Pathophysiology Basics Notes PDF

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Pathophysiology Basics 1) Key Terms a) Homeostasis b) Disease c) Pathophysiology d) Pathogenesis 2) Homeostasis a) The human body strives to maintain internal stability b) The process of maintaining normal balance within the body is called homeostasis 3) Disease a) When homeostasis is not maintained, disease ensues b) Medical professionals who study diseases are called pathologists i) Pathologists are practitioners who specialize in the field (1) Two common specialties are: (a) Anatomic pathology – pathologists who perform autopsies to determine cause of death (b) Clinical pathology – pathologists who review lab specimens to determine evidence of abnormal tissue or the presence of chemicals 4) Pathophysiology a) Pathophysiology– the study of abnormal functions in the body and how disease processes work 5) Pathogenesis a) Pathogenesis is the development of a disease (-genesis = origin or development) b) The sequence of events that leads from the cause of disease to structural and functional abnormalities, to how the disease manifests itself (signs and symptoms), and finally to the resolution or recovery of the disease 6) Pathogenesis a) Example – The Common Cold

i) Cause – exposure and i noculation of the cold virus ii) Incubation time – virus multiplies iii) Manifestation – the host begins to have signs and s ymptoms (sore throat, itchy eyes, runny nose, etc.) iv) Recovery – a return to the previous state of health 7) Pathogenesis a) Pathogenesis of diseases may be explained in terms of time: i) Acute Disease – a disease of sudden onset which runs a severe but short course ii) Chronic Disease – long-term (sometimes reoccurring) illness 8) Predisposing Factors (Risk Factors) a) Factors that increase the probability of a person’s becoming ill i) Age ii) Sex iii) Genetic Makeup iv) Stress v) Lifestyle vi) Occupation vii) Preexisting Illnesses viii) Environmental Exposure 9) Age a) Newborn babies i) Immature immune system ii) The liver enzymes necessary for detoxification of some substances are often lacking iii) Fewer nutritional reserves iv) Less body fat to insulate against cold 10) Age a) The elderly i) Decrease in immune function ii) Decline in homeostatic mechanisms iii) Depression, isolation, and malnutrition

11) Sex a) Some diseases are more prone to strike one gender over the other i) Men are more likely to develop gout ii) Women are more likely to develop osteoporosis 12) Genetic Makeup a) Familial t endencies for: i) Diabetes ii) Asthma iii) Migraines 13) Stress a) Increases body’s production of corticosteroids which decrease immune system function 14) Lifestyle a) Personal h abits in regard to i) Diet ii) Exercise iii) Weight control iv) Smoking v) Alcohol Consumption vi) Sexual Practice 15) Occupation a) Exposure to: i) Loud Noises ii) Pollutants iii) Repetetive Movements iv) Heavy Equipment v) High Places 16) Preexisting Illnesses a) Illnesses can lower the body’s resistance and make individuals more susceptible to other diseases b) Chronic illness interferes with the proper function of some body systems; therefore complicating disease

17) a) b) c) d)

Environmental Exposure Prolonged exposure to cold or heat can lower the body’s resistance Exposure to allergens  Long-term exposure to sunlight Long-term exposure to occupational chemicals

18) Two Main Disease Categories a) Disease processes can be categorized into one of two groups: i) Structural ii) Functional 19) a) b) c)

Structural Disease Sometimes called an Organic Disease Involves physical and biochemical changes within the cells Structural changes in cells are initiated by two types of agents: i) Exogenous ii) Endogenous

20) Exogenous a) Those that are external  i) trauma ii) chemical injury iii) microbial infections 21) Endogenous a) Those that are internal  i) Vascular insufficiency ii) Immunological/autoimmune reactions iii) Diseases that are a result of abnormal metabolism 22) Structural Disease a) The hallmark characteristic of structural disease is the lesion  i) Latin word and means “to hurt” ii) Widely used term to describe many types of cellular changes that result in tissue abnormalities (cuts, fractures, masses)

iii) Primarily detected by observation with the naked eye or with a microscope 23) a) b) c)

