THE STUDY OF DISEASE

Acute: characterized by sudden onset
Aerobe: an organism that lives in an oxygen environment
Ambulatory: able to walk
Anaerobe: an organism that lives in an oxygen-free environment

Anaplasia: the irregular structural characteristics of a cell that identify it as a malig-
nant cancer cell

Anomaly: an abnormal occurrence, especially in reference to birth defects
Antibiotic: a chemical substance derivable from a mold or bacterium that kills
microorganisms and cures infections
Antibody: a protein produced by the body as part of its defense against foreign
bacteria or blood cells
Antisepsis: the prevention of sepsis by excluding or destroying microorganisms
Antiseptic: a substance that kills or prohibits the growth of microorganisms
Asepsis: free from germs
Atrophy: a wasting away or decrease in size of a cell, tissue, organ, or part of the
body caused by lack of nourishment, inactivity, or loss of nerve supply
Autoimmunity: a situation in which the body produces an immune response against
its own organs or tissues, causing severe inflammation and chronic conditions
Bacteria: microorganisms capable of reproduction; some strains cause infection
(and some are beneficial)

Benign: referring to a tumor, or abnormal growth, that is not cancerous and does not
invade nearby tissues or spread to other parts of the body
Chronic: slow developing, recurring
Degenerative: characterized by diminishing capabilities
Diagnosis: the identification of disease or trauma
Disease: an impairment of health that interferes with the body’s ability to function
normally
Disinfect: the prevention of sepsis by excluding or destroying microorganisms
Endemic: characterizing a disease that exists in a location or group of people all the
time
Epidemic: a sudden outbreak of disease in numbers much higher than normal
Etiology: the study of the cause and origin of disease
Exacerbation: a marked increase in symptoms or severity of disease

Fungus: a mold, yeast, or mushroom; some fungi are beneficial; some, such as ring-
worm and athlete’s foot, are not.

Hereditary: genetically passed from parent to child
Hyperplasia: an increase in the number of cells in an organ or tissue
Idiopathic: of unknown origin
Infection: the invasion and growth of microorganisms that may cause cellular injury
in tissue
Inflammation: a protective response from the body in response to infection or injury,
characterized by swelling, heat, redness, and pain
Local: affecting only one part
Malignant: cancerous; a growth with a tendency to invade and destroy nearby tissue
and spread to other parts of the body
Morbid: diseased or sick
Morbidity: any departure, subjective or objective, from a state of physiological or
psychological well-being
Neoplasm: an abnormal growth of tissue that may be benign or malignant
Pandemic: an epidemic that affects an expanded demographic area
Pathogenesis: the origin and development of disease
Pathology: the study of disease

Pathophysiology: the study of how disease and/or trauma alters the normal func-
tioning of the body

Signs: the evidence of disease as perceived by the doctor
Sterilize: to destroy bacteria and other microorganisms
Symptoms: the subjective evidence of disease as perceived by the patient
Syndrome: a group of signs or symptoms characteristic of a particular disease or
abnormal condition
Systemic: affecting the whole body
Trauma: a physical injury or wound caused by an external force of violence, which
may cause death or permanent disability. Trauma is also used to describe severe
emotional or psychological shock or distress.
Virulence: the ability of an organism to cause disease
Virus: an intracellular parasite that causes disease