Pathology Terms
Pathology is the study of disease: its causes and the changes it makes to cells, tissues and organs. These terms cover how cells adapt, from atrophy to metaplasia, cell injury and death, inflammation and scarring, problems of blood flow such as thrombosis and hemorrhage, and tumors.
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- Algor mortisForensic MedicineAlgor mortis is the gradual cooling of a body after death until it matches the temperature of its surroundings, used to estimate time since death.
- AmyloidosisPathologyAmyloidosis is a group of diseases in which misfolded proteins clump into insoluble amyloid fibrils that build up in organs and disrupt how they work.
- AnemiaPathologyAnemia is a condition in which the blood has fewer healthy red blood cells or less hemoglobin than normal, so less oxygen reaches the tissues.
- ApoptosisCell BiologyApoptosis is programmed cell death, a controlled process in which a cell dismantles itself in an orderly way without harming its neighbors.
- AsphyxiaForensic MedicineAsphyxia is a life-threatening state in which the body is starved of oxygen, usually as carbon dioxide builds up, because breathing or oxygen use fails.
- AtherosclerosisPathologyAtherosclerosis is a disease in which fatty plaque builds up inside artery walls, stiffening and narrowing the arteries and reducing blood flow.
- AtrophyPathologyAtrophy is the shrinking of a cell, tissue or organ that had reached normal size, usually as cells lose substance in response to reduced demand or support.
- AutoimmunityImmunologyAutoimmunity is an immune response wrongly directed at the body's own healthy cells and tissues, and it is the cause of autoimmune diseases.
- AutopsyForensic MedicineAn autopsy is a medical examination of a body after death, inside and out, to find the cause of death and study the effects of disease or injury.
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- CancerOncologyCancer is a group of diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control, invade nearby tissue and can spread to distant parts of the body.
- CarcinomaOncologyA carcinoma is a cancer that starts in epithelial cells, the cells that cover the skin and line the inner and outer surfaces of organs.
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- EdemaPathologyEdema is swelling caused by excess fluid collecting in the spaces between the cells of a tissue, most often seen in the feet, ankles and legs.
- EmbolismPathologyAn embolism is a blocked blood vessel caused by an embolus, a clot or other mass carried in the bloodstream from elsewhere in the body.
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- HemorrhagePathologyA hemorrhage is an escape of blood from a ruptured or damaged blood vessel, either out of the body or into its tissues and cavities.
- HepatitisMedicineHepatitis is liver inflammation, most often caused by a hepatitis virus but also by alcohol, toxins, some medicines or autoimmune disease.
- HyperplasiaPathologyHyperplasia is the enlargement of a tissue or organ through a rise in its number of cells, which still look normal under the microscope.
- HypersensitivityImmunologyHypersensitivity is an immune response that is excessive or misdirected, so that it damages the body's own tissues instead of only removing a threat.
- HypertrophyPathologyHypertrophy is the enlargement of a tissue or organ because its individual cells grow larger, rather than because the number of cells increases.
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- InfarctionPathologyInfarction is the death of an area of tissue, called an infarct, caused by a sudden loss of its blood supply, as in a heart attack or a stroke.
- InflammationImmunologyInflammation is the body's protective response to infection or injury, in which leaky, widened blood vessels bring immune cells and fluid to the site.
- IschemiaPathologyIschemia is a shortage of blood supply to an organ or tissue, usually from a narrowed or blocked artery, that starves its cells of oxygen and nutrients.
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- Livor mortisForensic MedicineLivor mortis is the purplish-red discoloration that appears in the lowest parts of a body after death as blood settles under the pull of gravity.
- LysosomeCell BiologyA lysosome is a membrane-bound organelle filled with acidic digestive enzymes that break down worn-out cell parts, food particles and microbes.
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- Malignant tumorOncologyA malignant tumor is a cancerous mass whose cells grow without control, invade surrounding tissue and can spread to distant organs.
- MetaplasiaPathologyMetaplasia is the replacement of one mature cell type by another in a tissue, usually as an adaptation to long-term irritation or injury.
- MetastasisOncologyMetastasis is the spread of a cancer from its first site to distant organs, where escaped cells settle and grow into secondary tumors.
- Myocardial infarctionMedicineA myocardial infarction, or heart attack, is the death of part of the heart muscle after its blood supply through a coronary artery is suddenly cut off.
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- PlateletPhysiologyA platelet is a small cell fragment in the blood that helps stop bleeding by plugging damaged vessels and helping a blood clot form.
- Postmortem intervalForensic MedicineThe postmortem interval is the time since a person died, estimated by forensic experts from body changes, temperature, insects and other evidence.
- PutrefactionForensic MedicinePutrefaction is the breakdown of a dead body's soft tissues by bacteria, which produces gas, discoloration and the foul smell of decay.
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- SarcomaOncologyA sarcoma is a malignant tumor that arises in connective tissue, such as bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, blood vessels or fibrous tissue.
- SepsisPathologySepsis is a life-threatening emergency in which the body's reaction to infection runs out of control and damages its own tissues and organs.
- ShockPathologyShock is a life-threatening state in which the circulation fails to bring tissues the oxygen and nutrients their cells need.
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- ThrombosisPathologyThrombosis is the formation of a blood clot, called a thrombus, inside a blood vessel or the heart, where it can narrow or block the flow of blood.
- TumorOncologyA tumor is an abnormal mass of tissue made by cells that multiply too much or fail to die on time; it can be benign or malignant.
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