what is the course of a disease

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What is the course of a disease called?

The course of a disease, also called its natural history, refers to the development of the disease in a patient, including the sequence and speed of the stages and forms they take. Typical courses of diseases include: acute: beginning abruptly, intensifying rapidly, not lasting long

What are the 5 stages of disease progression?

The population of pathogens in a host and host symptom severity can be depicted as a disease progresses over time. There are five stages: incubation period, prodromal period, period of illness, period of decline, and period of convalescence.

What is the pathogenic phase of a disease?

This phase is defined by the host conditions, the disease agent (such as microorganisms and pathogens), and the environment. The pathogenic period is the phase in which there are changes in the patient's cells, tissues, or organs, but the patient still doesn't notice any symptoms or signs of disease.

Is it true that diseases are poorly diagnosed until they are characterized?

This is a trickier question, because of course it genuinely is the case that diseases will be poorly diagnosed until they have been properly characterized. No one would claim that if a technology allows a condition to be identified for the first time, there was no real disease before.

What is a clinical course definition?

Clinical experience focuses on the evaluation, diagnosis, and management of acute and chronic inpatient medical conditions. Students will perform complete inpatient history and physical exams, assist with consultations, and evaluate and manage hospitalized patients from admission to discharge.

What is course of treatment?

(kors ... TREET-ment) A treatment plan made up of several cycles of treatment. For example, treatment given for one week followed by three weeks of rest (no treatment) is one treatment cycle. When a treatment cycle is repeated multiple times on a regular schedule, it makes up a course of treatment.

What is the progression of a disease called?

Natural history of disease refers to the progression of a disease process in an individual over time, in the absence of treatment. For example, untreated infection with HIV causes a spectrum of clinical problems beginning at the time of seroconversion (primary HIV) and terminating with AIDS and usually death.

What makes an illness a disease?

Differences Between Illness and Disease Illness can affect the body or mind in a myriad of different capacities. A disease has a specific result on a body part or function. Illness can be a perceived notion of unwellness or derive from self-diagnosis. Disease must be diagnosed by a medical expert.

What is a course of chemotherapy?

A course of chemotherapy usually takes between 3 to 6 months, although it can be more or less than that. The treatment will include one or more chemotherapy drugs. You may have the chemotherapy into a vein (intravenous drugs), or as tablets or capsules.

How many course of chemo can a person have?

A series of cycles of treatment is called a course. A treatment course often takes between 3 to 6 months but it can be more or less than that. During that time, you would probably have between 4 to 8 cycles of treatment.

What is a prognosis of a disease?

The likely outcome or course of a disease; the chance of recovery or recurrence.

What is the spectrum of disease?

The spectrum of disease refers to the range of manifestations and severities of illness associated with a given diseases, illnesses, or injury. For example, HIV infection has broad clinical spectrum, from inapparent* to severe and fulminating**.

What does incubation mean in medical terms?

The incubation period is the time it takes for an infection to develop after a person has been exposed to a disease-causing organism (such as bacteria, viruses, or fungi). The incubation period ends when the first signs or symptoms of the disease appear.

What is the difference between a sickness and a disease?

Disease then, is the pathological process, deviation from a biological norm. Illness is the patient's experience of ill health, sometimes when no disease can be found. Sickness is the role negotiated with society.

What is the difference between a condition and a disease?

Condition simply indicates a state of health, whether well or ill; a condition conferring illness might be further classified as a disease or a disorder—however, condition might be used in place of disease or disorder when a value-neutral term is desired.

Can a disease be cured?

Some diseases can be cured. Others, like hepatitis B, have no cure. The person will always have the condition, but medical treatments can help to manage the disease. Medical professionals use medicine, therapy, surgery, and other treatments to help lessen the symptoms and effects of a disease.

What is the course of a disease?

The course of a disease, also called its natural history, refers to the development of the disease in a patient, including the sequence and speed of the stages and forms they take. Typical courses of diseases include: chronic. recurrent or relapsing.

What does "course" mean in medicine?

In medicine the term course generally takes one of two meanings, both reflecting the sense of " path that something or someone moves along...process or sequence or steps ": A course of medication is a period of continual treatment with drugs, ...

What is course of medication?

A course of medication is a period of continual treatment with drugs, sometimes with variable dosage and in particular combinations. For instance treatment with some drugs should not end abruptly. Instead, their course should end with a tapering dosage.

What does "acute" mean?

recurrent or relapsing. subacute: somewhere between an acute and a chronic course. acute: beginning abruptly, intensifying rapidly, not lasting long. fulminant or peracute: particularly acute, especially if unusually violent.

What is precursor in medical terms?

A precursor is a sign or event that precedes the course or a particular stage in the course of a disease, for example chills often are precursors to fevers.

What are the phases of schizophrenia?

There are three main phases – a prodromal phase, an acute phase and a stable phase. 1,2. The word prodromal refers to a period that happens before the first acute episode. The prodromal phase refers to the time ...

What happens after the prodromal phase?

After the prodromal phase, the acute phase will normally begin. During this time, a person living with schizophrenia may have several positive symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions, which may cause them a lot of distress.

Is schizophrenia a clinical condition?

Schizophrenia has a diverse clinical profile depending on the individual and the stage. Accurate determination of the phase of the condition might help find the best treatment choice and management approach.

What are the stages of disease?

There are five stages: incubation period, prodromal period, period of illness, period of decline, and period of convalescence. The symptom threshold is the point at which symptoms are apparent.

How do infections progress?

Differences in severity and duration of the stages in disease progression are often of diagnostic value. After initial invasion of the host, there is an incubation period followed by the prodromal period, the period of illness, the period of decline, and finally the period of convalescence before the infection is completely cleared.

What is the disease caused by ticks?

The Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria, a spirochete, is transmitted by tick bite and can cause Lyme disease. The "bull's-eye" rash is a common symptom. Credit: CDC (left), CDC/James Gathany (right) The decline phase is the stage of disease when symptoms begin to abate and the pathogen population begins to decline.

What is the prodromal phase of Lyme disease?

In Lyme disease the prodromal phase corresponds to both the early localized and acute disseminated stages of the disease, which are when the symptoms of a skin rash (erythema migrans) and meningeal irritation (headache) become apparent. The host has a generalized feeling of being unwell.

What is the prodromal phase?

The prodromal phase is the stage of the disease process when symptoms first become apparent. These symptoms are typically unspecific to the pathogen and vague; they may include fever, fatigue, and headaches.

What happens during the convalescence stage of a virus?

During this stage, the infected host develops arthritis, heart rhythm disturbances, memory loss, encephalitis, numbness in the extremities, and severe headaches. The period of decline transitions into the convalescence period, which is the stage of the disease process when symptoms disappear. It is considered a recovery period, when host strength ...

How is Lyme disease transmitted?

Lyme disease, caused by the protist Borrelia burgdorferi, is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, and extreme tiredness.

What are the symptoms of a symtom?

Symptoms may include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea (from CDC ).

What is a pre-symptomatic case?

Pre-symptomatic (translation “before symptom onset”): a person who is infected and has not yet shown symptoms, but later does show symptoms and tests positive for the disease. Symptomatic case: a person who is infected and has symptoms.