Pathophysiology process terminology

• Pathophysiology


  Study of alterations to normal health as a result of changes to a person's physiology (function of the human body)
• Pathophysiology


  Result of a disease or disorder
• Signs


  Things that can be measured objectively e.g. temperature, blood pressure, BMI (most have a normal range)
• Symptoms


  More subjective, indicating 'experience' of condition e.g. bloating, cramps
• Clinical manifestation


  Signs and symptoms considered together, relates to consequences/impact on the person e.g. fatigue, reduced mobility, increased fear of death
• Signs, symptoms and clinical manifestations

  Links to PEO framework
• Disorders


  Disordered function of body systems, unable to be corrected by the body alone
• Syndrome


  A set of signs and symptoms that together indicate a specific syndrome, sometimes cause is not well known or not at all known
• Disease


  Specific features of specific pathology, well defined cause (aetiology), signs and symptoms, sequence of events including progression/trajectory, diagnostic/treatment strategies.
• Malaria is caused by the transfer of the disease into the blood by female anopheles mosquito.
• Malaria signs and symptoms

  • Fever (may come and go, may be constant)
  • Chills
  • Profuse sweating
  • Malaise/feeling of unwellness
  • Muscle and joint pain
  • Headache
  • Confusion
  • Nausea
  • Loss of appetite
  • Diarrhoea
  • Abdominal pain
  • Cough
  • Anaemia
• Trajectory


  How conditions begin (onset) and patterns of change over time (progression)
• Acute


  Quickly developing, may heal quickly, may be mild, moderate, severe or terminal, may or may not need treatment
• Acute conditions


  • A broken bone, an infection, pneumonia
• Chronic


  Gradually developed, lasts longer, may be lifelong, may be mild, moderate, severe or terminal
• Chronic conditions


  • Dementia, short sightedness
• Many conditions are not one or the other, acute may become chronic, and chronic may have acute features.
• Acute becoming chronic, chronic having acute features


  • Acute back injury that becomes chronic back pain
  • Multiple sclerosis (chronic condition) can have acute exacerbations/'flare ups'
  • People with depression may experience more consistent, chronic depression (termed major), acute depressive episodes, or a combination
• Palliative care


  An approach to care for people experiencing life-threatening conditions, that seeks to prevent/relieve suffering and maintain quality of life
• Onset


  When or how conditions begin
• Onset types


  • Congenital (at birth) e.g. spina bifida
  • Circumstance-related, e.g. age-related
• Progression


  If or how a condition changes over time
• Progression types


  • May completely resolve e.g. broken bone
  • May be relatively stable over time e.g. cerebral palsy
  • May be progressive e.g. degenerative (degeneration of function)
• The trajectory of progressive conditions varies in terms of whether it is short or long/prolonged, episodic (up and down), or has periods of recovery/return of function.
• Progressive condition trajectories


  • Some cancers
  • Dementia
  • Respiratory, heart failure