Pathophysiology template

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Introduction

• The pathophysiology of disease involves the study of the biological and physical manifestations of a disease, as they correlate with the underlying abnormalities and physiological disturbances.
• Goal: to explain the biological mechanisms underlying the disease state.
• Appropriate content: A description of the abnormalities at a cellular and molecular level, the abnormalities at a gross and functional level, and the causative factor in the disease process. The description can also include a description of the genetic abnormalities, embryological and developmental abnormalities, pathogenesis, and pathology images.
• The individual sections, with a brief description and example of each is outlined below.

Overview

• The overview section should include the disease name in the first sentence.
• The goal is to summarize the page several sentences, and the section can be the same as the pathophysiology segment on the overview page.
• To see an example, click here

Classification

• The disease may be able to be classified at a pathological level based on its manifestations or appearance.
• Classification may include the genus and species of the bacteria/ viruses/ protozoa causing certain variants of infectious disease.
• For an example of a section on classification, click here.

Gross Pathology

• Gross pathology refers to macroscopic manifestations of disease in organs, tissues, and body cavities. The term is commonly used by anatomical pathologists to refer to diagnostically useful findings made during the gross examination portion of surgical specimen processing or an autopsy.
• This is a good section in which to include pictures. Search for copyleft images on The Pathology Wiki [2] and Ask Dr. Wiki [3].