Functional Disease Sometimes called Physiological Disease Diseases in which the onset begins without the presence of any lesion The basic change is physiological and is referred to as a pathophysiological  change

24) Functional Disease a) Examples of functional diseases: i) Tension headaches ii) Functional bowel syndrome b) Although mental illnesses have been considered functional disorders, present research now indicates that many have a genetic or organic basis (on a biochemical level) 25)

Structural/Functional Diseases Disease Type of Disease Common cold Structural (viral infection) Tension headaches Functional (muscle spasm) A benign tumor that Structural (tumor) produces a mass Exogenous obesity Functional (hunger) caused by craving food Cancer of the esophagus Structural (cancer)

26) Causes of Disease a) Structural diseases are commonly sub-classified: i) Infectious Diseases ii) Neoplasms iii) Immunologic Diseases iv) Nutritional Diseases v) Metabolic Diseases

Nature of Manifestation Structural (runny nose sneezing) Functional (pain) Structural (mass) Structural (obesity) Functional (inability to eat)

vi) Genetic Diseases vii) Congenital Disease viii) Trauma ix) Physical Agents x) Inflammatory Diseases 27) Infectious Diseases a) Diseases that are caused by invasion and colonization of pathogenic  microorganisms b) Examples of pathogenic infection: i) Fungal infection ii) Bacterial infection iii) Viral infection 28) a) b) c)

Neoplasms Word means “new growth” The uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells Growth may be benign or malignant (cancerous)

29) Immunologic diseases a) Overreaction by the immune system (hypersensitivity) b) Under-reaction by the immune system (immune deficiency disease such as AIDS) c) Autoimmune disease – destruction of one’s own tissues by antibodies produced by one’s own immune system 30) Nutritional diseases a) Diseases created by insufficient resources for the body i) Protein deficiency (1) difficulty in healing or formation of new body tissue (2) decrease in antibody production ii) Vitamin or mineral deficiencies (1) May lead to interference in biochemical reactions of metabolism b) Obesity 31)

Metabolic diseases

a) An upset in the biochemical reactions that govern body processes or metabolism b) Sub-classified as nutritional because the upset is often connected to carbohydrate, fat, or protein metabolism 32) Genetic diseases a) Inherited or hereditary diseases due to transmission of defective gene(s) or chromosome(s) from one or both parents b) Examples of genetic diseases: i) Diabetes ii) Down Syndrome iii) Hemophilia iv) Cleft Lip 33) Congenital disease a) Also referred to as an anomaly or defect b) A defect in fetal development that may create a functional (physiologic) or structural (physical) abnormality which presents itself at birth c) These defects may be cause by: i) Genetics ii) Exposure to chemicals, drugs, or viruses during the pregnancy iii) A spontaneous event 34) Trauma a) A physical force that mechanically disrupts the structure of the body (and therefore, disrupts body function) b) Results of trauma are generally referred to as injuries  c) Results of trauma include: i) Bruises ii) Abrasions iii) Cuts iv) Fractures v) Burns 35) Physical agents a) Diseases that result from physical agents such as: i) Temperature Extremes

ii) Electrical Shock iii) Radiation iv) Poisons 36) Inflammatory Diseases a) Diseases that are usually secondary to primary disease, such as infection or autoimmune disease 37) The Disease Process a) Manifestation of Disease i) To treat a patient, a physician must first know the manifestations of a disease ii) Manifestation means how a disease “presents or shows itself” iii) Manifestation is also called clinical presentation and includes both signs and symptoms  38) The Disease Process: Signs a) Objective physical observations as noted by the person who examines the patient b) This examination is called a physical or physical examination c) Examples of signs: i) Temperature ii) Blood Pressure iii) Respiratory Rate iv) Abnormal Heart Sounds v) Mass vi) Enlarged Organs vii) Edema 39) The Disease Process: Signs a) During the physical, the health professional may use techniques such as i) Inspection (looking at or observing areas of the body) ii) Auscultation (use of a stethoscope to listen to body cavities) iii) Palpation (feeling lightly or pressing firmly on internal organs or structures) iv) Percussion (tapping various body areas to produce a vibrating sound indicative of air, fluid, size of organ, etc.)

