Pathophysiology

2. HEALTH
 Health is perfect harmony and normal functioning of all the body
system.
 A state of complete well being
 Disease is a just opposite of health. Health is not static and
disease is a dynamic process. Disease denotes disharmony and
the deviation from normal functioning of various body system.
 Health is a dynamic state of wellness which exist on a continuum
and ranges from high level of wellness of to high level of illness.
This concept is comparable to continue of health to total
disability or death

3. ILLNESS
 “ Illness is a subjective state of the person who feels
aware of not being well. ”
 “ Illness is a state in which a person’s physical,
intellectual, emotional, social or spiritual functioning is
diminished or impaired in comparison with the previous
experience.” - potter and perry
 “Illness is a condition characterized by a deviation from a
normal healthy state which is manifested by physical and
psychological symptoms.” - Kozier

4. Risk factors:
 Risk factors are determinants associated with an increased
risk of a disease.
Risk factors can be genetic or an aspect of personal behavior,
lifestyle or environmental exposure
 In general, risk factors can be categorized into the
following groups:
o Behavioral
o Physiological
o Demographic
o Environmental o Genetic

5. Genetic risk factors
 Genetic risk factors are based on an individual’s genes.
Some diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and muscular
dystrophy, come entirely from an individual’s ‘genetic
make-up’.
 Many other diseases, such as asthma or diabetes, reflect
the interaction between the genes of the individual and
environmental factors. Other diseases, like sickle cell
anemia, are more prevalent in certain population
subgroups

6. Behavioral risk factors
 Behavioral risk factors usually relate to ‘actions’ that the
individual has chosen to take.
 They can therefore be eliminated or reduced through
lifestyle or behavioral choices.
 Examples include:
o smoking tobacco
o drinking too much alcohol
o nutritional choices of physical inactivity
o spending too much time in the sun without proper protection
o not having certain vaccinations

7. Psychological risk factors
 Physiological risk factors are those relating to an
individual’s body or biology.
 They may be influenced by a combination of genetic,
lifestyle and other broad factors.
 Examples include:
o being overweight or obese
o high blood pressure
o high blood cholesterol
o high blood glucose

8. Demographic risk factors
 Demographic risk factors are those that relate to the
overall population.
Examples include:
o age
o gender
o population subgroups, such as occupation, religion, or
income.

9. Environmental risk factors
 Environmental risk factors cover a wide range of topics
such as social, economic, cultural and political factors as
well as physical, chemical and biological factors.
 Examples include:
o access to clean water and sanitation
o risks in the workplace
o air pollution
o social settings.

10. Genetic risk factors
 Genetic risk factors are based on an individual’s genes.
 Some diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and muscular
dystrophy, come entirely from an individual’s ‘genetic
make-up’.
 Many other diseases, such as asthma or diabetes, reflect
the interaction between the genes of the individual and
environmental factors.
 Other diseases, like sickle cell anemia, are more
prevalent in certain population subgroups.

11. etiology
1. CAUSE, ORIGIN specifically : the cause of a
disease or abnormal condition
2. a branch of knowledge concerned with causes
specifically : a branch of medical science concerned
with the causes and origins of diseases

12.  Etiology focuses on the backstory of a disease.
Generally, the etiology of illness falls into one of three main
categories, namely:
• Intrinsic — coming from within
• Extrinsic — originating from external factors
• Idiopathic — cause unknown
 Etiology is not only disease specific but also person
specific. While a particular cause may lead to a disease
manifesting in an individual, a similar set of factors could
lead to a different illness being manifested in another
individual.

13.  Common Causes of the diseases
Biologic agents- viruses, bacteria, rickettsia, fungi,
protozoa, helminthes, & toxins.
Inherited genetic defects
Developmental defects resulting from exposure to
environmental elements (e.g. Viruses & chemicals )
Physical agents- e.g. Temperatures extremes, radiation
& electricity.

14. Chemical Agents- e.g. Alcohol, strong acids or bases,
many drugs, heavy metals & industrial poisons.
Tissue response to irritation or injury
Faulty chemical or metabolic processes
– e.g. Excessive or inadequate production of body
secretions, such as hormones & enzymes.
Emotional & physical responses to stress

15. CONCEPT OF RISK FACTORS
Definition of risk factors
 A factor an attribute i.e. significantly associated with
development of disease and when modified reduce
possibility of occurrence of disease or other specified
outcomes
The risk factors or causative
 Eg. Smoking leads to lung cancer
 The presence of risk factors nearly suggest the
possibility of controlling disease but do not imply that
disease will occur

16.  Similarly absence of risk factors does not imply that
disease will occur.
 The risk factors are contributory factors eg. Obesity for
heart disease
 Host factors (for risk) – age, sex, race, genetic.
 They acts warning signal to health personnel
 The factors can be modified includes behavior,
hypertension, obesity, dietary intake etc.

17. PSYCHODYNAMICS
 It is defined as human behavior, either external or
internal which can lead to its state of health or disease.
 In Medical practice-“The systematized study and
theory of the psychological forces that underlie human
behavior, emphasizing the interplay between
unconscious and conscious motivation and the
functional significance of emotion.

18. PATHOPHYSIOLOGY
Pathophysiologic processes result when cellular injury
occurs at such a rapid rate that the body’s compensatory
mechanisms can no longer make the adaptive changes
necessary to remain healthy.
E.g. In the development of heart failure, the body reacts by
retaining sodium and water and increasing venous
pressure, which worsens the condition.

19. BODY- THE DYNAMIC BALANCE- A STEADY STATE
The person, as a living system, has both an internal and an
external environment. Information and matter are
continuously exchanged between are environment and the
other. Within the internal environment each organ, tissue and
cell is also a system or a subsystem of the whole, each with
its own internal and external environment, each exchanging
information and matter.
The goal of the interactions of body’s subsystem is to
produce a dynamic balance or a steady state so that all the
subsystems are in harmony with each other.