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Pathophysiology

 

 
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Pathophysiology
 
 
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Pathophysiology is the study of the disturbance of normal mechanical
Mechanical

* Mechanical engineering, a branch of engineering concerned with the application of physical mechanics* HVAC , the mechanical systems of a building* Mechanical , one of several characters in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream...
, physical
Physical

Physical can mean any of the following things below:* Any entity which are composed of matter and/or energy, as well as the physical property of those entities; and not merely items of thought or belief....
, and biochemical functions, either caused by a disease
Disease

A disease or medical condition is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions, associated with specific symptoms and Medical signs....
, or resulting from a disease or abnormal syndrome, or condition that may not qualify to be called a disease.

An alternate definition is "the study of the biological
Biological

The word biological may refer to:*Adjectival form of "biology", the study of life*Biological , a biological preparation that is synthesized from living organisms or their products and used medically as a diagnostic, preventive, or therapeutic agent....
 and physical manifestations of disease as they correlate with the underlying abnormalities and physiological disturbances."

Pathophysiology is that branch of medicine,which deals with the study of disturbance of normal functions,either caused by disease,or prodromal symptoms.








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Encyclopedia


Pathophysiology is the study of the disturbance of normal mechanical
Mechanical

* Mechanical engineering, a branch of engineering concerned with the application of physical mechanics* HVAC , the mechanical systems of a building* Mechanical , one of several characters in Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream...
, physical
Physical

Physical can mean any of the following things below:* Any entity which are composed of matter and/or energy, as well as the physical property of those entities; and not merely items of thought or belief....
, and biochemical functions, either caused by a disease
Disease

A disease or medical condition is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions, associated with specific symptoms and Medical signs....
, or resulting from a disease or abnormal syndrome, or condition that may not qualify to be called a disease.

An alternate definition is "the study of the biological
Biological

The word biological may refer to:*Adjectival form of "biology", the study of life*Biological , a biological preparation that is synthesized from living organisms or their products and used medically as a diagnostic, preventive, or therapeutic agent....
 and physical manifestations of disease as they correlate with the underlying abnormalities and physiological disturbances."

Pathophysiology is that branch of medicine,which deals with the study of disturbance of normal functions,either caused by disease,or prodromal symptoms.

Related fields

Pathophysiology can be looked at as the intersection of two older, related disciplines: (normal) physiology
Physiology

Physiology is the study of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of living organisms. Physiology has traditionally been divided between plant physiology and animal and all living things physiology but the principles of physiology are universal, no matter what particular organism is being studied....
 and pathology
Pathology

Pathology is the study and diagnosis of disease through examination of Organ , tissue , bodily fluids and whole bodies . The term also encompasses the related science study of disease processes, called General pathology....
.

  • Physiology
    Physiology

    Physiology is the study of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of living organisms. Physiology has traditionally been divided between plant physiology and animal and all living things physiology but the principles of physiology are universal, no matter what particular organism is being studied....
     is the study of normal, healthy bodily function (as opposed to anatomy
    Anatomy

    Anatomy is a branch of biology that is the consideration of the body plan. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy and plant anatomy ....
    , which is the study of normal structure
    Structure

    Structure is a fundamental and sometimes intangible notion covering the recognition, observation, nature , and stability of patterns and relationships of entities....
    ). When something disrupts normal physiological processes, it enters the realm of pathophysiology
    Pathophysiology

    Pathophysiology is the study of the disturbance of normal mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions, either caused by a disease, or resulting from a disease or abnormal syndrome, or condition that may not qualify to be called a disease....
    .


  • Pathology
    Pathology

    Pathology is the study and diagnosis of disease through examination of Organ , tissue , bodily fluids and whole bodies . The term also encompasses the related science study of disease processes, called General pathology....
    , broadly speaking, is the "study of the nature and cause of disease." or the results of disease in the body.


Pathophysiology looks at the detailed malfunctioning that comes from or - alternately - causes disease.

One caution in this approach is that "healthy" structure
Structure

Structure is a fundamental and sometimes intangible notion covering the recognition, observation, nature , and stability of patterns and relationships of entities....
 and function
Function

Function may refer to:* Function , explaining why a feature survived selection* Function , an abstract entity that associates an input to a corresponding output according to some rule...
 is not precisely the same in any two individuals.

Examples

An example from the field of infectious disease
Infectious disease

An infectious disease is a clinically evident disease resulting from the presence of pathogenic microbial agents, including pathogenic viruses, pathogenic bacteria, Mycosis, protozoa, multicellular parasites, and aberrant proteins known as prions....
 would be the study of a toxin
Toxin

A toxin is a poisonous substance produced by living cells or organisms. For a toxic substance not produced by living organisms, "toxicant" is the more appropriate term, and "toxics" is an acceptable plural....
 released by a bacterium, and what that toxin does to the body to cause harm, one possible result being sepsis
Sepsis

Sepsis, is a serious medicine condition characterized by a whole-body Inflammation state and the presence of a known or suspected infection..

Another example is the study of the chemical changes that take place in body tissue due to inflammation
Inflammation

Inflammation is the complex biological response of Blood vessel tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. It is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli as well as initiate the healing process for the tissue....
.

Uses

Pathophysiology is a required area of study for nearly all healthcare professional school programs (medical, physician's assistant, pharmacy, and most nursing programs) in the United States as well as other countries.

See also

  • Pathology
    Pathology

    Pathology is the study and diagnosis of disease through examination of Organ , tissue , bodily fluids and whole bodies . The term also encompasses the related science study of disease processes, called General pathology....
and Paramedic Programs

External links