pathology

/pəˈθɑlədʒi/

/pəˈθɒlədʒi/

Other forms: pathologies

Pathology is the medical term for the way a disease works. A tumor is removed by a doctor trained in surgery, but you need a doctor trained in pathology to tell you if the tumor is cancer.

Pathology derives from the Greek pathos "suffering" and ology "study of"––to give us "the study of disease," but often pathology means the disease's behavior––the cancer pathology is to take over healthy cells and grow cancerous tumors. We also use pathology to describe abnormal conditions that aren’t really diseases, like the pathology of Hollywood stars who live their lives in public and become obsessed with fitness.

Definitions of pathology

1. noun

   the branch of medical science that studies the causes and nature and effects of diseases
   types:

   palaeopathology, paleopathology

   the study of disease of former times (as inferred from fossil evidence)

   type of:

   medical science

   the science of dealing with the maintenance of health and the prevention and treatment of disease
2. noun

   any deviation from a healthy or normal condition
   types:

   acidosis

   abnormally high acidity (excess hydrogen-ion concentration) of the blood and other body tissues

   alkalosis

   abnormally high alkalinity (low hydrogen-ion concentration) of the blood and other body tissues

   anchylosis, ankylosis

   abnormal adhesion and rigidity of the bones of a joint

   arteriectasia, arteriectasis

   an abnormal distension of an artery

   arthropathy

   a pathology or abnormality of a joint

   asynergia, asynergy

   absence of coordination of organs or body parts that usually work together harmoniously

   asystole, cardiac arrest, cardiopulmonary arrest

   absence of systole; failure of the ventricles of the heart to contract (usually caused by ventricular fibrillation) with consequent absence of the heart beat leading to oxygen lack and eventually to death

   diverticulosis

   presence of multiple diverticula in the walls of the colon

   flux

   excessive discharge of liquid from a cavity or organ (as in watery diarrhea)

   fluorosis

   a pathological condition resulting from an excessive intake of fluorine (usually from drinking water)

   gammopathy

   a disturbance in the synthesis of immunoglobulins; proteins having antibody activity increase greatly in the blood

   glossolalia

   repetitive nonmeaningful speech (especially that associated with a trance state or religious fervor)

   angiopathy

   any disease of the blood vessels or lymph ducts

   aphagia

   loss of the ability to swallow

   stenosis, stricture

   abnormal narrowing of a bodily canal or passageway

   atherogenesis

   the formation of atheromas on the walls of the arteries as in atherosclerosis

   ascites

   accumulation of serous fluid in peritoneal cavity

   azymia

   absence of an enzyme

   bacteremia, bacteriaemia, bacteriemia

   transient presence of bacteria (or other microorganisms) in the blood

   induration, sclerosis

   any pathological hardening or thickening of tissue

   lipomatosis

   pathology in which fat accumulates in lipomas in the body

   lithiasis

   the formation of stones (calculi) in an internal organ

   cartilaginification

   abnormal formation of cartilage from other tissues; observed in some Asians

   cyst

   a closed sac that develops abnormally in some body structure

   adenomyosis, endometriosis

   the presence of endometrium elsewhere than in the lining of the uterus; causes premenstrual pain and dysmenorrhea

   adhesion

   abnormal union of bodily tissues; most common in the abdomen

   bronzed diabetes, hemochromatosis, iron overload, iron-storage disease

   pathology in which iron accumulates in the tissues; characterized by bronzed skin and enlarged liver and diabetes mellitus and abnormalities of the pancreas and the joints

   infarct, infarction

   localized necrosis resulting from obstruction of the blood supply

   macrocytosis

   the presence of macrocytes in the blood

   fibrosis

   development of excess fibrous connective tissue in an organ

   malacia

   a state of abnormal softening of tissue

   mastopathy, mazopathy

   any pathology of the breast

   neuropathy

   any pathology of the peripheral nerves

   myopathy

   any pathology of the muscles that is not attributable to nerve dysfunction

   osteoporosis

   abnormal loss of bony tissue resulting in fragile porous bones attributable to a lack of calcium; most common in postmenopausal women

   priapism

   condition in which the penis is continually erect; usually painful and seldom with sexual arousal

   demineralisation, demineralization

   abnormal loss of mineral salts (especially from bone)

   pyorrhea, pyorrhoea

   discharge of pus

   azotaemia, azotemia, uraemia, uremia

   accumulation in the blood of nitrogenous waste products (urea) that are usually excreted in the urine

