NSG120 Pathophysiology Final Exam Study Guide GRADED A
• Unit 1: Pathophysiology & Mechanisms of Disease
• Module 1: Module 1: Introduction to Pathophysiology
o NSG120.01.01.01 Explain the principles of pathology and
homeostasis and differentiate between key disease
characteristics, etiologies, and prognoses.
All definitions for this section
▪ Pathophysiology involves the study of functional or
physiologic changes in the body that result from
disease processes
▪ Pathology, the laboratory study of cell and tissue
changes associated with disease.
▪ Homeostasis is the maintenance of a relatively stable
internal environment regardless of external changes.
Disease develops
when significant changes occur in the body, leading to
a state in which homeostasis cannot be maintained
without intervention
▪ Disease Characteristics
• Pathogenesis refers to the development of the
disease or the sequence of events involved in the
tissue changes related to the specific disease
process.
• The onset: may be sudden and obvious or acute
• An acute disease indicates a short-term illness that
develops quickly with marked signs such as high
fever or severe pain (often less than 6 months)
• A chronic disease is often a milder condition
developing gradually, such as rheumatoid
arthritis, but it persists for a
long time and usually causes more permanent
tissue damage. (often more than 6 months)
• A subclinical state exists in some conditions in which
pathologic changes occur but the patient exhibits no
obvious
manifestations, perhaps because of the great
reserve capacity of some organs.
• An initial latent or “silent” stage, in which no clinical
signs are evident, characterizes some diseases. In
infectious diseases this stage may be referred to as
the incubation period, which is the time between
exposure to the microorganism and the onset of
signs or symptoms
1
,NSG120 Pathophysiology Final Exam Study Guide GRADED A
• The prodromal period comprises the time in the
early development of a disease when one is aware
of a change in the body, but the signs are
nonspecific; Laboratory tests are negative during
the prodromal period
2
, NSG120 Pathophysiology Final Exam Study Guide GRADED A
• The manifestations of a disease are the clinical
evidence or effects, the signs and symptoms, of
disease.
o Ex. redness and swelling, may be local, or
found at the site of the problem.
o systemic, meaning they are general
indicators of illness, such as fever.
• Signs are objective indicators of disease that are
obvious to someone other than the affected
individual.
• Symptoms are subjective feelings, such as pain or nausea.
• Lesion is the term used to describe a specific local
change in the tissue.
• A syndrome is a collection of signs and symptoms,
often affecting more than one organ, that usually
occur together in response to a certain condition.
• Diagnostic tests are laboratory tests that
assist in the diagnosis of a specific disease.
o The appropriate tests are ordered on the
basis of the patient's manifestations and
medical history, the clinical examination, and
the patient's answers to specific questions
o It’s often helpful for a patient to have any
future or repeated tests done by the same
laboratory to provide a more accurate
comparison of results.
• Remissions and exacerbations may mark the
course or progress of a disease.
o remission: when manifestations of the
disease subside, either permanently or
temporarily.
o exacerbation: worsening in the severity of the
disease or in its signs/symptoms.
o Ex: rheumatoid arthritis and asthma
3
• Unit 1: Pathophysiology & Mechanisms of Disease
• Module 1: Module 1: Introduction to Pathophysiology
o NSG120.01.01.01 Explain the principles of pathology and
homeostasis and differentiate between key disease
characteristics, etiologies, and prognoses.
All definitions for this section
▪ Pathophysiology involves the study of functional or
physiologic changes in the body that result from
disease processes
▪ Pathology, the laboratory study of cell and tissue
changes associated with disease.
▪ Homeostasis is the maintenance of a relatively stable
internal environment regardless of external changes.
Disease develops
when significant changes occur in the body, leading to
a state in which homeostasis cannot be maintained
without intervention
▪ Disease Characteristics
• Pathogenesis refers to the development of the
disease or the sequence of events involved in the
tissue changes related to the specific disease
process.
• The onset: may be sudden and obvious or acute
• An acute disease indicates a short-term illness that
develops quickly with marked signs such as high
fever or severe pain (often less than 6 months)
• A chronic disease is often a milder condition
developing gradually, such as rheumatoid
arthritis, but it persists for a
long time and usually causes more permanent
tissue damage. (often more than 6 months)
• A subclinical state exists in some conditions in which
pathologic changes occur but the patient exhibits no
obvious
manifestations, perhaps because of the great
reserve capacity of some organs.
• An initial latent or “silent” stage, in which no clinical
signs are evident, characterizes some diseases. In
infectious diseases this stage may be referred to as
the incubation period, which is the time between
exposure to the microorganism and the onset of
signs or symptoms
1
,NSG120 Pathophysiology Final Exam Study Guide GRADED A
• The prodromal period comprises the time in the
early development of a disease when one is aware
of a change in the body, but the signs are
nonspecific; Laboratory tests are negative during
the prodromal period
2
, NSG120 Pathophysiology Final Exam Study Guide GRADED A
• The manifestations of a disease are the clinical
evidence or effects, the signs and symptoms, of
disease.
o Ex. redness and swelling, may be local, or
found at the site of the problem.
o systemic, meaning they are general
indicators of illness, such as fever.
• Signs are objective indicators of disease that are
obvious to someone other than the affected
individual.
• Symptoms are subjective feelings, such as pain or nausea.
• Lesion is the term used to describe a specific local
change in the tissue.
• A syndrome is a collection of signs and symptoms,
often affecting more than one organ, that usually
occur together in response to a certain condition.
• Diagnostic tests are laboratory tests that
assist in the diagnosis of a specific disease.
o The appropriate tests are ordered on the
basis of the patient's manifestations and
medical history, the clinical examination, and
the patient's answers to specific questions
o It’s often helpful for a patient to have any
future or repeated tests done by the same
laboratory to provide a more accurate
comparison of results.
• Remissions and exacerbations may mark the
course or progress of a disease.
o remission: when manifestations of the
disease subside, either permanently or
temporarily.
o exacerbation: worsening in the severity of the
disease or in its signs/symptoms.
o Ex: rheumatoid arthritis and asthma
3
