Examination with Actual Detailed
Answers 2025-2026 Edition.
Pathophysiology - Answer The study of abnormalities in physiologic functioning of living
beings, seeking to reveal physiologic responses of an organism to disruptions in its internal or
external environment.
Four interrelated topics of Pathophysiology - Answer Etiology, Pathogenesis, Clinical
Manifestation, and Treatment Implications
Etiology - Answer - The study of the causes or reasons for phenomena/illness
- Complex because most diseases are multifactorial and result from an interplay between
genetics and environmental influences
Pathogenesis - Answer The development or evolution of a disease from the initial stimulus to
the ultimate expression of the manifestations of the disease
-How etiology leads to manifestation
Clinical Manifestation - Answer Signs of the disease and how it presents itself in the body
- Objective
- May vary depending on the stage of the disorder, individual variation, and acuity or chronicity
Objective vs. Subjective - Answer Objective- Can be seen and observed (broken leg)
Subjective- What is reported by the patient (symptoms such as headache or nausea)
Signs vs Symptoms - Answer Signs are objective and symptoms are subjective
Treatment Implications - Answer An understanding of the etiology, pathogenesis, and
manifestations can imply a certain treatment that could be helpful
Use of pathophysiology? - Answer Disease prevention
, Knowing how you contract it, how it spreads, how it manifests, and what the treatments are can
help create preventative strategies
Difference between normal, normal variation, and abnormal? - Answer Normal-Defined as the
mean +or- 2 standard deviations, accounts for 95%
Normal variation- The individual variation of normal dependent on genetics, age, gender, SES,
location, environment, etc.
Abnormal-- does not fit into 95% and is outside of the +or- 2 standard deviations
3 Types of Prevention - Answer Primary- Preventing something from happening (drinking clean
water, washing hands, eating healthy)
Secondary- Early treatment (screening for cancer, yearly exams)
Tertiary- Preventing complications from disease and treatment after the disease has manifested
(chemo, physical therapy, radiation, surgery)
Validity vs. Reliability - Answer Validity- Accuracy (measurement reflects what it is supposed
to)
Reliability- Measurements have the same result each time and are consistent
Endemic vs. Pandemic vs. Epidemic - Answer Endemic- Disease native to a local region
Pandemic- Epidemics that affect are geographic locations and possibly worldwide
Epidemic- A disease that is spread to many individuals at the same time
Predictive Values - Answer The extent to which a test can differentiate between the presence
and absence of disease in an individual
- High sensitivity and high specificity have better predictive values
Sensitivity vs. Specificity - Answer Both are measures of how well a test can discriminate
between people with and without the given condition