v) Olfaction (using smell to note abnormalities) 40) The Disease Process: Symptoms a) Refer to the patient’s awareness of abnormalities or discomfort b) Symptoms are not measurable and are based on the patient’s subjective perception c) The written description of symptoms in the patient’s record is referred to as the patient history 41) The Disease Process: Symptoms a) Common examples of symptoms are: i) Pain ii) Nausea iii) Weakness iv) Fatigue v) Dizziness 42) The Disease Process: Care of the Patient a) Caring for the patient involves three major steps: i) Obtaining a history to ascertain the patient’s symptoms and to review any past or present medical problems that might relate ii) Performing a physical examination of the patient iii) Laboratory tests and radiologic/clinical procedures to detect chemical and physiologic abnormalities to aid in establishing the diagnosis 43) The Disease Process: Etiology and Related Terms a) The e tiology of a disease is its cause (the term literally means the study of causes) i) If the cause of a disease has never been discovered (disease is unknown), the cause is referred to as idiopathic ii) One may also refer to an idiopathic disease as having “unknown etiology” 44) The Disease Process: Etiology and Related Terms a) Iatrogenic disease (-iatro = medicine, physician) means that the disease arose as a result of a prescribed treatment i) Examples

(1) Cushing-like Syndrome as a result of steroid therapy (2) Immunosuppression and/or anemia as a result of chemotherapy  45) The Disease Process: Etiology and Related Terms a) A healthcare acquired disease is one that was acquired from a clinical setting (e.g. hospital. physician’s office, clinic) i) A postoperative patient develops staph infection from a surgical instrument that wasn’t properly sterilized ii) A child develops a cold after being exposed to other sick children at the pediatrician’s office 46) The Disease Process: Diagnosis a) The process of assigning a name to a patient’s condition b) When clusters of findings with more than one disease are found, they are called syndromes  c) A diagnosis is needed to determine the treatment and potential outcome of a disease 47) The Disease Process: Treatment a) The treatment of a disease should be as precise as possible in order to attempt a cure  b) Treatment interventions may include: i) Exercise ii) Nutritional modifications iii) Physical therapy iv) Medications v) Surgery vi) Education 48) The Disease Process: Treatment a) Supportive therapy – a conservative therapy i) Examples: (1) Rest (2) Optimal Nutrition (3) Fluids (4) Possibly Antibiotics (To prevent a secondary infection while the immune system is recovering)

49) The Disease Process: Treatment a) Palliative therapy – not a curative therapy; provides relief from signs and symptoms of a disease i) Examples: (1) Steroids (2) Pain Relievers  (3) Possible Surgery (removal of a tumor, etc.) ii) This treatment is used for terminal illnesses and other serious chronic conditions for which there is no cure 50) The Disease Process: Treatment a) Preventive therapy – care that is given to prevent disease i) Examples: (1) Mammograms (2) Blood Pressure Screenings (3) Routine Dental Care (4) Colon Cancer Tests 51) The Disease Process: Prognosis a) The prognosis is the predicted or expected outcome of the disease b) Prognosis is often listed as: i) Good (full recovery) ii) Guarded (full recovery may or may not occur) iii) Poor (not expected to recover) 52) Additional Terminology a) Communicable disease – a disease that can be transmitted from one person to another b) Epidemic – a disease that affects many people in a given region at the same time c) Endemic – a disease that appears to be indigenous to a particular area or region (not of epidemic proportions) d) Localized disease – a disease that is confined to one area of the body 53)

Additional Terminology

a) Systemic (generalized) disease – a disease that spreads throughout the body, or to many systems b) Asymptomatic (sub-clinical) disease – a disease in which the symptoms are not noticeable to the patient; the presence of disease (signs) is detected by a routine physical or testing c) Self-limiting disease – a disease that does not require treatment to be cured; it will resolve on its own...