click below
click below
Normal Size Small Size show me how
Pathophysiology bak1
Patho Glossary 1
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| 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 present at birth. |
| 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 resolves rapidly. |
| Chronic | A disease that develops gradually and lasts 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 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 structure 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. |
| Electrocardiograms | 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. |
| Pharmacological | 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), theraputic 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 cubic mm. 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 Exudates | A thin, clear, watery fluid that accumulates at the site of inflammation. |
| Purulent Exudates | 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, or 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 vasodialation (which causes a severe drop in blood pressure) and bronchoconstriction (resulting in severe difficulty in breathing). |
| Immunosurveillance | 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. |
| Carcinogenisis | 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. |