28 Questions
What is the primary aim of disease classification?
All of the above
How are genetic diseases primarily caused?
New mutations in affected individuals
What is the most widely used basis for disease classification?
Aetiology and pathogenesis
Which type of disease may not cause clinical manifestation until adult life?
Congenital diseases
Based on pathogenesis, how can most diseases be classified?
Acquired and congenital
What causes acquired diseases?
Environmental factors
Which term best describes a disease with a rapid onset and often a rapid resolution?
Acute
What term is used to classify tumors that remain localized to the tissue of origin and are very rarely fatal?
Benign
Which prefix means 'deficiency below normal'?
Hypo-
Which suffix refers to an abnormal increase in a particular characteristic?
-osis
What is the primary purpose of uniform nomenclature in pathology and medicine?
To facilitate communication and enable accurate epidemiological studies
How is 'primary' used in the nomenclature of diseases?
To describe diseases without apparent cause
What defines a disease according to the text?
Presence of any abnormality in the body, whether structural or functional
What is the purpose of clarifying common terms, prefixes, and suffixes in disease nomenclature?
To enable accurate understanding and use of disease names
Benign tumors commonly invade and spread from their origin, making them commonly fatal.
False
The prefix 'Hypo-' means excess over normal.
False
Malignant tumors have a prolonged course lasting months or years.
False
Dysplasia indicates a disordered inflammatory process.
False
Uniform nomenclature in pathology and medicine does not aid in accurate epidemiological studies.
False
The term 'secondary' in the nomenclature of diseases always refers to a disease without an apparent cause.
False
Clinical manifestations of a disease are always limited to signs and not symptoms.
False
The inability of an organism to adapt to a challenge always leads to a loss of normal health.
True
Graves' disease is a congenital disease initiated before or during birth.
False
Acquired diseases are caused solely by genetic mutations.
False
Congenital diseases may not cause clinical manifestation until adult life.
True
Inflammatory diseases fall under the category of acquired diseases.
True
The most widely used basis for disease classification is the reversibility of a disease.
False
Classification of diseases is commonly based on the name of the doctor who discovered it.
False
Study Notes
- Nomenclature of disease refers to the system of names used in pathology and medicine to communicate effectively and enable accurate epidemiological studies.
- Disease is defined as a condition causing a loss of normal health due to the presence of an abnormality, which can be structural or functional, and is due to an organism's inability to adapt to a challenge.
- Nomenclature of disease includes primary and secondary meanings:
- Primary: describing causation (essential, idiopathic, spontaneous, cryptogenic) or initial and subsequent stages (most commonly in cancer).
- Secondary: describing a complication or manifestation of an underlying lesion.
- Nomenclature also differentiates between acute and chronic diseases, and benign and malignant tumours.
- Prefixes and suffixes are used to modify the meaning of disease names:
- Prefixes: ana- absence, dys- disordered, hyper- excess, hypo- deficiency, meta- change, neo- new, and neoplasia- neoplasm.
- Suffixes: -itis, inflammatory process; -oma, tumour; -osis, abnormal increase; -oid, bearing resemblance; -plasia, disorder of growth; and -opathy, abnormal state lacking specific characteristics.
- Eponymous names are given to diseases or lesions after a person or place associated with them, such as Graves' disease or Crohn's disease.
- Disease classification is used to identify a disease in an individual patient, with aims to determine the best treatment, estimate the prognosis, and ascertain the cause for prevention.
- The most widely used disease classifications are based on causes (aetiology) and underlying mechanism (pathogenesis).
- Genetic diseases are caused by abnormalities in the genome, mostly inherited but also due to new mutations.
- Acquired diseases are caused by environmental factors, including genetic and environmental interactions.
- Diseases can be classified into Congenital and Acquired based on pathogenesis:
- Congenital diseases: initiated before or during birth, with ~5% of births in the UK, and some may not cause clinical manifestation until adult life.
- Acquired diseases: caused by external factors and can be classified into Inflammatory, Haemodynamic, Growth disorders, Injury and disordered repair, Disordered immunity, and Metabolic and degenerative disorders.
- In a lecture MCQ test, the correct answer is "e) None of the above" for the question on the basis of classification of diseases.
- In a lecture question and discussion, the topics covered were Congenital, Acquired, Infectious, and Non-infectious diseases.
Learn about the nomenclature and classification of diseases in the fields of pathology and medicine. Understand the concept of diseases, familiarize with standard conventions for naming diseases, and describe how diseases are classified. Explore the significance of uniform nomenclature in communication and accurate epidemiological studies.
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