pathophysiology

[DSCCnsg14]

I need a quick lesson on what pathophysiology is, how to write up a patho on a diagnosis (ie. hypertension), and how to pull information out in a summarized form?

I am very lost; a patho book was not required for this semesters course so I feel left in the dark.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

What do you mean is a in a summarized form? You need this on a medical diagnosis?

Google is your friend....HYPERTENSION click on link.....click on the following links as well.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-blood-pressure/DS00100; American Society of Hypertension | ASH: Hypertension Specialists

medscape is my reference of choice. It requires registration but it is FREE!!!!!!!!

The pathogenesis of essential hypertension is multifactorial and highly complex.^[7] Multiple factors modulate the blood pressure (BP) for adequate tissue perfusion and include humoral mediators, vascular reactivity, circulating blood volume, vascular caliber, blood viscosity, cardiac output, blood vessel elasticity, and neural stimulation. A possible pathogenesis of essential hypertension has been proposed in which multiple factors, including genetic predisposition, excess dietary salt intake, and adrenergic tone, may interact to produce hypertension. Although genetics appears to contribute to essential hypertension, the exact mechanism has not been established.

Medscape: Medscape Access

Are you in a 2 or 4 year school? Does your school require pathophysiology? What pathophys book do they recommend? Have you asked your instructors?

What are schools thinking?

[hodgieRN]

Well, I like to describe patho as "how" the body works, "why" processes happen, "when" they happen, and "where" it occurs. So, I guess you could write how, why, when, and where hypertension occurs in the body ( and what causes it or how it is treated).

[classicdame, MSN, EdD]

does your school require that all textbooks be in the library? May not if they are not required. I would check out the library.

[charli_appleRN]

patho is the disease process.....in other words, what does a particular disease do to the body

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Just because you don't have a patho book required doesn't mean you can't go out and get one. Nursing will involve life-long learning-- I have bought many, many more books since I graduated than I did in seven years of formal schooling, and if you are smart, you will too.

Suggestion for this one: The Physiology Coloring Book, not a joke but a real, useful resource that will have you miles ahead of your class :) Once you know how it;s supposed to work, you can see what happens when it goes awry. Available at your favorite online bookstore, 2-day free shipping if you're a student. At Amazon.