What is Pathophysiology?

Pathophysiology is the study of the results or causes of a disease or injury. This branch lies at the intersection of pathology and physiology. Further, Pathology is the study of conditions that are observed in a patient during a disease whereas physiology is the study of processes that place inside the human body. 

• Thus, combining these two disciples together, we say that pathophysiology is the study of changes that take place or occur inside the body of a human being due to a certain disease or injury, or ill health. 
• These changes not only include the behavior of fluids, cells, and organs of the human body but also that of infectious agents like bacteria or viruses. This knowledge of the behavior of agents inside the host body helps in devising appropriate medicines and precautions to help fight the disease.
• The various tests that help in conducting the study of pathophysiology are – biochemical tests, immune tests, and molecular biological testing methods.

Difference Between Etiology and Pathophysiology: Any disease that affects the human body always has some cause for its occurrence, some effects that it leaves on the patient’s body, and the various levels in which the disease progresses or terminates. All these things have a specific key term in the medical field. Two such keywords used in the medical field, related to a disease, are etiology and pathophysiology. 

In simple words, etiology is the term used to define the cause of any disease while pathophysiology, on the other hand, is used to define the changes that occur in the body of the patient due to a disease. In this article, we will explore how these two terms, etiology, and pathophysiology differ from each other. But first, let us look at the basics.