🧪 Pathology — Intermediate#

Scope — Cellular injury, inflammation, tissue responses, and patterns of disease across organ systems.

Key concepts#

• Cellular injury and death — reversible injury, necrosis, and apoptosis.
• Inflammation — protective response to injury or infection that can become harmful if dysregulated.
• Adaptation — hypertrophy, hyperplasia, atrophy, and metaplasia as responses to stress.

Seed Q&A triads#

• Q: How does apoptosis differ from necrosis?
  A: Apoptosis is regulated, energy‑dependent cell death without inflammation; necrosis is uncontrolled and triggers inflammation.

• Q: Why is inflammation considered a double‑edged sword?
  A: It protects against injury and infection but can cause tissue damage if excessive or chronic.

• Q: What is metaplasia and why can it be risky?
  A: Metaplasia is reversible replacement of one cell type with another; it may increase cancer risk if stress persists.

Short exercises#

• Compare acute and chronic inflammation in terms of causes, cells involved, and outcomes.