SCI 261 Mechanisms of Disease

Content

In this course the relation between the normal function (physiology) and disease (pathophysiology) is illustrated for seven basic organ systems: 1. heart and blood vessels (cardiology, arteriosclerosis) , 2. lung (pulmonology), 3. kidney (nephrology), 4. gastro intestinal tract, 5. endocrine glands (endocrinology), 6. the central nervous system and 7. the reproductive system. To demonstrate the relation between two or more organ systems the course ends with diabetes in which aspects of endocrinology, the cardiovascular and nervous system are combined.

Instructor

Dr. Ger Rijkers

Track

Biomedical Science

Period

Spring / 2012

Aim

The aim of this course is to give insight in the principles of the mechanisms of diseases. For the organ systems mentioned the student first has to study the embryology and anatomy, Using this information as a skeleton the basic physiology is studied and using the combined knowledge the student must derive the symptoms and failures in the system or the pathophysiology. As an example: an unborn child does not use its lungs yet. Therefore it shunts blood between the lung artery and the aorta. In most cases this shunt is located in the arch of the aorta between the two carotid arteries and it is called the Ductus arteriosus or Ductus Botalli. As a rule this shunt closes immediately after birth, but in some children the closing mechanism is too extensive and part of the aorta becomes narrowed. The student must derive from both the knowledge of the embryology and the anatomy which symptoms arise from this anomaly (high blood pressure in the right arm, low pressure in the left arm and in the legs). But the students should also realise that the heart eventually will enlarge and suffer from the even increasing pressure it has to deal with. In fact the student uses embryologic (the formation of the vascular system), anatomic (names, location and function of the large vessels) and physiologic (adaptation of the heart, blood pressure regulation, flow through partial obstructions) knowledge and clinical insight. In general practice the patient presents himself with a complaint, not with a clear-cut diagnosis. The physician uses his basic knowledge (as described) together with experience from earlier patients for the diagnosis. The sequence of cognitive processes is the same for every disease. Early learning and training to work in this manner enables the building up of medical knowledge and experience.

Course Material

• Clinical Medicine, P Kumar and M Clark, 6-th edition 2005, Saunders 9780702027635.
  

Prerequisites

The following courses are required in order to take this course:

• SCI 131 Introduction to Life Science
• SCI 232 Functional Anatomy
• SCI 234 Human Physiology