Chapter 1 Key Terms

Acute

Having a quick onset and and lasting a short period of time with a relatively severe course

Asymptomatic

Showing or causing no identifiable symptoms

Atrophy

A reduction in size or wasting away of cells, tissues, or organs as a result of poor nutrition or nonuse

Autoantibodies

Antibody acting against its own tissue or organism

Autoimmune disorders

Disease in which antibodies form against and injure the patient's own tissues, in contrast to the normal process in which antibodies form in response to foreign antigens

Benign Neoplasm

A localized tumor of well-differentiated cells that does not invade surrounding tissue or metastasize to distant areas within the body

Carcinoma

A malignant growth composed of epithelial cells that tends to invade surrounding tissues and give rise to metastases

Chronic

Presenting slow and persisting over a long period of time

Congenital

Existing at, and usually before, birth and resulting from genetic or environmental factors

Degenerative

Refers to deterioration of the body usually associated with the aging process

Diagnosis

The name of a disease an individual is believed to have

Disease

Any abnormal disturbance of the normal function or structure of a body part, organ, or system; may display a variety of manifestations

Dysplasia

Abnormal tissue development

Epidemiology

The investigation of disease in large groups

Etiology

The study of the cause and origin of disease

Genetic Mapping

A map assigning deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragments to chromosomes

Genome

The entirety of an organism's hereditary information, including both the genes and the noncoding sequence of DNA and ribonucleic acid (RNA)

Haplotype

A combination of DNA sequence at adjacent locations on the chromosome that are transmitted together

Hematogenous Spread

Spread through the blood

Hereditary

Genetically transferred from either parent to child and derived from ancestors

Hyperplasia

Overdevelopment

Hypertrophy

Increase in number of cells and tissue resulting in an increased organ size without the presence of a tumor

Iatrogenic

Pertains to any adverse condition that occurs in a patient as a result of medical treatment

Idiopathic

Having no identifiable causative factor

Incidence

A statistical measure that refers to the number of new cases of a disease found in a given time period

Infection

An inflammatory process caused by exposure to some disease-causing organism

Inflammatory

Refers to the body process of destroying, diluting, or walling off a localized injurious agent

Invasion

The period of a disease once the body is infected by an organism, but prior to the development of symptoms and signs

Lesion

General term used to describe the various types of cellular changes that can occur in response to a disease

Leukemia

A malignant disease of the leukocytes and their precursor cells in blood and bone marrow

Lymphatic Spread

Spread through the lymphatic system

Lymphoma

Neoplastic growth in the lymphatic system

Malignant Neoplasm

A lesion that grows, spreads, and invades other tissues

Manifestations

Observable changes resulting from cellular changes in the disease process

Metabolism

The normal physiologic function of the body

Metaplasia

Conversion of a specific type of tissue into a different kind of tissue

Metastatic Spread

The spread of cancer cells

Morbidity Rate

The incidence in the population of illness sufficient to interfere with an individual's normal daily routine

Morphology

The form and structure of disease

Mortality Rate

The number of deaths from a particular disease averaged over a population

Neoplastic

Pertaining to new, abnormal tissue growth

Nosocomial

Hospital acquired infection

Pathogenisis

Development of disease

Physical Mapping

A form of genetic mapping based on direct analysis of DNA, in which the physical distance between DNA fragments are measured. This is used to assign DNA fragments to specific chromosomes.

Prevalence

A statistical measure that refers to the number of cases of a disease found in a given population

Prognosis

The prediction of course and outcome for a given disease

Sarcoma

A type of tumor, often highly malignant, composed of a substance similar to embryonic connective tissue

Seeding

Traveling of cancerous cells to a distant site or distant organ

Sequelae

Conditions resulting from a disease

Sign

An objective manifestation of disease perceptible to the managing physician, as opposed to subjective symptoms perceived by the patient

Single-nucleotide Polymorphisms

A DNA sequence variation occurring when a single nucleotide in the genome differs between members of a biologic species or paired chromosomes in an individual

Symptom

Any subjective evidence of a disease as perceived by a patient

Syndrome

A group of signs and symptoms that occur together and characterize a specific abnormal disturbance

Traumatic

Pertaining to the effects of a wound or injury, whether physical or psychological

Virulence

The ease with which an organism overcomes body defenses