Pathophysiology for Nurses at a Glance (eBook)

Muralitharan Nair, Ian Peate (Autoren)

eBook Download: EPUB

2015 | 1. Auflage
208 Seiten
Wiley-Blackwell (Verlag)
978-1-118-74605-9 (ISBN)

Infos

Everything you need to know about Pathophysiology... at a Glance!

From the publishers of the market-leading at a Glance series, and from the authors of the successful Fundamentals of Applied Pathophysiology textbook comes the ideal revision guide for all the key diseases and conditions that nursing and healthcare students need to be aware of. Combining superb illustrations with accessible and informative text, this book is perfect for all nursing and healthcare students, and anyone who is looking for an overview of pathophysiology.

Pathophysiology for Nurses at a Glance covers all the key diseases and disease processes affecting each body system, and key concepts encountered from the start of the pre-registration nursing or healthcare course. 

Key features:

• Superbly illustrated, with full colour illustrations throughout
• Written specifically for nursing and healthcare students with all the information they need
• Self-assessment questions provided for each chapter

Pathophysiology for Nurses at a Glance is ideal for nursing and healthcare students as well as qualified practitioners, providing a comprehensive yet accessible overview of human pathophysiology.

Muralitharan Nair, Independent Nursing Consultant, England.

Ian Peate, Professor of Nursing, Head of School, School of Health Studies, Gibraltar.

Textauszug

3

Chapter 1 Key principles of pathophysiology

Pathophysiology versus pathology

While both terms indicate the study of disease, the term pathology

is a broader term dealing with all aspects of a disease. This study is

valuable for a physician or a pathologist who is also interested in

the macro and microscopic characteristics of tissues and organs.

On the other hand, in pathophysiology the focus is on the abnor-

mal function of diseased organs, with application to diagnostic

procedures leading patient care. Healthcare professionals are more

concerned with pathophysiology when dealing with patients.

Disease and aetiology

The study of the cause of disease is called aetiology. Aetiology is

the preferred spelling in some countries, including the UK,

whereas ‘etiology’ without an ‘a’ is used in the USA. The word ‘aeti-

ology’ comes from the Greek aitia, cause + logos, discourse.

Diseases are described as genetic, congenital or acquired.

Genetic

In a disease where the cause is genetic, the person may have a

defective gene that causes the disease. These defective genes are

often passed on to children by parents. These abnormalities can

range from a small mutation in a single gene to the addition or

subtraction of an entire chromosome or set of chromosomes.

Some genetic diseases are called Mendelian disorders (Figure 1.1);

they are caused by mutations that occur in the DNA sequence of a

single gene. These are usually rare diseases; some examples are

Huntington’s disease and cystic fibrosis. Many genetic diseases are

multifactorial – they are caused by mutations in several genes, com-

pounded by environmental factors. Some examples of these are

heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

Congenital

In congenital disease, the genetic information is intact; however,

problems with the intrauterine environment may result in congen-

ital disorder. For example, cystic fibrosis is a genetic disorder,

whereas foetal alcohol syndrome results from the mother’s alcohol

intake during pregnancy. This results in congenital abnormalities

in a child who is genetically normal (Figure 1.2).

Acquired

In this type of disease, the person develops the disease after birth

as a result of direct or indirect contact with another person or the

environment. Examples include tuberculosis, emphysema, chicken

pox or acquired heart diseases.

Signs and symptoms

A symptom is generally subjective, while a sign is objective. Any

objective evidence of a disease, such as blood in the stool or a skin

rash, is a sign – it can be recognized by the doctor, nurse, family

members and the patient. However, stomachache, lower back

pain, fatigue, for example, can only be detected or sensed by the

patient – others only know about it if the patient tells them. For

example, pain can either be acute or chronic. An example of acute

pain is abdominal pain, which is sudden and may last only a few

hours or longer. Common chronic pain complaints include head-

ache, low back pain, cancer pain, arthritis pain, neurogenic pain

(pain resulting from damage to the peripheral nerves or to the

central nervous system itself), psychogenic pain (pain not due to

past disease or injury or any visible sign of damage inside or

outside the nervous system).

Pathogenesis

In assessing a patient’s signs and symptoms, conclusions can often

be drawn about the pattern and development of a disease, in other

words its pathogenesis. A typical pathogenesis involves kinds of

tissue damage which produces certain effects. The progress of the

disease can produce signs and symptoms throughout the course of

the disease.

Another aspect of pathogenesis is the time over which the

disease develops. Some may be acute, while others are chronic.

Acute conditions have a rapid onset with short duration, while

chronic conditions last for a longer period which could be from

months to years.

Investigations and diagnosis

In order to make a diagnosis, it may be necessary to carry out some

investigations to confirm the diagnosis. Some of the investigations

may be invasive, while others are not invasive. These may include

blood test, CT scans, chest X rays, endoscopy and many more.

Diagnosis is identification of a condition, disease, disorder or

problem by systematic analysis of the background or history,

examination of the signs or symptoms, evaluation of the research

or test results, and investigation of the assumed or probable causes.

It is from the diagnosis that care or treatment is prescribed.

Treatment

Once a diagnosis is confirmed then the treatment can proceed.

The treatment is either medical or nursing treatment. The aim of

the treatment of a disease is to achieve a cure or minimize the

patient’s signs and symptoms to a degree where the patient can

function near normality.

Prognosis

Prognosis is a prediction of the chance of recovery or survival from

a disease. Most doctors give a prognosis based on statistics of how

a disease acts in studies on the general population. Prognosis can

vary depending on several factors, such as...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 24.2.2015
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Medizin / Pharmazie ► Gesundheitsfachberufe
• Themenwelt: Medizin / Pharmazie ► Pflege
• Themenwelt: Studium ► 2. Studienabschnitt (Klinik) ► Pathologie
• ISBN-10: 1-118-74605-8 / 1118746058
• ISBN-13: 978-1-118-74605-9 / 9781118746059