NURS 407 Study Guide: Pathophysiology: A Conceptual Approach
(2026/2027)
Module 1: Cellular Pathogenesis and Disease Progression
Based on SLO 1 & 2: Demonstrate knowledge of pathogenesis and describe
consequences at the cellular level.
1. What is the initial stage in the pathogenesis of a disease where exposure to an agent or
factor occurs, but no physiological changes are apparent?
o ANSWER - Stage of Susceptability/Exposure ✓
2. A patient is in the early stages of an infection, experiencing non-specific symptoms like
malaise and low-grade fever. During what stage of pathogenesis do these generalized
symptoms first appear?
o ANSWER - Prodromal Period ✓
3. During a myocardial infarction, the sudden loss of blood flow causes cellular injury.
What is the term for this type of irreversible cellular injury leading to tissue death?
o ANSWER - Necrosis ✓
4. A pathologist notes a cell has shrunk in size, has a condensed nucleus, and is breaking
into small, membrane-bound fragments that will be phagocytosed without causing
inflammation. What process is occurring?
o ANSWER - Apoptosis (programmed cell death) ✓
5. A patient with chronic alcoholism has an enlarged, fatty liver. Hepatocytes are
converting one cell type to another less specialized form in response to chronic stress.
This adaptive cellular change is known as:
o ANSWER - Metaplasia ✓
6. At the cellular level, what is the common and defining feature of all types of necrosis?
o ANSWER - The uncontrolled enzymatic digestion of the cell, leading to inflammation. ✓
7. In coagulative necrosis, common in solid organs like the heart, what happens to the
basic tissue architecture in the days following cell death?
o ANSWER - It is preserved for several days due to denaturation of structural proteins. ✓
8. A nursing student is studying how the body maintains a stable internal environment.
This concept, which is disrupted in pathophysiological states, is called:
o ANSWER - Homeostasis ✓
, 9. A patient's cells are undergoing hypoxic injury. What is the primary and most immediate
consequence of this lack of oxygen on the cell's metabolism?
o ANSWER - Shift from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism, leading to decreased ATP
production. ✓
10. What is a key difference between benign and malignant neoplasms regarding their
growth pattern and invasion?
o ANSWER - Benign tumors grow by expansion and remain localized, while malignant
tumors grow by invasion and infiltration of surrounding tissues. ✓
11. A client has a tumor that is well-differentiated, grows slowly, and does not metastasize.
This tumor is best described as:
o ANSWER - Benign ✓
12. Which term describes the spread of cancer cells from the primary tumor to distant sites
in the body via the blood or lymphatic system?
o ANSWER - Metastasis ✓
13. Free radical injury is a mechanism of cellular damage. What are unstable molecules with
an unpaired electron that can cause this type of damage called?
o ANSWER - Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) / Oxidative Stress ✓
14. What is the fundamental difference between hypertrophy and hyperplasia as adaptive
cellular responses?
o ANSWER - Hypertrophy is an increase in cell size, while hyperplasia is an increase in cell
number. ✓
15. A patient's muscle cells have increased in size due to a rigorous new workout routine.
This adaptation is classified as:
o ANSWER - Physiologic Hypertrophy ✓
16. What cellular change occurs in atrophy, and what is its purpose?
o ANSWER - Cells decrease in size and metabolic activity, often through autophagy, to
reduce energy consumption. ✓
Module 2: Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Balance
Based on SLO 3 & 4: Describe alterations affecting multiple systems and related
clinical manifestations.
17. A patient has been vomiting for three days. They present with tachycardia and
hypotension. What type of fluid volume deficit are they most likely experiencing?
o ANSWER - Hypovolemia (Isotonic fluid loss) ✓
(2026/2027)
Module 1: Cellular Pathogenesis and Disease Progression
Based on SLO 1 & 2: Demonstrate knowledge of pathogenesis and describe
consequences at the cellular level.
1. What is the initial stage in the pathogenesis of a disease where exposure to an agent or
factor occurs, but no physiological changes are apparent?
o ANSWER - Stage of Susceptability/Exposure ✓
2. A patient is in the early stages of an infection, experiencing non-specific symptoms like
malaise and low-grade fever. During what stage of pathogenesis do these generalized
symptoms first appear?
o ANSWER - Prodromal Period ✓
3. During a myocardial infarction, the sudden loss of blood flow causes cellular injury.
What is the term for this type of irreversible cellular injury leading to tissue death?
o ANSWER - Necrosis ✓
4. A pathologist notes a cell has shrunk in size, has a condensed nucleus, and is breaking
into small, membrane-bound fragments that will be phagocytosed without causing
inflammation. What process is occurring?
o ANSWER - Apoptosis (programmed cell death) ✓
5. A patient with chronic alcoholism has an enlarged, fatty liver. Hepatocytes are
converting one cell type to another less specialized form in response to chronic stress.
This adaptive cellular change is known as:
o ANSWER - Metaplasia ✓
6. At the cellular level, what is the common and defining feature of all types of necrosis?
o ANSWER - The uncontrolled enzymatic digestion of the cell, leading to inflammation. ✓
7. In coagulative necrosis, common in solid organs like the heart, what happens to the
basic tissue architecture in the days following cell death?
o ANSWER - It is preserved for several days due to denaturation of structural proteins. ✓
8. A nursing student is studying how the body maintains a stable internal environment.
This concept, which is disrupted in pathophysiological states, is called:
o ANSWER - Homeostasis ✓
, 9. A patient's cells are undergoing hypoxic injury. What is the primary and most immediate
consequence of this lack of oxygen on the cell's metabolism?
o ANSWER - Shift from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism, leading to decreased ATP
production. ✓
10. What is a key difference between benign and malignant neoplasms regarding their
growth pattern and invasion?
o ANSWER - Benign tumors grow by expansion and remain localized, while malignant
tumors grow by invasion and infiltration of surrounding tissues. ✓
11. A client has a tumor that is well-differentiated, grows slowly, and does not metastasize.
This tumor is best described as:
o ANSWER - Benign ✓
12. Which term describes the spread of cancer cells from the primary tumor to distant sites
in the body via the blood or lymphatic system?
o ANSWER - Metastasis ✓
13. Free radical injury is a mechanism of cellular damage. What are unstable molecules with
an unpaired electron that can cause this type of damage called?
o ANSWER - Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) / Oxidative Stress ✓
14. What is the fundamental difference between hypertrophy and hyperplasia as adaptive
cellular responses?
o ANSWER - Hypertrophy is an increase in cell size, while hyperplasia is an increase in cell
number. ✓
15. A patient's muscle cells have increased in size due to a rigorous new workout routine.
This adaptation is classified as:
o ANSWER - Physiologic Hypertrophy ✓
16. What cellular change occurs in atrophy, and what is its purpose?
o ANSWER - Cells decrease in size and metabolic activity, often through autophagy, to
reduce energy consumption. ✓
Module 2: Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Balance
Based on SLO 3 & 4: Describe alterations affecting multiple systems and related
clinical manifestations.
17. A patient has been vomiting for three days. They present with tachycardia and
hypotension. What type of fluid volume deficit are they most likely experiencing?
o ANSWER - Hypovolemia (Isotonic fluid loss) ✓
