Pathology

The branch of medicine dealing with the essential nature of disease, especially changes in body tissues aorgans that cause or are caused by disease. Pathology is the structural and functional manifestations of disease.

Anatomic pathology  the anatomical study of changes in the function, structure, or appearance of organs or tissues,including postmortem examinations and the study of biopsy specimens.

Cellular pathology  - Cytopathology is a diagnostic technique that examines cells from various body sites to determine the cause or the nature of disease.

Clinical pathology  pathology applied to the solution of clinical problems, especially the use of laboratory 

methods inclinical diagnosis.

Comparative pathology  that which considers human disease processes in comparison with those of other 

animals.

Oral pathology  that treating of conditions causing or resulting from morbid anatomic or functional changes in thestructures of the mouth.

Surgical pathology  the pathology of disease processes that are surgically accessible for diagnosis or treatment.

Valvular disease
A. Generally, there are three types:
1. Stenosis—fibrotic, stiff, and thickened valves, resulting in reduced blood flow through the valve.

2. Regurgitation or valvular insufficiency— valves are unable to close completely, allowing blood to regurgitate.

3. Prolapse—“floppy” valves; may occur with or without regurgitation. The most common valvular defect.

ATROPHY
It is the acquired decrease in the size of an organ due to decrease in the size and/or number of its constituent cells.
Causes:
(1) Physiological

- Foetal involution.
    o    Branchial clefts.
    o    Ductus arterious.
- Involution of thymus and other lymphoid organs in childhood and adolescence.
- In adults:
    o    Post-partum uterus.
    o    Post-menopausal ovaries and uterus
    o    Post-lactational breast
    o    Thymus.
(2) Pathological:
- Generalised as in

    o    Ageing.
    o    Severe starvation and cachexia
- Localised :
    o    Disuse atropy of bone and muscle.
    o    Ischaemic atrophy as in arteriosclerotic kidney. .
    o    Pressure atrophy due  to tumours and of kidney in hydronephrosis.
    o    Lack of trophic stimulus to endocrines and gonads.
 

DIABETES MELLITUS 
a group of metabolic disorders sharing the common underlying characteristic of hyperglycemia.  
Diabetes is an important disease because
1. It is common (affects 7% of the population). 
2. It increases the risk of atherosclerotic coronary artery and cerebrovascular diseases.
3. It is a leading cause of 
   a. Chronic renal failure
   b. Adult-onset blindness
   c. Non traumatic lower extremity amputations (due to gangrene) 
     
Classification 
Diabetes is divided into two broad classes:
1. Type1 diabetes (10%): characterized by an absolute deficiency of insulin secretion caused by pancreatic βcell destruction, usually as a result of an autoimmune attack.

2. Type2 diabetes (80%): caused by a combination of peripheral resistance to insulin action and an inadequate secretion of insulin from the pancreatic β cells in response to elevated blood glucose levels. 

The long-term complications in kidneys, eyes, nerves, and blood vessels are the same in both types.

Pathogenesis
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease and as in all such diseases, genetic susceptibility and environmental influences play important roles in the pathogenesis. The islet destruction is caused primarily by T lymphocytes reacting against immunologic epitopes on the insulin hormone located within β-cell; this results in a reduction of β-cell mass. The reactive T cells include CD4+ T cells of the TH1 subset, which cause tissue injury by activating macrophages, and CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes; these directly kill β cells and also secrete cytokines that activate further macrophages. The islets show cellular necrosis and lymphocytic infiltration (insulitis). Autoantibodies against a variety of β-cell antigens, including insulin are also detected in the blood and may also contribute to islet damage. 

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: the pathogenesis remains unsettled. Environmental influences, such as inactive life style and dietary habits that eventuates in obesity, clearly have a role. Nevertheless, genetic factors are even more important than in type 1 diabetes. Among first-degree relatives with type 2 diabetes the risk of developing the disease is 20% to 40%, as compared with 5% in the general population. 
The two metabolic defects that characterize type 2 diabetes are 1.  A decreased ability of peripheral tissues to respond to insulin (insulin resistance) and 2. β-cell dysfunction manifested as inadequate insulin secretion in the face of hyperglycemia. In most cases, insulin resistance is the primary event and is followed by increasing degrees of β-cell dysfunction.

Morphology of Diabetes and Its Late Complications

The important morphologic changes are related to the many late systemic complications of diabetes and thus are likely to be found in arteries (macrovascular disease), basement membranes of small vessels (microangiopathy), kidneys (diabetic nephropathy), retina (retinopathy), and nerves (neuropathy). These changes are seen in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. 

