MBLEX defs:U1: Intro to Pathophysiology

Virus

Pathogens that take over a host cell, causing the cell nucleus to replicate both its own genetic material and that of the virus.

Vehicle transmission

Transmission of a pathogen through air, food, or liquid taken into the body.

Vector transmission

Transmission of a pathogen via an insect or animal capable of transmitting disease.

Tumor

A mass of tissue found in or on the body that is made up of abnormal cells.

Traumatic injury

An injury or wound to the body caused by an extreme external force.

Trauma

A serious injury to a person's body, or a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes a person to have mental or emotional problems for a period of time following the experience.

Terminal illness

A disease that is considered ultimately incurable and likely to cause death within a short period of time (typically a life expectancy of 6 months or less). An illness is considered terminal when there are no standard therapies to eliminate it from the body or cure it.

Systemic disease

A condition that is distributed throughout the body and is not concentrated in one area.

Syndrome

A group of signs or symptoms that occur together to present a pattern that defines a particular disease.

Symptoms

The subjective evidence of a disease, condition, or physical disturbance reported by the client.

Subacute

The second phase of the inflammatory response where new blood vessels develop and tissue regenerates. Also called the repair stage. It lasts up to 8 weeks.

Standard/universal precautions

The Centers for Disease Control policy for controlling transmission of infections carried by blood and other bodily fluids.

Signs

The objective evidence of a disease, condition, or physical disturbance gathered through assessment by the practitioner.

Risk factors

Situations or tendencies that promote disease development or indicate that a person is at a higher risk for the development of a particular disease; also called predisposing factors.

Repair stage

The second phase of the inflammatory response where new blood vessels develop and tissue regenerates. Also called the subacute stage. Early goals mimic acute stage goals. In the later repair stage, tissue health is improved with hot and cold contrast hydrotherapy; massage reduces trigger points and adhesions, promotes proper collagen alignment, increases range of motion, and encourages client self-care.

Physician's release

A written document produced by a physician that clears a client to receive a treatment like massage.

Predisposing factors

Situations or tendencies that promote disease development or indicate that a person is at a higher risk for the development of a particular disease; also called risk factors.

Prognosis

A prediction of the probable course and outcome of the disease based on the condition of the patient and the doctor's knowledge of the disease.

Protozoa

Single-celled organisms regarded as the simplest form of life.

Remission

A period of partial or complete disappearance of disease signs and symptoms.

Pathology

The medical science concerned with disease or abnormal function.

Pathogen

Any producer of infectious disease, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa.

Palliative care

A multidisciplinary approach to health care for people facing serious illnesses.

Oncology

The branch of medicine that studies cancer, malignancy, and tumors.

Metastasis

The spread of a disease-producing agent (e.g., cancer cells) from the initial or primary site of disease to another part of the body. It also refers to the process by which spreading occurs.

Local contraindication

A condition, such as a broken bone, for which a client should not receive massage in that area but can still receive massage in other areas.

Malignant

Very serious and dangerous: tending or likely to grow and spread in a rapid and uncontrolled way that can cause death.

Maturation stage

The final phase of the inflammatory response where scar tissue formation slows and tissue is gradually able to withstand greater mechanical loads over time. Massage can balance muscular tension, reduce scar tissue, treat compensating structures, and encourage client self-care.

Metabolic diseases

A generic term for a wide range of conditions resulting from abnormal metabolic processes.

Metabolism

The complex physical and chemical processes that are necessary for the maintenance of life; includes anabolism (building) and catabolism (breaking down).

Insidious onset

When the onset of a disease is gradual and subtle.

Injury

Damage to the body's tissues caused by physical trauma or repetitive stress.

Inflammatory response

The response of living tissue to injury or infection. To repair the damage done to tissue, the body rapidly reacts to an injury or invasion of foreign bodies with a series of specific vascular, chemical, and cellular events. It is characterized by redness, heat, loss of function, pain, and swelling of the tissue. Inflammation functions to protect the body from pathogens, limit the amount of tissue that is affected or contaminated, and begin the healing process.

Infectious diseases

Conditions caused by an infectious agent (pathogen) spread by contact with another person or an animal, or to an infant from its mother.

Infectious agents

Pathogens that cause infections like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa, and parasitic animals like lice and mites.

Homeostasis

The relative constancy of the body's internal environment maintained by adaptive responses, in spite of changing environmental conditions.

Idiopathic

A disease that does not have a known cause.

Indication

When a therapeutic treatment is likely to benefit a client and have no adverse reactions.

Indirect contact

Transmission of a pathogen through contact with an inanimate object (called a fomite).

Infection control

Practices to prevent the spread of disease (including practitioner hygiene), and the cleanliness and sanitation of the facility and equipment.

Disease

An abnormal condition that results in medically significant and recognizable signs and symptoms and often has a known cause.

Etiology

The study of the cause of a disease, factors that cause a disease, or the origins of a disease.

Flare-ups

A common term to describe periods when the signs and symptoms of a disease increase suddenly.

Fungus

Simple plant-like organisms that multiply through cell division and produce large numbers of spores.

Genetic disorders

A disease or condition caused by one or more abnormalities in the genome, especially a condition that is present from birth (congenital).

Congenital defects

A condition existing before birth, at birth, or during the first month of life that is characterized by structural deformities that involve defects in, or damage to, a developing fetus or baby.

Contraindication

Client conditions that render certain techniques or massage treatments inadvisable.

Deficiency diseases

Any disease resulting from an insufficient supply of vitamins, nutrients, calories, proteins, essential amino acids, or other elements necessary for health.

Diagnosis

The act of identifying a disease or condition by examining someone or something, which includes a statement that names the disease or conditions and may provide reasons for the disease or condition. Diagnosis is not included in the scope of practice for massage therapy.

Direct contact

Transmission of a pathogen through touch.

Carcinogen

Any substance that is directly involved in causing cancer.

Chronic condition

Any illness or injury that produces long-lasting symptoms, usually for months or years.

Chronic inflammation

A condition where tissue repair and maturation do not progress normally and the tissue enters a recurrent inflammatory process.

Chronic pain

Pain that persists for a period of time long past the point of typical injury recovery, or in relation to an ongoing medical condition.

Compensating patterns

New behaviors that offset a weakness. For example, the body will adopt new movement patterns as a means to protect weakened or injured areas and to manage the resulting loss of function.

Adaptive measures

Ways of altering pressure or technique to accommodate a client's condition and ensure comfort during the massage session.

Adverse reaction (to massage)

An undesirable response to massage treatment in which the current symptoms of a client's condition are exacerbated or new symptoms occur.

Autoimmune diseases

Refers to diseases that occur when the immune system attacks normal body cells like it would an infectious agent.

Bacteria

One-celled living organisms, found in every environment on earth, that can live independently of a host.

Cancerous diseases

A group of diseases (e.g., skin cancer, liver cancer, etc.) caused by normal cells mutating and replicating uncontrollably.

Absolute contraindication

A situation, such as a significant fever, vomiting, a cold, etc., in which a client should not receive massage at all.

Acute

A general term that refers to a disease or injury with the sudden onset of severe signs and symptoms.

Acute stage

The initial stage of the inflammatory response, lasting between 48-72 hours, where the body aims to limit blood loss, inundate the injured area with healing components, and remove damaged tissue. Tissue swelling is reduced with cold hydrotherapy and elevation; use massage to reduce muscle spasm intensity, decrease sympathetic nervous system firing, maintain available pain-free range of motion, prevent re-injury, and encourage client self-care.