Introduction to Language of Pathophysiology ll

This lesson explores key terms that describe how diseases progress, their outcomes, and their distribution in populations.

• Diagnostic tests identify diseases and monitor treatment. These include blood and urine tests, biopsies, imaging (X-ray, MRI), and detection of infectious agents.
• Remission is a reduction or disappearance of symptoms.
• Exacerbation refers to the worsening of symptoms, such as increased wheezing during an asthma attack.
• A precipitating factor triggers an acute episode, while a predisposing factor increases disease risk, such as a high-fat diet leading to coronary artery disease.
• In contrast, a predisposing factor increases the likelihood of disease development, like a high-fat diet contributing to atherosclerosis.
• Complications are secondary health problems that arise during a disease. Heart failure, for example, can develop as a complication of a myocardial infarction.
• Therapy, or therapeutic intervention, encompasses all treatment strategies aimed at curing a disease or managing its effects. These may include pharmacologic treatments, surgical procedures, physical rehabilitation, and lifestyle adjustments.
• Sequelae are persistent or long-term consequences following the acute phase of a disease. An example is hemiplegia as a sequela of an ischemic stroke.
• Prognosis refers to the expected outcome of a disease, including the likelihood of recovery and the likelihood of progression.
• Convalescence is the period of gradual recovery after illness, during which physical strength and function are restored.
• Morbidity refers to the rate or presence of disease within a population and includes the degree to which the condition impairs daily functioning and quality of life.
• Mortality is the measure of deaths within a population attributable to a specific disease over a given period.
• An autopsy, or postmortem examination, determines the cause of death and examines the progression of a disease.