Introduction to Pathology Quiz

Introduction to Pathology

• Pathology is derived from two Greek words: "Pathos" (suffering) and "Logos" (study)
• Pathology is the study of structural, biochemical, and functional changes in cells, tissues, and organs that lead to disease.
• It connects basic science with clinical practice.
• It investigates the causes of disease and associated changes in cells, tissues, and organs, leading to patient symptoms.
• The range of structural changes studied is diverse, from sub-cellular organelles (molecular pathology) to visible changes (gross pathology).

Health and Disease

• Health describes complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not just the absence of disease.
• Disease is the manifestation of discomfort due to structural or functional abnormalities.
• Illness describes a condition marked by a significant deviation from a normal healthy state.
• A syndrome is a combination of clinical features caused by altered physiologic processes.

Terminology in Pathology

• A patient is a person affected by a disease.
• A lesion is a characteristic change in tissue or cells caused by disease.
• Morphology is the examination of diseased tissue.
• Etiology is the cause of disease ("why").
• Pathogenesis describes the mechanism by which lesions develop ("how").

What Should We Know About Disease?

• A disease's definition is important.
• Epidemiology explores where and when diseases occur.
• Etiology determines the cause of a disease.
• Pathogenesis is the evolution of the disease.
• Morphology describes the structural changes.
• Functional changes resulting from diseases are also relevant.
• Management refers to how to treat the disease.
• Prognosis predicts the likely outcome of a disease.
• Prevention aims to avoid disease.

Disease Process

• Pathology studies how diseases affect organs from initial cause (etiology) to the final clinical manifestations. This includes understanding pathogenesis – the steps from cause to symptom – and the resulting morphologic changes.

Etiology

• Etiology is the cause of a disease.
• Primary etiology means the cause is known.
• Idiopathic means the cause is unknown.
• Etiologic factors can be genetic or acquired (e.g., infectious, nutritional, chemical, physical).

Pathogenesis

• Pathogenesis describes the process by which a disease develops.
• It's the mechanism by which a cause produces both pathological and clinical manifestations.

Pathogenicity

• Pathogenicity is the ability of a pathogen (often a microorganism) to cause disease.
• Examples include highly pathogenic influenza (H5N1) and non-pathogenic strains of Escherichia coli.

Morphologic Changes

• Morphologic changes are the structural alterations in cells and tissues following the pathogenic process.
• These alterations can be seen with the naked eye (gross pathology) or only under a microscope (microscopic changes).

Clinical Manifestations

• The morphologic changes influence the normal function of an organ.
• These changes determine the signs, symptoms, the course, and prognosis of the disease.

Summary of Pathology Studies

• Pathology studies etiology (cause), pathogenesis (development), morphologic changes, and clinical features/prognosis.

Subdivisions of Pathology

• General pathology studies common principles of disease (e.g., inflammation, cancer, aging).
• Systemic pathology focuses on diseases specific to organs and body systems.

The Tree of Medicine

• A diagram showing the relationships between various medical branches, demonstrating pathology as fundamental to many aspects of medicine.

Symptoms, Signs, Diagnosis, Prognosis

• Symptoms are evidence of disease as reported by the patient.
• Signs are detectable evidence of disease by a clinician.
• Diagnosis is identifying a specific disease based on signs and symptoms.
• Prognosis is the prediction of the likely outcome of a disease.

In Summary:

• Pathology studies the "what" (the lesion) and the "how" (the pathogenesis) of a disease to guide treatments, control, and disease prevention strategies.

Objective and Purpose of Pathological Examination

• Diagnosing disease
• Determining treatment, prognosis, and grading
• Investigating medico-legal conditions (e.g., cause of death)
• Supporting research and medical innovation