Question | Answer |
PATHOLOGY | 1) PATHOLOGY – The study of changes in cell/tissue structure related to disease or death. |
PATHOPHYSIOLOGY | The study of how disease affects body function |
HEALTH | Having the ability to maintain homeostasis when exposed to normal conditions. |
DISEASE | Being unable to maintain homeostasis when exposed to normal conditions. |
ETIOLOGY | The study of the cause of a disease |
GENETIC | A disease, condition, or trait that is inherited as a result of a single gene. |
CONGENITAL | A disease, condition, or trait that is present at birth. |
ACQUIRED | A disease, condition, or trait that developed because of being exposed to something during your life. |
IDIOPATHIC | Without a clearly identified cause. |
SIGNS | Evidence of disease that is objective and can be seen, measured, or recorded. |
SYMPTOMS | Evidence of a disease that is subjective and cannot be seen, measured, or recorded. |
PATHOGENESIS | The events that lead to the development of a disease and the signs and symptoms that occur as the disease progresses. |
ACUTE | A disease that develops and resolve rapidly. |
CHRONIC | A disease that develops gradually and last 3 months or longer. |
REMISSION | The lessening in severity of the symptoms of a disease. |
EXACERBATION | An increase in the severity of a disease or any of its signs or symptoms. |
LOCAL | A condition that is confined to one area. |
SYSTEMIC | A condition that affects the entire body |
ENDOSCOPY | A procedure that utilizes a fiber optic camera to view structures inside of the body. |
RADIODENSITY | The ability of an object to stop or slow radiation. |
X-RAYS | A visual recording of differences in radiodensity of anatomical structures. |
CONTRAST X-RAYS | X-rays that utilize a contrast media to increase the radiodensity of selected fluids within the body, producing an image of the structures containing the fluid. |
ULTRASOUND | A visual recording of differences in the rate of return & intensity of sound waves reflected off of objects within the body. |
ELECTROCARDIOGRAM | A recording of the electrical activity of the cardiac conduction system. |
ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM | A recording of the electrical activity of the brain, most often recording the cerebral cortex. |
SPIROMETRY | Any procedure used to measure a persons ability to move air or the capacities of the respiratory system. Often referred to as PFTs (pulmonary function tests) |
CHEMOTHERAPY | The use of chemicals to kill cells within the body. Two main types of chemotherapy are used – to kill cancer cells or microorganisms. |
PHARMOCOLOGICAL | The use of drugs to treat disease. |
PALLIATIVE | Any form of treatment that relieves signs & symptoms without curing a disease. May include the use of medication (such as a decongestant or pain reliever), therapeutic massage, counseling, physical therapy, orthotic devices… |
PROGNOSIS | A prediction of the likely outcome or consequences of having a disease. |
SEQUELA | A consequence of a previous disease. (Example: rheumatic heart disease sometimes occurs following a strep infection) |
COMPLICATIONS | A morbid process or event occurring during a disease that is not an essential part of the disease, although it may result from it. (Example: blindness is a complication often associated with diabetes) |
TERMINAL | A disease likely to cause death. |
TRAUMA | The transfer of a harmful amount of energy. The energy may be mechanical, electrical, radiation, or thermal. |
DEFICIENCY | Lacking in something that is essential. (Vitamin, glucose, protein, oxygen, water, ……) |
INTOXICATION | Being exposed to a toxic level of something. |
HYPERTROPHY | To increase in size. |
ATROPHY | To decrease in size. |
HYPERPLASIA | An increase in the rate of mitosis and therefore cell number. |
METAPLASIA | A change in cell or tissue structure. |
DYSPLASIA | Irregular cell or tissue structure. Often considered a potentially cancerous change. |
NEOPLASIA | Growth of cells and tissue into new areas, resulting in a tumor. May be benign or malignant. |
INFLAMMATION | A protective response of tissue to injury or infection. Causes an increase in blood flow and pain in the affected region, as well as leukocytosis. |
PYROGENS | Chemicals that cause a fever. |
LEUKOCYTOSIS | An increase in the number of white blood cells to more than 10,000 per mm3. A WBC count of 15,000-25,000 commonly occurs as a result of infection, inflammation, or hemorrhage. |
EXUDATE | The excess fluid that accumulates at the site of inflammation. Contains a high level of proteins and neutrophils when compared to normal tissue fluid. |
SEROUS EXUDATE | A thin, clear, watery fluid that accumulates at the site of inflammation. |
PURULENT EXUDATE | A thick, creamy white or yellow fluid that accumulates at the site of inflammation. Also called pus. |
SUPPURATIVE INFLAMMATION | A response to injury or infection that leads to the production of pus. |
REGENERATION | Replacing damaged tissue through the process of mitosis, restoring the tissue to its original condition. |
REPAIR | Replacing damaged tissue with scar tissue. |
ADHESIONS | The binding together of two surfaces by scar tissue. |
KELOID SCARRING | The over production of scar tissue that sometimes occurs in the dermis and subcutaneous layer and results in a mass of scar tissue that is often tender or painful. |
CONTRACTURE | The shortening of scar tissue over time OR the shortening of muscle tissue as a result of fibrotic changes. |
STENOSIS | The narrowing of any canal or opening, such as the intestine, a blood vessel, of a heart valve. |
SCLEROSIS | The process of hardening. Can occur as the result of scar formation or the accumulation of deposits known as plaques. |
NECROSIS | Tissue death. |
PRODROMAL STAGE | An early stage in the development of a disease or infection that is characterized by a lack of appetite and lack of energy. The time when a person feels as if they are “coming down with something”. |
ANAPHYLAXIS | A severe, systemic allergic response that is characterized by vasodilation (which causes a severe drop in blood pressure) and bronchoconstriction (resulting in severe difficulty in breathing). |
IMMUNOSURVEILLANCE | The immune system’s constant search for an antigen. |
IMMUNOTOLERANCE | The immune system’s ability to recognize and not attack normally occurring tissues within the body |
INCUBATION | The development of an infection from the time the infectious organism enters the body until the appearance of the first clinical signs and symptoms. |
ACUTE STAGE | The time during an infection when clinical signs and symptoms begin to develop |
BENIGN | A nonmalignant neoplasm. |
MALIGNANT | A cancerous neoplasm. |
ANGIOGENESIS | The development of new blood vessels, especially capillaries. |
TUMOR MARKERS | Proteins produced by tumor cells that can be detected in screening tests of the person’s blood. |
CARCINOMA | A malignancy that originates in epithelial tissues. |
SARCOMA | A malignancy that originates in connective tissue. |
GLIOMA | A malignancy that originates within the tissue of the central nervous system. |
CARCINOGENESIS | The process of developing a malignant neoplasm. |
INITIATORS (of Cancer) | Carcinogens that increase the rate of cancer cell production by activating oncogenes. |
PROMOTERS (of Cancer) | Carcinogens that decrease the body’s ability to find and fight cancer cells by damaging tumor suppressing genes. |