Pathogenesis is the word used by science to detail the origin and development of a disease with all the factors included in it (Nature.com, 2017).
The term pathogenesis comes from the Greek páthos, meaning suffering and genesis, which means origin. It exposes the way in which the etiopathogenic agents - the causative agents to generate diseases - attack the organism.
Flu virus
Specifically it describes the cellular factors and reactions and other pathological mechanisms that happen in the evolution of a disease. In the process of disease, two periods can be described: the prepathogenic and pathogenic period.
The first occurs before the illness occurs; the person seems healthy but is being given a maladaptation process that can lead to illness. At this stage the defenses can nullify the disease process (Jazmin, 2011).
The second, is the evolution of the disease from its beginning to the end, whether with recovery, disability or death.
There are differences between causal and formal pathogenesis. The causal is the explanation of the disease in terms of cause and effect. Here it is interesting to know why the disease originates.
The formal pathogenesis allows to know better the forms of response of the organism. It makes it possible to define many diseases and makes it easier to discover causal pathogenesis.
Characteristics of pathogenesis
Pathogenesis describes the set of physical, chemical or biological elements that lead to the generation of a disease and its evolution.
A disease is the modification or change that occurs in the physiological state of one or several parts of the body, for ordinarily known causes and that are manifested by symptoms and signs almost always characteristic, and whose evolution is more or less predictable (Saludymedicina.info , 2017).
Pathogenesis can be studied from different points of view; from the morphological - as does the general pathology - or from the functional - as does the pathophysiology.
Types of pathogenesis
Types of pathogenesis include inflammation, microbial infections, tissue breakdown and malignancy.
An inflammation is due to a natural defensive process of the organism and in which several systems act.
Microbial infections are caused by microorganisms, which cause multiple diseases to reproduce within the carrier. These microbes can be bacteria, fungi or viruses.
Almost all diseases are caused by a variety of processes that, if controlled in time, can prevent disease.
Viral pathogenesis
Viral pathogenesis can be understood as the process of generation of any disease caused by the rapid reproduction and dispersion of viral particles.
This type of pathogenesis alters the functioning of the immune system and makes it vulnerable to the presence of external agents other than the original virus.
It is characterized by the participation of two main agents: a virus and a host, the first agent being responsible for affecting the second.
Within this type of pathogenesis different stages take place, however, there is no specific order for the appearance of the same along the process of generation and development of the disease.
What is clear is that, viral pathogenesis begins when a virus installs itself in a host body and begins to attack it (Tyler, 2004).
Examples
Every disease requires going through a process of pathogenesis at the time it originates. Below we can see some examples of these processes that allow to better illustrate this clinical phenomenon:
1 - Sickness or stomach infection
When an individual is in perfect health, he begins to suffer from severe abdominal pain, and must hurry to the toilet to empty the contents of his stomach, said to be part of a process of pathogenesis.
This process includes the agent or pathogen that triggered the disease and the form or circumstances within which the disease took place.
In the case of stomach pain, it is important to ask about the type of food that was eaten, its cooking status, its hygiene and the conditions in which it was consumed (Foist, 2017).
Only then can the presence of the pathogen be identified in any of the foods, and avoid the repetition of the infectious process.
2 - Skin disease
Another example of pathogenesis is skin infections, which are responsible for entering the body through small wounds or dead skin, seeping into the bloodstream and affecting the whole body.
The skin is a thick layer of tissue whose function is to protect the body. When the skin presents a rupture or irregularity in its surface, diverse organisms and external agents can enter in its interior, causing severe damages.
The process of skin infection can be gradual or accelerated, depending on the type of agent that has been housed in it.
However, pathogenesis processes on the skin are often visible and unpleasant in appearance, as they may include the appearance of hives, scabs, and the detachment of the superficial skin layers.
3 - Respiratory diseases
The pathogenesis process can also be evidenced in airway conditions.
When this happens, easily recognizable symptoms appear, such as excessive production of mucus, congestion of the respiratory tract, coughing, decreased lung capacity, among others.
In this case, the intensity of the pathologies that develop and affect the respiratory system can vary widely.
Thus, a pathogenic process can be seen both in the evolution of influenza, and in the development and spread of acute pneumonia.
References
- Foist, L. (2017). com . Obtained from Pathogenesis: Definition & Example: study.com
- Jazmin, M. L. (September 28, 2011). Blog of the nurse . Obtained from Natural History of Illness: enferlic.blogspot.com.co
- com . (2017). Obtained from Pathogenesis: nature.com
- info . (2017). Obtained from Concept of etiology, pathophysiology, semiology and clinical propaedeutics.: saludymedicina.info
- Tyler, K. L. (June 2004). Academic Press Encyclopedia of Virology . Obtained from Viral Pathogenesis: http://higiene1.higiene.edu.uy