Pathogenesis

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The pathogenesis of a disease is the mechanism that causes the disease. The term can also describe the origin and development of the disease, and whether it is acute, chronic, or recurrent. The word comes from the Greek pathos ("disease") and genesis ("creation").

Types of pathogenesis include microbial infection, inflammation, malignancy and tissue breakdown.

Most diseases are caused by multiple processes. For example, certain cancers arise from dysfunction of the immune system (skin tumors and lymphoma after a renal transplant, which requires immunosuppression).[1]

Often, a potential etiology is identified by epidemiological observations before a pathological link can be drawn between the cause and the disease.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Fox, Alvin (2010). General aspects of bacterial pathogenesis. University of South Carolina School of Medicine: Microbiology and Immunology On-line Textbook. 

[edit] Further reading