APPLIED PATHOPHYSIOLOGY A CONCEPTUAL
APPROACH TO THE MECHANISMS OF DISEASE
STUDY GUIDE 2026 QUESTIONS WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◉ What is a syndrome? Answer: a specific condition with a
recognizable, predictable pattern
◉ Define pathogenesis. Answer: the disease beginning; when the
disease process begins until symptom onset (chemically, genetically,
any mechanisms up until when the disease is recognized)
Think: Pathogenesis and disease Process begin with a "P"
◉ What does nosocomial mean? iatrogenic? Answer: hospital
acquired infection (contracting COVID in the hospital); infection as a
result of treatment (e.g. urinary catheter infection)
◉ what is the time when a disease is active and flaring? Answer:
exacerbation
◉ what is a prodrome? Answer: the period in the lifespan of an
infectious disease where it's unclear what the disease is, given the
,symptoms (patient presents symptoms of achiness and lethargy;
nonspecific)
◉ What is etiology? What is it termed when the cause of disease is
unknown? Answer: the precise cause of disease; idiopathic
◉ What is the difference between risk factors and precipitating
factors? Answer: Risk factors: vulnerabilities (elevated BP increasing
risk for heart attack)
Precipitating factors: triggers that promote the onset of clinical
manifestations (dust triggering asthma)
◉ What is the difference between objective and subjective clinical
manifestations? Answer: objective: seen and measured by
practitioner (signs)
subjective: not directly observable by practitioner (symptoms)
◉ What is the difference between acute and chronic? Answer: acute:
begin abruptly and last a few days to few months
chronic: gradual (insidious) onset and lasting longer than 6 months
,◉ what is the difference between diagnosis and prognosis? Answer:
diagnosis is a label (colon cancer) while prognosis is a prediction of
how the individual will proceed through the disease (predicting
patient will live 15 more years)
◉ What is the difference between morbidity and mortality? Answer:
morbidity: negative outcome with disease complications that impact
the quality of life
mortality: death
◉ What are the advantages of studying epidemiology? Answer:
where, who, why, how
1. recognizing where disease is most widespread
2. recognizing who's most affected by the disease
3. discovering why disease is presenting in a certain population
4. discovering how to reduce spread or eradicate disease
◉ What is the difference between incidence and prevalence?
Answer: Incidence: the rate of occurrence of a disease at any given
time (what is the probability of someone DEVELOPING a disease?)
Prevalence: the number of people that is affected by a disease at a
specific time (what are the current DEMOGRAPHICS of a disease?)
, think: INcidence = 1 IN 1000
◉ What is the difference between endemic, epidemic, and
pandemic? Answer: endemic: the incidence and prevalence of a
disease are predictable and stable
epidemic: a dramatic increase in disease incidence
pandemic: when an epidemic spreads across continents
◉ What are potential causes of atrophy? Hypertrophy? Hyperplasia?
Answer: Atrophy: decrease in functional demand of a cell, lack of
muscle movement, ischemia (decreased oxygen supply to cell),
removal of hormonal or neural signals contributing to cell growth or
muscle use
hypertrophy and hyperplasia: increase in growth/trophic signals,
increased demand/exercise, increase in demand of lymph tissue
filtering (adenoid hypertrophy)
◉ what is atrophy? hypertrophy? hyperplasia? Answer: atrophy:
decrease in cell size
hypertrophy: increase in cell size
APPROACH TO THE MECHANISMS OF DISEASE
STUDY GUIDE 2026 QUESTIONS WITH
COMPLETE SOLUTIONS GRADED A+
◉ What is a syndrome? Answer: a specific condition with a
recognizable, predictable pattern
◉ Define pathogenesis. Answer: the disease beginning; when the
disease process begins until symptom onset (chemically, genetically,
any mechanisms up until when the disease is recognized)
Think: Pathogenesis and disease Process begin with a "P"
◉ What does nosocomial mean? iatrogenic? Answer: hospital
acquired infection (contracting COVID in the hospital); infection as a
result of treatment (e.g. urinary catheter infection)
◉ what is the time when a disease is active and flaring? Answer:
exacerbation
◉ what is a prodrome? Answer: the period in the lifespan of an
infectious disease where it's unclear what the disease is, given the
,symptoms (patient presents symptoms of achiness and lethargy;
nonspecific)
◉ What is etiology? What is it termed when the cause of disease is
unknown? Answer: the precise cause of disease; idiopathic
◉ What is the difference between risk factors and precipitating
factors? Answer: Risk factors: vulnerabilities (elevated BP increasing
risk for heart attack)
Precipitating factors: triggers that promote the onset of clinical
manifestations (dust triggering asthma)
◉ What is the difference between objective and subjective clinical
manifestations? Answer: objective: seen and measured by
practitioner (signs)
subjective: not directly observable by practitioner (symptoms)
◉ What is the difference between acute and chronic? Answer: acute:
begin abruptly and last a few days to few months
chronic: gradual (insidious) onset and lasting longer than 6 months
,◉ what is the difference between diagnosis and prognosis? Answer:
diagnosis is a label (colon cancer) while prognosis is a prediction of
how the individual will proceed through the disease (predicting
patient will live 15 more years)
◉ What is the difference between morbidity and mortality? Answer:
morbidity: negative outcome with disease complications that impact
the quality of life
mortality: death
◉ What are the advantages of studying epidemiology? Answer:
where, who, why, how
1. recognizing where disease is most widespread
2. recognizing who's most affected by the disease
3. discovering why disease is presenting in a certain population
4. discovering how to reduce spread or eradicate disease
◉ What is the difference between incidence and prevalence?
Answer: Incidence: the rate of occurrence of a disease at any given
time (what is the probability of someone DEVELOPING a disease?)
Prevalence: the number of people that is affected by a disease at a
specific time (what are the current DEMOGRAPHICS of a disease?)
, think: INcidence = 1 IN 1000
◉ What is the difference between endemic, epidemic, and
pandemic? Answer: endemic: the incidence and prevalence of a
disease are predictable and stable
epidemic: a dramatic increase in disease incidence
pandemic: when an epidemic spreads across continents
◉ What are potential causes of atrophy? Hypertrophy? Hyperplasia?
Answer: Atrophy: decrease in functional demand of a cell, lack of
muscle movement, ischemia (decreased oxygen supply to cell),
removal of hormonal or neural signals contributing to cell growth or
muscle use
hypertrophy and hyperplasia: increase in growth/trophic signals,
increased demand/exercise, increase in demand of lymph tissue
filtering (adenoid hypertrophy)
◉ what is atrophy? hypertrophy? hyperplasia? Answer: atrophy:
decrease in cell size
hypertrophy: increase in cell size
