PATHOLOGY AT FIRST GLANCE

I. Pathology is the study of disease

II. Pathological conditions endanger homeostasis

III. Recognized by patients symptoms

IV. Signs as evidence for disease found by physical exam or diagnostic tests

A. Can be asymptomatic

V. Pathogenesis is development of disease in stages

VI. Diseases can chronic(long term) or acute(quick onset)

I. MECHANISMS OF DISEASE

A. Any break in homeostasis can cause degenerative changes at a cellular level

B. Can cause signs of disease

II. Elements involved can be direct or indirect and include

A. Predisposing factors, access to preventive health care, genetic diseases,

infection, inflammation and repair, neoplasms, physical trauma, chemical agents,
malnutrition, immune disorders, aging, psychological factors, and mental
disorders

III. Predisposing Factors

A. Also called risk factors

B. Include age, gender, lifestyle, environment, and heredity

IV. IV Preventive Health Care

I. Positive personal health behavior plus preventative medical services may

reduce mortality rate connected to certain diseases such as
cardiovascular disease

II. People can change behavior if risk factors are known and screening tests
are done

III. Safety measures can prevent many injuries

IV. Early intervention in family violence

V Genetic Diseases

A. 23 pairs of chromosomes
 1. 22 pair = autosomes1 pair = sex chromosome = X and Y

B. Mutations = change in genetic code

C. Some genetic diseases are: Huntington’s, Down syndrome, Dwarfism, Albinism,

Cystic Fibrosis, etc

VI. Infection

A. Caused by pathogens

B. Signs of local infection include: redness, swelling, heat, pain, fever, enlarged
lymph glands, pus, and red streaks

C. Disease-causing organisms can

1. invade and destroy local tissue

2. produce toxins end result is tissue damage that can affect the entire
organism

3. Sources of infection can be

a. Indogenous - start inside the body

b. exogenous -start outside the body

D. Modes of transmission can be direct or indirect

1. .Pathogenic agents include bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa

2. Can be communicable or contagious and transmitted from one person to another

3. Carriers are asymptomatic

4. Body’s defenses include:

a. natural and chemical barriers such as skin, tears cilia, pH, body’s flora,
inflammatory response, and immune response

5. When these defenses fail medical intervention is necessary)

a. Sometimes patients must be isolated to stop spread of disease and

sometimes immunizations must be given to population

VII. Inflammation and

Repair

A. Acute inflammation is accompanied by redness, heat, swelling, pain, and los of

function
 B. Widespread inflammation is marked by systemic features such as fever, malaise,
and loss of appetite

VIII. Cancer

A. Is a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled cell division

B. Benign (not Cancer)

1. Tumor cells grow only locally and cannot spread or metastasize

2. Malignant cells( cancerous) grow and invade neighboring tissues and

metastasizes.

IX. Physical Trauma and Chemical Agents

3. Physical trauma is major cause of death in children and young

4. Falls, motor vehicle accidents, drowning, and burns to name a few

5. Chemical agents can include pollutants, poisons,

A. drugs, preservatives, radiation, electrical shock, and insect bites

X. Malnutrition

A. Kwashiorkor – a severe deficiency in proteins

XI. Immune disorders

B. Can cause allergy, autoimmune diseases, or immunodeficiency syndrome

C. Allergen an antigenic substance
D. Antigen - causes an immune response
E. Anaphylaxis -systemic reaction
F. Autoimmune diseases -body attacks itself
G. Rheumatoid arthritis
H. AIDS- HIV

XII. Aging

A. High blood pressure, cholesterol, and sugar

1. Diet and exercise important
2. Drug therapy

XII. Psychological Factors

A. Can weaken immune system

XIV. Pain

A. What is pain, how do we interpret it, what type of pair, why do people have
different tolerance for pain are questions we need to understand in order to treat
people better
 B. Pain is subjective and can be physiologic or psychologic
C. Nerve pain is often described as burning
D. Physiology of pain
E. pain receptors
F. Pain classification
G. can be acute, chronic, transient, or intractable
H. Pain relief
I. drugs, biofeedback
J. Function of Pain
K. necessary for survival
L. signal that something is wrong

XV. Psychological Pain

XVI. Mental Disorders

XVII. Diagnosis of Disease

A..Based on family history, medical history, exam, and diagnostic tests

XVIII. Treatment of Disease

XIX. Cultural Diversity

A. Must be aware of differences in language, religious beliefs, views

about health issues, and life experiences
XX. Alternative Medicine

XXI. Genetic Counseling

XXII. Gene Therapy