The changes are divided into pancreatic & extrapancreatic 
A. Pancreatic changes are inconstant and are more commonly associated with type 1 than with type 2 diabetes.
One or more of the following alterations may be present.
1. Reduction in the number and size of islets
2. Leukocytic infiltration of the islets (insulitis) principally byT lymphocytes.  

3. Amyloid replacement of islets; which is seen in advanced stages

B. Extrapancreatic changes 

1. Diabetic macrovascular disease is reflected as accelerated atherosclerosis affecting the aorta and other large and medium-sized arteries including the coronaries. Myocardial infarction is the most common cause of death in diabetics. Gangrene of the lower limbs due to advanced vascular disease, is about 100 times more common in diabetics than in the general population. 
2. Hyaline arteriolosclerosis
 is the vascular lesion associated with hypertension. It is both more prevalent and more severe in diabetics than in nondiabetics, but it is not specific for diabetes and may be seen in elderly nondiabetics without hypertension.
3. Diabetic microangiopathy
 is one of the most consistent morphologic features of diabetes, which reflected morphologically as diffuse thickening of basement membranes. The thickening is most evident in the capillaries of the retina, renal glomeruli, and peripheral nerves. The thickened capillary basement membranes are associated with leakiness to plasma proteins. The microangiopathy underlies the development of diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy, and some forms of neuropathy.
4. Diabetic Nephropathy: renal failure is second only to myocardial infarction as a cause of death from diabetes.

Three lesions encountered are: 
1. Glomerular lesions
2. Renal vascular lesions, principally arteriolosclerosis; and
3. Pyelonephritis, including necrotizing papillitis.  

Glomerular lesions:  these include 
a. diffuse glomerular capillary basement membrane thickening
b. diffuse glomerular sclerosis : diffuse increase in mesangial matrix; always associated with the above.  
c. nodular glomerulosclerosis (Kimmelstiel-Wilson lesion) refers to a rounded deposits of a laminated matrix situated in the periphery of the glomerulus 

Pyelonephritis: both acute and chronic pyelonephritis are more common & more severe 

Ocular Complications of Diabetes: Visual impairment up to total blindness may occur in long-standing diabetes. The ocular involvement may take the form of 
a. retinopathy 
b. cataract formation
c. glaucoma 

In both forms of long-standing diabetes, cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction, renal vascular insufficiency, and cerebrovascular accidents are the most common causes of mortality. Diabetic nephropathy is a leading cause of end-stage renal disease. By 20 years after diagnosis, more than 75% of type 1 diabetics and about 20% of type 2 diabetics with overt renal disease will develop end-stage renal disease, requiring dialysis or renal transplantation. 
Diabetics are plagued by an enhanced susceptibility to infections of the skin, as well as to tuberculosis, 
pneumonia, and pyelonephritis. Such infections cause the deaths of about 5% of diabetics. 

ANAEMIA
Definition. Reduction of the hemoglobin level below the normal for the age and sex of the patient

Classification
1. Blood loss anaemia:
- Acute.
- Chronic (results in iron deficiency).

2. Deficiency anaemia:

- Iron deficiency.
- Megaloblastic anaemia-BI2 and Folic acid deficiency.
- Protein deficiency.
- Scurvy-Vitamin C deficiency.

3. Marrow dysfunction:
- Aplastic anaemia.
- Marrow infiltration.
- Liver failure.
- Renal failure.
- Collagen diseases.

4 Increased destruction (Heamolysis)
- Due to corpuscular defects.
- Due to extra corpuscular defects
 

VIRAL DISEASES

RABIES (Hydrophobia)

An acute infectious disease of mammals, especially carnivores, characterized by CNS pathology leading to paralysis and death.

Etiology and Epidemiology

Rabies is caused by a neurotropic virus often present in the saliva of rabid animals

Pathology

The virus travels from the site of entry via peripheral nerves to the spinal cord and the brain, where it multiplies; it continues through efferent nerves to the salivary glands and into the saliva.

microscopic examination shows perivascular collections of lymphocytes but little destruction of nerve cells. Intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies (Negri bodies), usually in the cornu Ammonis, are pathognomonic of rabies, but these bodies are not always found.

Sign/Symptoms

In humans, the incubation period varies from 10 days to > 1 yr and averages 30 to 50 days.

Rabies commonly begins with a short period of depression, restlessness, malaise, and fever. Restlessness increases to uncontrollable excitement, with excessive salivation and excruciatingly painful spasms of the laryngeal and pharyngeal muscles. The spasms, which result from reflex irritability of the deglutition and respiration centers, are easily precipitated Hysteria due to fright

Prognosis and Treatment

Death from asphyxia, exhaustion, or general paralysis usually occurs within 3 to 10 days after onset of symptoms