Pathophysiology Midterm Study Guide

Chapter 1: Introduction to Pathophysiology  Etiology: the study of causes/reasons for phenomena o Identifies casual factors acting in concert that provoke a particular disease or injury  Idiopathic: the cause is unknown  Iatrogenic: the cause results from unintended or unwanted medical treatment  Stages and Clinical Courses: o Prodromal: time during which first signs and/or symptoms appear or onset of disease occurs  Prodromal symptoms often are nonspecific, such as headache, malaise, anorexia, and nausea o Latent: refers to a period during an illness when signs/symptoms temporarily become mild or silent  In the total-body irradiation syndrome, a latent period may occur between the prodrome and the stage of manifest illness  In syphilis, there may be two latent periods: one occurring between the primary and secondary clinical stages and another occurring between the secondary and tertiary stages o Subclinical: patient functions normally; disease processes are well established  Chronic renal disease can completely destroy one kidney and partly destroy the other before any symptoms related to a decrease in renal function are perceived o Acute Clinical Course: short-lived; may have severe manifestation o Chronic Clinical Course: may last months to years, sometimes following an acute course o Exacerbation: increase in severity, signs, or symptoms o Remission: decrease in severity, signs, or symptoms; ma