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General Principles Related to Disease

 Infection refers to the invasion or colonization

of the body by pathogenic microorganisms.
 Disease refers to any change from a normal
state of health or an abnormal state in
which part or all of the body is not
properly adjusted or is not capable of
carrying on its normal functions.

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 What is Disease?
• dis + ease (not at ease…)
• WHO def. Complete physical,
mental and social well being not
merely absence of disease…
• “Expression of discomfort due
to structural or functional
abnormality”
• What is normal ? “norm”
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 Causes of disease – some diseases have a well
understood etiology, others have a partially
understood etiology, and others have an
undetermined etiology. The main categories
of disease include:

 Infectious disease – caused by disease producing

microorganisms
 TB

 PNEUMONIA

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 Nutritional deficiency disease – caused by the
lack of a particular, necessary nutrient
 KWASIORKOR
 MARASMUS

 Congenital disease* – is present at birth and

is the result of some condition that occurred
in utero (maternal infection, use of drugs or
alcohol, etc.)
TETRALOGY OF FALLOT

 Inherited disease* – are passed to the child

via the parent’s reproductive cells
 * birth defects may result
from these
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 Metabolic diseases – result from abnormalities in
the biochemistry of body function.
 Many are congenital or inherited disorders.

 Degenerative diseases – this occurs when there is

a wearing down of part of the body leading to loss
of function.

 This may be due to aging, excessive caloric intake, radiation,

errors in gene function, etc.

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 Neoplastic diseases – these are tumors which are new growth
of cells or tissues.
 Tumors may be benign or malignant. What is the difference?

 Immunologic diseases – this occurs when some of our

immunologic defenses attack our own bodies.
 These diseases are also called autoimmune diseases.

 Iatrogenic disease – are caused by health care personnel during

the delivery of health care
 Could be due to use of contaminated equipment
 Could be caused by the administration of drugs

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 General Principles Related to Disease
 Pathology is the scientific study of disease and
it involves three things;
 The study of the cause or etiology of a disease.
 The study of the manner in which the disease
develops
 The study of the structural and functional
changes brought about by the disease and its
final effects on the host

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  Nosocomial disease – is a hospital acquired disease
 Hospitals provide the perfect environment for
microorganisms, in part because patients are in a weakened
condition and therefore more susceptible to disease.
 Up to 15% of hospitalized patients get a nosocomial
infection.
 Most nosocomial infections are caused by opportunistic
pathogens that are typically considered to be Normal Flora.

 Psychogenic diseases – are caused, at least in

part, by emotional factors

 Idiopathic diseases – diseases that have an

undetermined cause

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• What are the signals of disease?

– Symptoms – subjective changes in body function such

as pain or malaise (not measurable)

– Signs – objective changes that can be observed and

measured such as fever, swelling, or a rash

– Syndrome – a group of symptoms and signs that

always accompany a particular disease

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 TWO MAJOR DIVISIONS
• General Pathology
–Common changes in all tissues.
• E.g.. Inflammation, cancer, ageing.
• Systemic Pathology
–Specific changes in organs.
• E.g.. Goiter, pneumonia, breast
cancer.

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 Disease Disease Disease

Disease Disease

One agent  One disease - Malaria

Several agents  One disease - Diabetes
One agent  Several diseases - Smoking

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• Environmental agents:
– Physical
– Chemical Multifactorial:
Diabetes,
– Nutritional Hypertension
– Infections Cancer

– Immunological
– Psychological
• Genetic Factors:
– Age
– Genes
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• Oxygen deprivation ( hypoxia, ischemia)
• Nutritional imbalances
• Physical agents
• Chemical agents and drugs
• Infectious agents
• Immunologic reactions
• Genetic derangements

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• Developmental – genetic,
congenital.
• Inflammatory – Trauma,
infections, immune, etc.
• Neoplastic – tumors cancers
• Degenerative – ageing.

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• Adaptations (reversible)
– Hydropic degeneration
– Hypertrophy, Hyperplasia, Atrophy
• Cell death / Necrosis (irreversible)
– Coagulative – Infarction - Heart
– Gangrene - With infection
– limbs.

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