrosis.
10. What type of necrosis is characteristic of brain tissue after an ischemic stroke? Liquefactive
necrosis.
11. What type of necrosis is associated with tuberculosis infection, characterized by a soft, cheese-like
appearance? Caseous necrosis.
12. What type of necrosis occurs in adipose tissue, often as a result of pancreatic enzyme release? Fat
necrosis.
13. What is the term for cell death and tissue death due to a lack of blood supply? Ischemic necrosis
(infarction).
14. What are free radicals, and why are they damaging to cells? Free radicals are highly reactive
molecules with an unpaired electron that can damage cell membranes, proteins, and DNA through
oxidation.
15. What is oxidative stress? An imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (free
radicals) and the body's antioxidant defenses, leading to cellular damage.
16. What are antioxidants, and what is their role in the body? Substances (e.g., vitamins C and E,
glutathione) that neutralize free radicals and protect cells from oxidative damage.
17. What is the term for the accumulation of triglycerides within liver cells, often due to alcohol use or
obesity? Fatty liver (hepatic steatosis).
, 18. What is the term describing the wear-and-tear brown pigment that accumulates in aging cells?
Lipofuscin.
19. What term describes cell injury caused by the deposition of calcium salts in dead or dying tissue?
Dystrophic calcification.
20. What term describes calcium deposition in normal tissue due to hypercalcemia? Metastatic
calcification.
21. What is the inheritance pattern of cystic fibrosis and sickle cell disease? Autosomal recessive.
22. What is the inheritance pattern of Huntington disease and Marfan syndrome? Autosomal dominant.
23. What is the inheritance pattern of hemophilia A and Duchenne muscular dystrophy? X-linked
recessive.
24. What proportion of offspring are affected when both parents are carriers of an autosomal recessive
disorder? 25% (1 in 4) chance of being affected, 50% chance of being a carrier, and 25% chance of
being unaffected/non-carrier.
25. What is a karyotype, and what is it used to evaluate? A visual representation of an individual's
complete set of chromosomes, used to detect numerical or structural chromosomal abnormalities.
26. What chromosomal abnormality causes Down syndrome? Trisomy 21 (an extra copy of
chromosome 21).
27. What is the term for a chromosomal abnormality involving only one sex chromosome (45,X),
causing Turner syndrome? Monosomy X.
28. What is nondisjunction, and how does it lead to trisomy or monosomy conditions? The failure of
chromosome pairs to separate properly during meiosis, resulting in gametes with an abnormal
number of chromosomes.
29. What is genomic imprinting, and how does it relate to conditions such as Prader-Willi and Angelman
syndrome? A phenomenon in which gene expression depends on whether the gene is inherited from
the mother or father; the same deletion on chromosome 15 causes Prader-Willi syndrome when
inherited from the father and Angelman syndrome when inherited from the mother.
30. What is a point mutation? A change in a single nucleotide base within a DNA sequence.
31. What is the difference between a missense mutation and a nonsense mutation? A missense mutation
changes a codon to code for a different amino acid, while a nonsense mutation changes a codon to
a premature stop codon, truncating the protein.
32. What is a frameshift mutation, and how does it typically affect protein synthesis? An insertion or
deletion of nucleotides that is not a multiple of three, shifting the reading frame and typically
resulting in a completely altered and usually nonfunctional protein.
33. What is multifactorial inheritance, and what is an example of a condition caused by it? Inheritance
involving multiple genes combined with environmental factors; examples include cleft lip/palate,
neural tube defects, and type 2 diabetes.
34. What laboratory/prenatal screening test can detect neural tube defects through elevated levels in
maternal serum? Elevated maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP).
35. What is the purpose of genetic counseling for a family with a history of a hereditary disorder? To
provide information about inheritance patterns, recurrence risk, and reproductive/testing options
to help families make informed decisions.
