SUNY Downstate Medical Center NRMS
5190 Pathophysiology Exam 1 Study
Guide
Pathophysiology Exam 1 Study Guide:
Chapter 1: Concepts of Health and Disease
KNOW THIS:
- **Pathophysiology: is the study of the body’s response to dysfunction
or disease; “physiology of altered health”
o Example: Pathophysiology is the mechanism of high blood pressure
Aspects of the Disease Process:
- *Etiology: is the causes of disease
- *Pathogenesis: explains how the disease process evolves – it is the
sequence of events that take place from time of contact with etiologic
agent until the expression of the disease
- *Morphologic changes: refers to both gross anatomic and microscopic
changes that are characteristic of disease
- Clinical Manifestations: can be obvious or silent - for example an illness
can cause fever that makes it evident a person is sick, or there may be no
symptoms and disease is not discovered until it is advanced (many
cancers)
- Diagnosis: is the designation of the cause of the health problem
- Clinical Course: describes the evolution of a disease, it may be acute or
chronic
Disease Diagnosis and Predictive Factors
KNOW THIS:
*Sensitivity: measures the proportion of positive test results out of all truly
,positive samples; (called a True Positive Result). A test’s sensitivity provides
you with the percentage chance it will correctly identify a person who has the
disease and test positive on the test
- Sensitivity evaluates how good a test is at detecting positive disease
- Example: a test with 90% sensitivity will correctly return a positive result
for 90% of people who have the disease but will return a negative (** false
negative**) for 10% of people who have the disease and should have
tested positive
- Test with 90% sensitive, it will correctly return a positive result for 90% of
people who have the disease
- Will return a negative, or false negative, for 10% of the people
Specificity: measures the true negative rate; (a true Negative Result). A test’s
specificity provides you with the percentage chance it will correctly identify a
person who does not have the disease
- Specificity can be calculated only from among people who do not have the
disease
, - Example: a test with 90% specificity will correctly return a negative
result for 90% of people who don’t have the disease but will return a 10%
(**false positive**) result for people who don’t have the disease and
should have tested negative
- False positive results are unduly stressful, and False Negative tests can
delay diagnosis and jeopardize the outcome of treatment
KNOW THIS:
- *A test that has high sensitivity, will have lower specificity
o An example of where you want to know the sensitivity and specificity is
a
pregnancy test
Epidemiology
Epidemiology: the study of factors affecting the health and illness of populations;
study of disease occurrence in human populations, looks for patterns and factors in
particular disorder and disease
- Study risk factors for multifactorial disease such as heart disease
and cancer in populations
- “Whether something happens” rather than how
- Epidemiologic studies serve as a basis for clinical decision making,
allocation of healthcare dollars, and development of public health
policies
Sources of Information for Epidemiologists:
*KNOW THIS: Know the difference between morbidity and
mortality
- Morbidity: describes the effects an illness has on a person’s
life
o Concerned with incidence, persistence, and long-term consequences
o *Significant impact on a person’s life; long term consequences of
disease
o Ex: Arthritis has a low death rate but has a significant impact on a
, person’s life
- Mortality: pertains to the causes of death in a given population
o Statics to calculate leading causes of death
5190 Pathophysiology Exam 1 Study
Guide
Pathophysiology Exam 1 Study Guide:
Chapter 1: Concepts of Health and Disease
KNOW THIS:
- **Pathophysiology: is the study of the body’s response to dysfunction
or disease; “physiology of altered health”
o Example: Pathophysiology is the mechanism of high blood pressure
Aspects of the Disease Process:
- *Etiology: is the causes of disease
- *Pathogenesis: explains how the disease process evolves – it is the
sequence of events that take place from time of contact with etiologic
agent until the expression of the disease
- *Morphologic changes: refers to both gross anatomic and microscopic
changes that are characteristic of disease
- Clinical Manifestations: can be obvious or silent - for example an illness
can cause fever that makes it evident a person is sick, or there may be no
symptoms and disease is not discovered until it is advanced (many
cancers)
- Diagnosis: is the designation of the cause of the health problem
- Clinical Course: describes the evolution of a disease, it may be acute or
chronic
Disease Diagnosis and Predictive Factors
KNOW THIS:
*Sensitivity: measures the proportion of positive test results out of all truly
,positive samples; (called a True Positive Result). A test’s sensitivity provides
you with the percentage chance it will correctly identify a person who has the
disease and test positive on the test
- Sensitivity evaluates how good a test is at detecting positive disease
- Example: a test with 90% sensitivity will correctly return a positive result
for 90% of people who have the disease but will return a negative (** false
negative**) for 10% of people who have the disease and should have
tested positive
- Test with 90% sensitive, it will correctly return a positive result for 90% of
people who have the disease
- Will return a negative, or false negative, for 10% of the people
Specificity: measures the true negative rate; (a true Negative Result). A test’s
specificity provides you with the percentage chance it will correctly identify a
person who does not have the disease
- Specificity can be calculated only from among people who do not have the
disease
, - Example: a test with 90% specificity will correctly return a negative
result for 90% of people who don’t have the disease but will return a 10%
(**false positive**) result for people who don’t have the disease and
should have tested negative
- False positive results are unduly stressful, and False Negative tests can
delay diagnosis and jeopardize the outcome of treatment
KNOW THIS:
- *A test that has high sensitivity, will have lower specificity
o An example of where you want to know the sensitivity and specificity is
a
pregnancy test
Epidemiology
Epidemiology: the study of factors affecting the health and illness of populations;
study of disease occurrence in human populations, looks for patterns and factors in
particular disorder and disease
- Study risk factors for multifactorial disease such as heart disease
and cancer in populations
- “Whether something happens” rather than how
- Epidemiologic studies serve as a basis for clinical decision making,
allocation of healthcare dollars, and development of public health
policies
Sources of Information for Epidemiologists:
*KNOW THIS: Know the difference between morbidity and
mortality
- Morbidity: describes the effects an illness has on a person’s
life
o Concerned with incidence, persistence, and long-term consequences
o *Significant impact on a person’s life; long term consequences of
disease
o Ex: Arthritis has a low death rate but has a significant impact on a
, person’s life
- Mortality: pertains to the causes of death in a given population
o Statics to calculate leading causes of death
