2-Week 1-Introduction To Pathophysiology

Sultan Qaboos University
College of Nursing
2024-2025, Fall Semester
Pathophysiology
Introduction to Pathophysiology
Dr. Joshua Muliira RN, DNP, CNE

Associate Professor
Required Reading: Chapter 1
• What is pathophysiology?
• Why do we study this subject?
• Common concepts and scope of pathophysiology
• Basic terminologies used in pathophysiology
• Changes in the cell when affected by disease
Objectives
After at the end of this class, you should be able to:
1. Recognize the value of knowledge gained in

prerequisite science courses as a base for
learning pathophysiology
2. Compare and contrast the terms “health” and

“illness” with the term “disease”
3. Communicate effectively with others by using

accurate pathophysiological terminologies.
Definition of Pathophysiology
Patho = Greek "pathos" meaning "suffering or

disease.
Physiology = study of how the human body
works
Pathophysiology involves the study of
physiologic changes in the body that result
from disease processes.
Related Sciences
Sciences that support the understanding of pathophysiology

Health-illness Continuum
Extremely Extremely
ill healthy
HOMEOSTASIS
Disease
• Dis - ease
• Disease is an impairment of cell, tissue, organ, or system
functioning.
• Disease is the result of altered body functions & poses a
challenge to homeostasis.
People first. A practitioner listens to a patient. The focus

needs to be on the patient; the health problem is always secondary.
WHO Definition of Health
Health is a state of complete
physical, mental and social well-
being and not merely the absence
of disease or infirmity.
Seven Steps to Health (Avoid Disease)
Follow health and

safety
Visit your doctor instructions at
or dentist if you home and at
notice any work when using,
Follow change in your storing, and
cancer normal state of disposing of
Protect screening health hazardous
yourself and guidelines materials
Be physically your family
active on a from the sun
Eat 5 to 10 regular basis
servings of
Be a non vegetables
smoker and and fruits a
avoid day
second-
hand smoke
Are You Healthy or ill?
• Think about a situation where a person was

diagnosed with an illness but considered themselves
to be healthy.
• How about when a person does not have a diagnosis

but considers themselves to be ill?
Concept Map of Pathophysiology Terms
The Language of Pathophysiology
• Gross level: Organ or system level
• Microscopic level: Cellular level
• Biopsy: Excision of small amounts of living tissue
• Autopsy: Examination of the body and organs after death

• Diagnosis: Identification of a specific disease
• Etiology
 Causative factors in a particular disease
 Idiopathic: when the cause is unknown
 Iatrogenic: when a treatment (procedure) causes a disease
• Predisposing factors
 Tendencies that promote development of a disease in an
individual
• Pathogenesis: Development of the disease

• Sudden onset: Obvious, acute
• Insidious onset: Gradual progression with only vague (mild) signs
• Acute disease: Develops quickly, marked signs, short term
• Chronic disease: Often milder, develops gradually, persist for long time
• Subclinical state: Pathologic changes occur, no obvious manifestations
• Latent state
 a condition where an infection or disease is present within the body but
is not currently causing symptoms or signs
• Prodromal period
 Early development of a disease
 Signs are non-specific or absent
• Manifestations
 Signs and symptoms of disease
• Syndrome
 is a cluster of symptoms and signs that consistently occur
together and are characteristic of a particular medical condition
or disease. Often affecting more than one organ
• Remissions
 Manifestations of the disease subside or are absent
• Relapse: a term to describes returning symptoms of the

disease after a period of remission
• Precipitating factor: Condition that triggers an acute episode
• Complications: New secondary or additional problems
• Therapy
 Treatment measures to promote recovery or slow the progress
of a disease
• Sequelae: Unwanted outcomes of primary condition
• Convalescence/rehabilitation: Period of recovery
• Prognosis
 Probability for recovery or for other outcomes
 the predicted course or outcome of a disease, medical condition
• Morbidity
 Indicates the number of people with a disease within a group
 encompasses the prevalence and impact of illnesses, injuries, and
health-related conditions within a population
• Mortality
 Indicate the number of deaths resulting from a particular
disease within a group
• Epidemics
 Occur when a higher than
expected number of cases of
an infectious disease occur
with a given area
 Examples
• Pandemics
 Involve a higher number of
cases in many regions of the
globe: COVID-19 Pandemic

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Sultan Qaboos University

Dr. Joshua Muliira RN, DNP, CNE

1. Recognize the value of knowledge gained in

2. Compare and contrast the terms “health” and

3. Communicate effectively with others by using

Patho = Greek "pathos" meaning "suffering or

Sciences that support the understanding of pathophysiology

People first. A practitioner listens to a patient. The focus

Follow health and

• Think about a situation where a person was

• How about when a person does not have a diagnosis

• Gross level: Organ or system level

• Microscopic level: Cellular level

• Biopsy: Excision of small amounts of living tissue

• Autopsy: Examination of the body and organs after death

• Pathogenesis: Development of the disease

• Insidious onset: Gradual progression with only vague (mild) signs

• Acute disease: Develops quickly, marked signs, short term

• Subclinical state: Pathologic changes occur, no obvious manifestations

• Relapse: a term to describes returning symptoms of the

• Precipitating factor: Condition that triggers an acute episode

• Complications: New secondary or additional problems

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