introduction to pathology branches or areas of pathology, scope of pathology ,importance

1. AREAS OF PATHOLOGY OR TYPES OF
PATHOLOGY OR BRANCHES OF
PATHOLOGY
Currently, pathology can be divided into eight main areas
• GENERAL PATHOLOGY
• ANATOMICAL PATHOLOGY
• CLINICAL PATHOLOGY

2. Cont..
• CHEMICAL PATHOLOGY OR BIOCHEMISTRY
• GENETICS
• HEMATOLOGY
• IMMUNOLOGY
• MICROBIOLOGY

3. cont..
GENERAL PATHOLOGY
cell and tissue injury and understanding how the body responds to
and repairs injury. Examples of areas that may be studied include
necrosis, neoplasia, wound healing, inflammation and how cells adapt
to injury. Thorough understanding in these areas is applied in the
diagnosis of disease.

4. Cont..
ANATOMICAL PATHOLOGY
This field is concerned with the study and diagnosis of illness through
microscopic analysis of samples from bodily fluids, tissues organs and
sometimes the entire body or autopsy.
Histology
Cytology
Forensic pathology

5. Cont..
CLINICAL PATHOLOGY
CHEMICAL PATHOLOGY OR BIOCHEMISTRY
Biochemists or chemical pathologists examine all aspects of disease,
identifying changes in various different substances found in the blood
and bodily fluids such as proteins, hormones and electrolytes since
these changes can indicate and provide clues about disease or disease
risk.

6. Cont..
GENETICS
• Cytogenetics: This is the analysis of chromosomal abnormalities at
the microscopic level.
• Biochemical genetics: The search for specific disease markers using
biochemical techniques.
• Molecular genetics: Gene mutations are searched for and analyzed
using DNA technology.

7. Cont..
HEMATOLOGY
This field is concerned with various different disease aspects that
affect the blood, including bleeding disorders, clotting problems, and
anemia, for example. Another area of hematology is transfusion
medicine, which involves performing blood typing, cross-matching for
compatibility and managing large amounts of blood products.

8. Cont..
IMMUNOLOGY
Immunologists perform immune function tests to establish whether or
not a patient is suffering from an allergy and if so, what they are
allergic to. Many diseases also arise as a result of the immune system
having an abnormal reaction to healthy cells or tissues and launching
an immune attack against them. This is referred to as an autoimmune
disease. There is a range of immunological tests that can detect markers
of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and
lupus.

9. Cont..
MICROBIOLOGY
Microbiology is concerned with diseases caused by pathogenic agents
such as bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi. Samples of blood,
bodily fluid and tissue are tested to establish whether infection exists,
and the field of medical microbiology is also engaged with identifying
new species of microorganisms.

10. IMPORTANCE OF PATHOLOGY
• General knowledge about how diseases are caused.
• General pattern and classification of diseases.
• Evolution of disease from its cause to clinical presentation.
• The signs and symptoms of disease.
• Nature, spread and precautions to prevent common diseases.

11. Cont..
• Better understand the patient and his disease.
• Pathology play a vital role in blood transfusion, blood storage and
organ storage.
• Importance in developing vaccines for several infections and
diseases.
• IMPORTANCE IN NURSING PRACTICE