Pathofysiologie

Pathofysiologie is the branch of medical science that studies the disordered physiological processes underlying disease. It aims to explain how normal bodily mechanisms become deranged and produce symptoms, organ dysfunction, and disease progression. By integrating physiology, biochemistry, immunology, and pathology, pathofysiologie links mechanisms at the cellular and systemic levels with clinical presentation. It is distinct from pathology, which emphasizes structural changes in tissues, and from normal physiology, which describes healthy function.

Key concepts include homeostasis, compensatory responses, and the progression from cause to effect. The field follows etiologies such as injury, infection, genetic change, and metabolic disturbance to see how perturbations disrupt cells and organs, and when compensatory mechanisms become maladaptive.

Examples across systems illustrate the field. Cardiovascular pathophysiology studies heart failure from impaired contractility or high afterload and neurohormonal activation. Metabolic pathophysiology covers diabetes with insulin resistance. Respiratory pathophysiology includes COPD and pneumonia affecting ventilation or gas exchange. Renal pathophysiology involves glomerular injury and reduced filtration with fluid and electrolyte disturbances. Together these cases show how cellular and tissue changes translate into symptoms and organ dysfunction.

Research methods include clinical observation, physiological measurements, animal models, cell culture, and computational modeling. Biomarkers, imaging, and tissue analysis help link molecular events to organ function and symptoms, informing diagnosis, prognosis, and targeted therapies.

Historically, pathophysiology emerged from homeostasis concepts in the 19th and 20th centuries, with contributions from Claude Bernard. Today it remains a core framework in medical education and research, guiding clinical decision-making.