Applied Pathophysiology Exam 1 Questions and
Answers
1. What is the difference between pathophysiology and pathology?
correct answer: Pathophysiology correct answer: the study of the functional bodily
changes that occur as a result of an injury, disorder, or disease (the mechanisms of disease)
Pathology correct answer: the study of changes in cells and tissues as a result of injury or disease (studying
a disease)
2. What is a syndrome? correct answer: a specific condition with a recognizable, predictable
pattern
3. Define pathogenesis. correct answer: the disease beginning; when the disease process
begins until symptom onset (chemically, genetically, any mechanisms up until when the disease
is recognized)
Think correct answer: Pathogenesis and disease Process begin with a "P"
4. What does nosocomial mean? iatrogenic? correct answer: hospital acquired
infection (contracting COVID in the hospital); infection as a result of treatment (e.g. urinary
catheter infection)
5. what is the time when a disease is active and flaring? correct answer:
exacerbation
6. what is a prodrome? correct 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)
7. What is etiology? What is it termed when the cause of disease is
unknown? correct answer: the precise cause of disease; idiopathic
8. What is the difference between risk factors and precipitating factors?
correct answer: Risk factors correct answer: vulnerabilities (elevated BP increasing
risk for heart attack)
Precipitating factors correct answer: triggers that promote the onset of clinical manifestations (dust triggering
asthma)
9. What is the difference between objective and subjective clinical
,manifesta-tions? correct answer: objective correct answer: seen and measured by
practitioner (signs)
subjective correct answer: not directly observable by practitioner (symptoms)
10. What is the difference between acute and chronic? correct answer:
acute correct answer: begin abruptly and last a few days to few months
chronic correct answer: gradual (insidious) onset and lasting longer than 6 months
11. what is the difference between diagnosis and prognosis? correct
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)
,12. What is the difference between morbidity and mortality? correct
answer: morbidity correct answer: negative outcome with disease complications that
impact the quality of life
mortality correct answer: death
13. What are the advantages of studying epidemiology? correct answer:
where, who, why, how
1. recognizing where disease is most widespread
2. recognizing who's most attected by the disease
3. discovering why disease is presenting in a certain population
4. discovering how to reduce spread or eradicate disease
14. What is the difference between incidence and prevalence?
correct answer: Incidence correct answer: the rate of occurrence of a disease at
any given time (what is the probability of someone DEVELOPING a disease?)
Prevalence correct answer: the number of people that is attected by a disease at a specific time (what are
the current DEMOGRAPHICS of a disease?)
think correct answer: INcidence = 1 IN 1000
15. What is the difference between endemic, epidemic, and
pandemic? correct answer: endemic correct answer: the incidence and
prevalence of a disease are predictable and stable
epidemic correct answer: a dramatic increase in disease incidence
pandemic correct answer: when an epidemic spreads across continents
16. What are potential causes of atrophy? Hypertrophy?
Hyperplasia? correct answer: Atrophy correct answer: 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 correct answer: increase in growth/trophic signals, increased demand/exercise,
increase in demand of lymph tissue filtering (adenoid hypertrophy)
17. what is atrophy? hypertrophy? hyperplasia? correct answer: atrophy
, correct answer: decrease in cell size
hypertrophy correct answer: increase
in cell size hyperplasia correct answer:
increase in cell number
18. What is the difference between metaplasia and dysplasia? correct
answer: metaplasia correct answer: is the chang-
ing of one cell type to another cell type
Answers
1. What is the difference between pathophysiology and pathology?
correct answer: Pathophysiology correct answer: the study of the functional bodily
changes that occur as a result of an injury, disorder, or disease (the mechanisms of disease)
Pathology correct answer: the study of changes in cells and tissues as a result of injury or disease (studying
a disease)
2. What is a syndrome? correct answer: a specific condition with a recognizable, predictable
pattern
3. Define pathogenesis. correct answer: the disease beginning; when the disease process
begins until symptom onset (chemically, genetically, any mechanisms up until when the disease
is recognized)
Think correct answer: Pathogenesis and disease Process begin with a "P"
4. What does nosocomial mean? iatrogenic? correct answer: hospital acquired
infection (contracting COVID in the hospital); infection as a result of treatment (e.g. urinary
catheter infection)
5. what is the time when a disease is active and flaring? correct answer:
exacerbation
6. what is a prodrome? correct 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)
7. What is etiology? What is it termed when the cause of disease is
unknown? correct answer: the precise cause of disease; idiopathic
8. What is the difference between risk factors and precipitating factors?
correct answer: Risk factors correct answer: vulnerabilities (elevated BP increasing
risk for heart attack)
Precipitating factors correct answer: triggers that promote the onset of clinical manifestations (dust triggering
asthma)
9. What is the difference between objective and subjective clinical
,manifesta-tions? correct answer: objective correct answer: seen and measured by
practitioner (signs)
subjective correct answer: not directly observable by practitioner (symptoms)
10. What is the difference between acute and chronic? correct answer:
acute correct answer: begin abruptly and last a few days to few months
chronic correct answer: gradual (insidious) onset and lasting longer than 6 months
11. what is the difference between diagnosis and prognosis? correct
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)
,12. What is the difference between morbidity and mortality? correct
answer: morbidity correct answer: negative outcome with disease complications that
impact the quality of life
mortality correct answer: death
13. What are the advantages of studying epidemiology? correct answer:
where, who, why, how
1. recognizing where disease is most widespread
2. recognizing who's most attected by the disease
3. discovering why disease is presenting in a certain population
4. discovering how to reduce spread or eradicate disease
14. What is the difference between incidence and prevalence?
correct answer: Incidence correct answer: the rate of occurrence of a disease at
any given time (what is the probability of someone DEVELOPING a disease?)
Prevalence correct answer: the number of people that is attected by a disease at a specific time (what are
the current DEMOGRAPHICS of a disease?)
think correct answer: INcidence = 1 IN 1000
15. What is the difference between endemic, epidemic, and
pandemic? correct answer: endemic correct answer: the incidence and
prevalence of a disease are predictable and stable
epidemic correct answer: a dramatic increase in disease incidence
pandemic correct answer: when an epidemic spreads across continents
16. What are potential causes of atrophy? Hypertrophy?
Hyperplasia? correct answer: Atrophy correct answer: 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 correct answer: increase in growth/trophic signals, increased demand/exercise,
increase in demand of lymph tissue filtering (adenoid hypertrophy)
17. what is atrophy? hypertrophy? hyperplasia? correct answer: atrophy
, correct answer: decrease in cell size
hypertrophy correct answer: increase
in cell size hyperplasia correct answer:
increase in cell number
18. What is the difference between metaplasia and dysplasia? correct
answer: metaplasia correct answer: is the chang-
ing of one cell type to another cell type
