patologii

Patologii, or pathology, is the medical discipline that studies the causes, development, and consequences of disease. It integrates laboratory science with clinical medicine to explain how disease changes the structure and function of tissues and organs.

The field addresses etiologies such as infections, genetic mutations, immune-mediated processes, environmental exposures, and neoplastic growth, and examines pathogenesis—the sequence of events by which a normal state becomes diseased. Morphologic changes are observed at the gross and microscopic levels, using techniques such as histology, cytology, immunohistochemistry, and molecular testing to identify characteristic tissue alterations.

Pathology serves as a bridge between basic science and clinical practice. Its findings underpin disease classification, prognostication, and treatment decisions. Diagnostic processes typically combine clinical information with laboratory analysis and imaging to reach conclusions about the cause and nature of illness.

Major subdivisions include anatomical pathology, which encompasses histopathology and cytopathology for tissue-based diagnoses; clinical pathology (laboratory medicine), focusing on blood, urine, and other body fluids; and subspecialties such as molecular pathology, neuropathology, dermatopathology, and forensic pathology. Molecular techniques, including genetic and genomic testing, increasingly influence diagnosis and personalized therapy.

Pathologists, who are physicians, provide essential interpretations that guide patient management, inform research, and contribute to public health understanding of disease. The discipline continues to evolve with advances in imaging, molecular biology, and data-driven diagnostics.