Overview of Pathophysiology

Part A: Overview of Pathophysiology: Concepts of Health and Disease.

When you complete this lesson, you will be knowledgeable about the major advances made by the early scholars and scientists of the 19th, 20th and 21st century that helped to revolutionize the diagnosis and treatment of disease, e.g. invention of the microscope, discovery that microbes cause disease, discovery of antibiotics, vaccinations, CAT scans, MRIs, organ transplantation, etc.

You will be able to compare and contrast the definition of "health" as it has changed since it was first defined by the World Health Organization in 1948 as the absence of disease; how it was modified in 1977 to set goals for the year 2000 of a level of health for everyone which would allow them to lead socially and economically productive lives; and how it is now defined by the US Department of Health Services in their Healthy People 2010 proposals, encompassing 319 objectives covering 22 priority areas - promoting healthy behaviors, promoting healthy and safe communities, improving systems for personal and public health, preventing and reducing diseases and disorders (WHO, 1998; WHO, 2003; DuPage, 2000).

You will be able to give a definition of:

-pathophysiology - the study of disease processes (Thomas, 1973)

-pathogenesis - origination and development of disease

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wo fluids of different concentrations are separated by a semipermeable membrane), and understand the concept of osmolality (osmotic concentration determined by ionic concentration of dissolved substances) (Thomas, 1973). You will be able to describe four causes of edema (excessive tissue fluid): increased hydrostatic pressure; low plasma oncotic pressure (pressure due to swelling); increased capillary permeability; and lymphatic obstruction. You will be able to define the role of Na (predominant cation in the interstitial fluid), Cl (predominant anion in interstitial fluid), and H20 balance in fluid and electrolyte control, and understand the roles of the thirst, antidiuretic hormone (ADH), renin-angiotensin-aldosterone systems (Applegate, 2000). Aldosterone from the adrenal cortex acts on the kidney tubules to regulate sodium and potassium levels (Renin-Angiotensin, 2004). Renin, an enzyme produced by the juxtaglomerular apparatus, plays a role in the regulation of blood pressure. It acts on circulating angiotensinogen, which undergoes proteolytic cleavage to form angiotensin I. The vascular endothelium, particularly in the lungs, has the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) that converts this to angiotensin II. Ang
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 7880
Approximate Pages = 32 (250 words per page)