Etiology (Causes of Disease)

Question 1

preventive medicine

Answer 1

focus on keeping a patient healthy and preventing disease

Question 2

disease

Answer 2

any change in normal structure or function of the body

Question 3

etiology

Answer 3

cause or origin of a disease

Question 4

congenital

Answer 4

caused by an abnormality in the fetus as it develops; present during gestation and/or at birth

Question 5

degenerative

Answer 5

caused by progressive destruction of cells due to disease or aging process

Question 6

environmental

Answer 6

caused by exposure to external substances

Question 7

hereditary

Answer 7

caused by an inherited or spontaneous mutation in genetic material

Question 8

iatrogenic

Answer 8

caused by medicine or treatment that was given to the patient

Question 9

idiopathic

Answer 9

having no identifiable or confirmed cause

Question 10

infectious

Answer 10

caused by a pathogen

Question 11

communicable disease

Answer 11

infectious disease that is transmitted by direct or indirect contact with an infected person, animal, or insect

Question 12

neoplastic

Answer 12

caused by the new growth of either a benign (not cancerous) or a malignant (cancerous) tumor

Question 13

nosocomial

Answer 13

caused by exposure to a disease while in the hospital environment

Question 14

nutritional disease

Answer 14

disease caused by a lack of nutritious food, insufficient amounts of food, or an inability to utilize the nutrients in food

Question 15

symptom

Answer 15

any deviation from health that is experienced or felt by the patient

Question 16

sign

Answer 16

a symptom that can be seen or detected by others

Question 17

symptomatology

Answer 17

the clinical picture of all the patient’s symptoms and signs

Question 18

syndrome

Answer 18

a set of symptoms and signs characteristic of one particular disease

Question 19

asymptomatic

Answer 19

showing no symptoms or signs

Question 20

inspection

Answer 20

using the eyes or an instrument to examine the body

Question 21

palpation

Answer 21

using the fingers to feel masses or enlarged organs, or to detect tenderness or pain

Question 22

auscultation

Answer 22

using a stethoscope to listen to the sounds of the heart, lungs, or intestines

Question 23

percussion

Answer 23

tapping one finger on another finger of a hand that is spread across the chest or abdomen, to listen for the differences in sound a in body cavity

Question 24

diagnosis

Answer 24

the physician’s identification of the nature and cause of a disease or condition

Question 25

acute

Answer 25

sudden in nature and severity in intensity

Question 26

subacute

Answer 26

less severe in intensity

Question 27

chronic

Answer 27

continuing for 3 months or more

Question 28

exacerbation

Answer 28

a sudden worsening in the severity of symptoms or signs

Question 29

remission

Answer 29

temporary improvement in the symptoms and signs of a disease, without the underlying disease being cured

Question 30

relapse, recurrence

Answer 30

return of the original signs and symptoms of a disease

Question 31

sequela

Answer 31

and abnormal condition or complication that arises because of the original disease and remains after the original disease has resolved

Question 32

therapeutic treatment

Answer 32

causes the signs and symptoms to disappear

Question 33

refractory; resistant

Answer 33

a disease that is does not respond to treatment

Question 34

prognosis

Answer 34

the predicted outcome of a disease

Question 35

recuperation; recovery

Answer 35

return to a normal state of health

Question 36

disability

Answer 36

permanent loss of the ability to perform certain activities or function in a given way

Question 37

terminal illness

Answer 37

an illness from which the patient cannot recover, and which eventually results in death

Question 38

hopsice

Answer 38

facility for patients who have a terminal illness and require palliative supportive care

Question 39

palliative care

Answer 39

supportive medical and nursing care that keeps a patient comfortable but does not cure the disease