Etiology: Difference between revisions
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'''Etiology''', in the broadest sense, is the study of causation. Its most common use is in [[medicine]], where it refers to the underlying cause of [[disease]]. | '''Etiology''', in the broadest sense, is the study of causation. Its most common use is in [[medicine]], where it refers to the underlying [[causality|cause]] of [[disease]]; ''Medical Subject Headings'' describes it as covering "causative agents including microorganisms and includes environmental and social factors and personal habits as contributing factors. It includes pathogenesis."<ref>{{MeSH}}</ref> | ||
==Etiologic diagnosis== | |||
In medical usage, ''etiologic diagnosis'' is an intermediate point in restoring the best possible health to a patient. The first stage is recognizing the disturbance as a [[syndrome]], or related group of [[symptom]]s, [[sign (medical)|signs]], and possibly the results of laboratory and imaging techniques. In simple terms, syndromic diagnosis asks "what is the problem to be solved?"<ref name=Victor>{{citation | |||
| title = Adams and Victor's Principles of Neurology | |||
| year = 2001 | publisher=McGraw-Hill | author = Victor, Maurice}}</ref> | |||
Given the anatomic and syndromic diagnosis, as well as the [[medical history]] and any indicated specialized examinations, a clinician determines the nature of the disorder, or '''pathologic diagnosis.''' The pathologic diagnosis deals with ''manifestation''; determining ''causation'' is the result of the '''etiological diagnosis'''. Treatment deals with both correcting an abnormality that causes disease, as well as controlling unpleasant manifestations of the disease. | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
Revision as of 15:40, 14 February 2009
Etiology, in the broadest sense, is the study of causation. Its most common use is in medicine, where it refers to the underlying cause of disease; Medical Subject Headings describes it as covering "causative agents including microorganisms and includes environmental and social factors and personal habits as contributing factors. It includes pathogenesis."[1]
Etiologic diagnosis
In medical usage, etiologic diagnosis is an intermediate point in restoring the best possible health to a patient. The first stage is recognizing the disturbance as a syndrome, or related group of symptoms, signs, and possibly the results of laboratory and imaging techniques. In simple terms, syndromic diagnosis asks "what is the problem to be solved?"[2]
Given the anatomic and syndromic diagnosis, as well as the medical history and any indicated specialized examinations, a clinician determines the nature of the disorder, or pathologic diagnosis. The pathologic diagnosis deals with manifestation; determining causation is the result of the etiological diagnosis. Treatment deals with both correcting an abnormality that causes disease, as well as controlling unpleasant manifestations of the disease.
References
- ↑ Anonymous (2024), Etiology (English). Medical Subject Headings. U.S. National Library of Medicine.
- ↑ Victor, Maurice (2001), Adams and Victor's Principles of Neurology, McGraw-Hill