Cell Injury
Cell Injury
Cell Injury
DEFINITION OF PATHOLOGY
The word ‘Pathology’ is derived from two Greek words—pathos meaning
suffering, and logos meaning study. Pathology is, thus, scientific study of
structure and function of the body in disease; or in other words, pathology
consists of the abnormalities that occur in normal anatomy (including
histology) and physiology owing to disease.
Another commonly used term with reference to study of diseases is
‘pathophysiology’ comprised by two words: patho=suffering;
physiology=study of normal function. Pathophysiology, thus, includes
study of disordered function or breakdown of homeostasis in diseases.
AGING.
Cellular aging or senescence leads to impaired ability of the cells to undergo
replication and repair, and ultimately lead to cell death culminating in death
of the individual.
PSYCHOGENIC DISEASES
There are no specific biochemical or morphologic changes in common
acquired mental diseases due to mental stress, strain, anxiety, overwork and
frustration e.g. depression, schizophrenia.
Problems of drug addiction, alcoholism, and smoking result in various organic
diseases such as liver damage, chronic bronchitis, lung cancer, peptic ulcer,
hypertension, ischaemic heart disease etc.
IATROGENIC CAUSES.
Occurrence of disease or death due to error in judgment by the physician and
untoward effects of administered therapy.
IDIOPATHIC DISEASES
Idiopathic means “of unknown cause”. Finally, although so much is known
about the etiology of diseases, there still remain many diseases for which
exact cause is undetermined. For example, most common form of
hypertension (90%) is idiopathic (or essential) hypertension. Similarly, exact
etiology of many cancers is still incompletely known.
The withdrawal of acute stress that resulted in reversible cell injury can
restore the cell to normal state.
IRREVERSIBLE CELL INJURY.
Persistence of ischaemia or hypoxia results in irreversible damage to the
structure and function of the cell (cell death). The stage at which this point of
no return or irreversibility is reached from reversible cell injury is unclear but
the sequence of events is a continuation of reversibly injured cell.
Inability of the cell to reverse mitochondrial dysfunction on
reperfusion or reoxygenation.
Disturbance in cell membrane function in general, and in plasma
membrane in particular
There is further reduction in ATP, continued depletion of proteins, reduced
intracellular pH, and leakage of lysosomal enzymes into the cytoplasm. These
biochemical changes have effects on the ultrastructural components of the
cell.
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