Answer to Question #230464 in Human Anatomy and Physiology for Nicole

Question

Why is the function of the cell significant in the study of pathophysiology of diseases?

Answer 1

Pathophysiology is the study and analysis of the physiological processes that have undergone changes due to presence of a disease condition or an injury. It involves studying the abnormal changes in the organ or the individual to understand how the disease has an effect on the normal functions of the body. This study can help in tracing different methods of treatment for the disease-condition.

It is important to study pathophysiology at a cellular level as the cells are the fundamental units of a living organism. They work together to maintain homeostasis and a normal-functioning state. When the cell is not able to maintain a stable condition in response to a pathogen or an injury or any disease-condition, it slowly begins to adapt to the new conditions and the new environment. This cellular adaptation includes 4 types - hyperplasia, hypertrophy, atrophy and metaplasia. These adaptations can aid the body to do better in presence of the problem to keep the body functioning or it can be pathologic. However, if the cell is unable to adapt to the changes, they can die which in turn affects the organ. 

The cellular adapations:

1. Hyperplasia is the increase in the cell number. In a physiologic way, it happens, for example, when a women's breast increase in size during pregnancy. On the other hand, hyperplasia in a pathologic condition would be a continued formation of endometrium when the estrogen stimulus is prolonged.

2. Hypertrophy is the increase in cell size - physiologically as seen in cells in skeletal muscle due to exercise and pathologically, aortic stenosis increases the size of the heart.

3. Atrophy is the shrinkage of muscle mass or nerve tissue. A physiologic example of this would be the shrinkage seen in female pelvic organs after menopause and a pathologic example would be not receiving enough nutrition. 

4. Metaplasia is the conversion of a tissue type to another tissue type. 

Apart from this, when a cell is injured, a lot of changes occur within it. The cell responds with inflammation that eventually leads to fixing and repairing the damage. The inflammatory response leads to a release of mediators, clotting cascade and they all work together to repair the damage. Hence, while studying an injury, these factors can be looked out for to understand how the organ or the organ system is coping with the damage. 

In-detail study of the responses of cells in result to the effects created by pathogens or injuries or any disease primarily helps us understand the cellular level of how the body is trying to maintain its homeostasis when threatened. It provides a different insight on how the body can be treated to bring it back to normal. Hence, studying the function of a cell is significant in the study of pathophysiology of a disease.