   azoturia

   excess of urea in the urine

   lesion

   any localized abnormal structural change in a bodily part

   lymphadenopathy

   chronic abnormal enlargement of the lymph nodes (usually associated with disease)

   gangrene, slough, sphacelus

   necrotic tissue; a mortified or gangrenous part or mass

   hyperbilirubinemia

   abnormally high amounts of bile pigment (bilirubin) in the blood

   palilalia

   a pathological condition in which a word is rapidly and involuntarily repeated

   reflux

   an abnormal backward flow of body fluids

   otorrhea

   discharge from the external ear

   rhinopathy

   any disease or malformation of the nose

   hydronephrosis

   accumulation of urine in the kidney because of an obstruction in the ureter

   atelectasis

   collapse of an expanded lung (especially in infants); also failure of pulmonary alveoli to expand at birth

   anoxemia

   abnormally low oxygen content in arterial blood

   coprolalia

   an uncontrollable use of obscene language; often accompanied by mental disorders

   autoimmunity

   production of antibodies against the tissues of your own body; produces autoimmune disease or hypersensitivity reactions

   disfunction, dysfunction

   (medicine) any disturbance in the functioning of an organ or body part or a disturbance in the functioning of a social group

   sarcoidosis

   a chronic disease of unknown cause marked by the formation of nodules in the lungs and liver and lymph glands and salivary glands

   carotenemia, xanthemia

   excess carotene in the blood stream; can cause the skin to turn a pale yellow or red color

   stasis

   an abnormal state in which the normal flow of a liquid (such as blood) is slowed or stopped

   uropathy

   any pathology of the urinary tract

   varicosis

   pathological condition of being varicose or having varicose veins

   viraemia, viremia

   the presence of a virus in the blood stream

   volvulus

   abnormal twisting of the intestines (usually in the area of the ileum or sigmoid colon) resulting in intestinal obstruction

   diabetic acidosis, ketoacidosis

   acidosis with an accumulation of ketone bodies; occurs primarily in diabetes mellitus

   metabolic acidosis

   acidosis and bicarbonate concentration in the body fluids resulting either from the accumulation of acids or the abnormal loss of bases from the body (as in diarrhea or renal disease)

   carbon dioxide acidosis, respiratory acidosis

   acidosis resulting from reduced gas exchange in the lungs (as in emphysema or pneumonia); excess carbon dioxide combines with water to form carbonic acid which increases the acidity of the blood

   starvation acidosis

   acidosis in which the acidity results from lack of food which leads to fat catabolism which in turn releases acidic ketone bodies

   metabolic alkalosis

   alkalosis resulting from hydrogen-ion loss or excessive intake of alkaline substances

   respiratory alkalosis

   alkalosis resulting from increased gas exchange in the lungs (as in hyperventilation associated with extreme anxiety or aspirin intoxication or metabolic acidosis)

   ED, erectile dysfunction, male erecticle dysfunction

   impotence resulting from a man's inability to have or maintain an erection of his penis

   MS, disseminated multiple sclerosis, disseminated sclerosis, multiple sclerosis

   a chronic progressive nervous disorder involving loss of myelin sheath around certain nerve fibers

   ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

   thickening of tissue in the motor tracts of the lateral columns and anterior horns of the spinal cord; results in progressive muscle atrophy that starts in the limbs

   aortic stenosis

   abnormal narrowing of the aortic valve

   enterostenosis

   abnormal narrowing of the intestine

   laryngostenosis

   abnormal narrowing of the larynx

   pulmonary stenosis

   abnormal narrowing of the opening into the pulmonary artery from the right ventricle

   pyloric stenosis

   narrowing of the pyloric sphincter that blocks the passage of food from the stomach into the duodenum

   rhinostenosis

   narrowing of the passages in the nasal cavities

   arteriolosclerosis

   sclerosis of the arterioles

   arterial sclerosis, arteriosclerosis, coronary-artery disease, hardening of the arteries, induration of the arteries

   sclerosis of the arterial walls

   mitral stenosis, mitral valve stenosis

   obstruction or narrowing of the mitral valve (as by scarring from rheumatic fever)

