‫بسم هللا الرمحن الرحمي‬
Introduction of Pathology
Definition
• Pathology is the study of disease
• It is related to the study of:
1. the structural,
2. biochemical,
3. functional changes
in cells, tissues, and organs that underlie disease.
Cont. ….
• it thus serves as the bridge between the basic
sciences and clinical medicine, and is the
scientific foundation for all of medicine.
The study of pathology is divided into:
1. General pathology
2. Systemic pathology
General Pathology
• concerned with the reactions of cells and tissues to
abnormal stimuli and to inherited defects.
• deals with the general principles of the disease.
Systemic Pathology
• examines the alterations in specialized organs
and tissues that are responsible for disorders that
involve these organs.
The four aspects of a disease process that
form the core of pathology
1. the cause (etiology).
2. the mechanisms of its development (pathogenesis).
3. the biochemical and structural changes in the cells and organs
(molecular and morphologic changes).
4. the functional consequences of these changes (clinical
manifestations).
1 . Etiology (Cause)
• the underlying causes and modifying factors that
are responsible for the initiation and progression of
disease.
• there are two major classes of etiologic factors:
A- Genetic :
1. Inherited mutations
2. Disease-associated gene variants, or polymorphisms
Cont. ….
B- Acquired :
1. Infectious
2. Nutritional
3. Chemical
4. Physical
Cont. ….
• most of our common diseases , such as atherosclerosis
and cancer, are multifactorial and arise from the
effects of various external triggers on a genetically
susceptible individual.
2. Pathogenesis
• refers to the sequence of events in the response of
cells or tissues to the etiologic agent, from the initial
stimulus to the ultimate expression of the disease.
• the study of pathogenesis remains one of the main domains of
pathology.
3. Molecular and Morphologic Changes.
• Morphologic changes refer to the structural
alterations in cells or tissues that are either
characteristic of a disease or diagnostic of an
etiologic process.
• the practice of diagnostic pathology is devoted to
identifying the nature and progression of
disease by studying morphologic changes in tissues
and chemical alterations in patients.
4. Functional Derangements and Clinical
Manifestations.
• the end results of genetic, biochemical, and structural
changes in cells and tissues are:
Functional abnormalities (Clinical Manifestations)
Clinical Manifestations
1.
2.
Symptoms ( the patient complain).
Signs ( the doctor identify).
• as well as :
1. Progress (clinical course)
2.
Outcome
Some additional terms…
• Patient: person affected by the disease.
• Lesion: characteristic changes in tissues and cells
caused by the disease
• Diagnosis: investigations done to know the exact
disease
• Treatment: measures to be taken to cure the disease
• Prognosis: what is going to happen
• Prevention: how to avoid the disease in the future
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