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Patho keyterms1
Term | Definition |
---|---|
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. (diseases life story) |
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. |
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), 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 EXUDATES – | 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. |
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. |