   MI, myocardial infarct, myocardial infarction

   destruction of heart tissue resulting from obstruction of the blood supply to the heart muscle

   kidney disease, nephropathy, nephrosis, renal disorder

   a disease affecting the kidneys

   cholelithiasis

   the presence of gallstones in the gallbladder

   enterolithiasis

   the presence of calculi in the intestines

   nephrolithiasis, renal lithiasis

   the presence of kidney stones (calculi) in the kidney

   CF, cystic fibrosis, fibrocystic disease of the pancreas, mucoviscidosis, pancreatic fibrosis

   the most common congenital disease; the child's lungs and intestines and pancreas become clogged with thick mucus; caused by defect in a single gene; no cure is known

   osteosclerosis

   abnormal hardening or eburnation of bone

   dermoid cyst

   a cystic tumor (usually benign) with a wall lined with epithelium and a cavity containing other material

   galactocele

   a cystic tumor containing milk or a milky substance (especially in the mammary glands)

   blood cyst, hematocyst, hemorrhagic cyst

   a cyst containing blood

   hydatid

   cyst filled with liquid; forms as a result of infestation by tapeworm larvae (as in echinococcosis)

   nabothian cyst, nabothian follicle

   a cyst that forms in the nabothian glands of the uterine cervix

   ovarian cyst

   a cystic tumor (usually benign) of the ovary

   ranula

   a cyst on the underside of the tongue

   pilar cyst, sebaceous cyst, steatocystoma, wen

   a common cyst of the skin; filled with fatty matter (sebum) that is secreted by a sebaceous gland that has been blocked

   symphysis

   an abnormal adhesion of two or more structures

   synechia

   adhesions between the iris and the lens or cornea resulting from trauma or eye surgery or as a complication of glaucoma or cataract; can lead to blindness

   classic hemochromatosis, idiopathic hemochromatosis

   inherited form of hemochromatosis

   acquired hemochromatosis

   hemochromatosis resulting from repeated transfusions or from excessive intake of foods containing iron

   myelofibrosis

   fibrosis of the bone marrow

   osteomalacia

   abnormal softening of bones caused by deficiencies of phosphorus or calcium or vitamin D

   Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy

   a form of neuropathy that can begin between childhood and young adulthood; characterized by weakness and atrophy of the muscles of the hands and lower legs; progression is slow and individuals affected can have a normal life span; inheritance is X-linked recessive or X-linked dominant

   mononeuropathy

   any neuropathy of a single nerve trunk

   multiple mononeuropathy

   pathology of several individual nerve trunks

   tubercle

   a swelling that is the characteristic lesion of tuberculosis

   ulcer, ulceration

   a circumscribed inflammatory and often suppurating lesion on the skin or an internal mucous surface resulting in necrosis of tissue

   angioma

   a tumor consisting of a mass of blood or lymphatic vessels

   angiitis

   inflammation of a blood vessel or lymph duct

   cold gangrene, dry gangrene, mumification necrosis, mummification

   (pathology) gangrene that develops in the presence of arterial obstruction and is characterized by dryness of the dead tissue and a dark brown color

   clostridial myonecrosis, emphysematous gangrene, emphysematous phlegmon, gangrenous emphysema, gas gangrene, gas phlegmon, progressive emphysematous necrosis

   (pathology) a deadly form of gangrene usually caused by clostridium bacteria that produce toxins that cause tissue death; can be used as a bioweapon

   hyperbilirubinemia of the newborn, neonatal hyperbilirubinemia

   a common disorder that is usually due to immaturity of the liver; usually subsides spontaneously

   esophageal reflux, gastroesophageal reflux, oesophageal reflux

   reflux of stomach contents into the esophagus

   hepatojugular reflux

   a venous reflux occurring in congestive heart failure

   ureterorenal reflux

   a backflow of urine from the ureter into the renal pelvis

   vesicoureteral reflux

   a backflow of urine from the bladder into the ureter

   brandy nose, copper nose, hammer nose, hypertrophic rosacea, potato nose, rhinophyma, rum nose, rum-blossom, toper's nose

   enlargement of the nose with dilation of follicles and redness and prominent vascularity of the skin; often associated with excessive consumption of alcohol

   dowager's hump

   abnormal spinal curvature that results when osteoporosis causes the spine to collapse; seen most often in elderly women

   palsy, paralysis

   loss of the ability to move a body part

   rhinosporidiosis

   fungal infection of the nose; often acquired while swimming

   ureterostenosis

   stenosis of the ureter

   type of:

   health problem, ill health, unhealthiness

   a state in which you are unable to function normally and without pain