Summary Gould's Pathophysiology Chapter 1

Pathophysiology - the study of functional or physiologic changes in the body that result from disease processes. Pathology - the laboratory study of cell and tissue changes associated with disease. Homeostasis - the maintenance of a relatively stable internal environment regardless of external changes. diagnosis - identification of a specific disease through evaluation of signs and symptoms laboratory tests or other tools. More than one factor is usually required to verify a diagnosis. etiology - concerns the causative factors in a particular disease. there may be one or several causative factors. idiopathic - when the cause of a disease is unknown. iatrogenic - a treatment, a procedure, or an error may cause a disease predisposing factors - Encompass the tendencies that promote development of a disease in an individual. prophylaxis - designed to preserve health (as of an individual or society) and prevent the spread of disease. Prophylactic treatment for myocardial infarction for high-risk patients is a baby aspirin daily. prevention - closely linked to etiology and predisposing factors for a specific disease. Preventive measures include vaccinations, dietary or lifestyle modifications, removal of harmful materials in the environment, and cessation of potentially harmful activities such as smoking. pathogenesis - development of the disease or the sequence of events involved in the tissue changes related to the specific disease process. acute - onset of a disease that is sudden and obvious. short term illness that develops quickly insidious - onset of a disease that is gradual and progression with only vague or very mild signs. chronic - often a milder condition developing gradually but it persist for a long time and usually causes more permanent tissue damage. subclinical state - exist in some conditions in which pathologic changes occur, but no obvious manifestations are exhibited by the patient, perhaps because of the great Reserve capacity of some organs. For example, kidney damage may progress to an advanced stage of renal failure before symptoms are manifested. latent - silent stage. In which no clinical signs are evident, characterizes some diseases. incubation period - time between exposure to the microorganism and the onset of signs or symptoms; it may last for a day or so or maybe prolonged props for days or weeks. prodromal period - comprises the time in the early development of a disease when one is aware of a change in the body, but the signs are non-specific. lab tests are negative. manifestations of disease - clinical evidence or effects, the signs and symptoms, of disease. local - found at the site of the problem. systemic signs and symptoms - they are general indicators of illness signs - objective indicators of disease symptoms - subjective feelings, such as pain or nausea.