Introduction  to clinical cases

homeostasis and disease

HOMEOSTASIS: homeo = similar and stasis = position stability. It is the search for balance of systems and in particular of living. All living organisms are born with devices designed to automatically solve the basic problems of life.

So that the body cells will survive, the composition of the surrounding fluid must be maintained in a precise 

way at all times. The fluid found outside of cells is called extracellular fluid (extra = outside) (LEC) and has two main locations. The LEC that occupies the narrow spaces between the cells is the interstitial fluid (inter = between) intercellular fluid or tissue fluid. The LEC existing blood vessels is the plasma. The fluid inside the cells is the intracellular fluid (intra = within) (LIC). The plasma flows from the arteries and arterioles microscopic vessels called capillaries. Certain plasma components leave the blood through the capillaries and the liquid flows through the spaces between cells of the organism. In these places called interstitial fluid. Most of the liquid returns to the capillaries in the form of plasma and passes venules and veins. Part of the interstitial fluid becomes lymphatic vessels called capillaries microscopic nodes. In them, the liquid is called lymph. Ultimately, the lymph back to blood. As the interstitial fluid surrounding every cell in the body, usually disqualifies the name of the internal environment. Among the substances dissolved in water LEC and LIC is gases, nutrients and electrically charged chemical particles called ions such as sodium (Na +) and chlorine (Cl-), necessary to sustain life.

It is said that a body is in homeostasis when its internal environment

  1) has the optimum concentration of gases, nutrients, ions and water,

  2) the optimal temperature

3) has an optimum volume for the health of the cells. When homeostasis is disrupted can cause illness. If not recovered fluids homeostasis, the end result can be death

Homeostasis by regulating the nervous and endocrine systems

The body's homeostatic responses are regulated by the nervous system and endocrine system, which act in unison or independently. The nervous system regulates homeostasis detecting deviations that occur in relation to the equilibrium state and sending messages as nerve impulses to the appropriate bodies to counteract stress. For example, when activated fibers (cells), muscle consume a large amount of oxygen from the blood, while producing much carbon dioxide, which also penetrates it. Certain nerve cells detect these chemical changes of the blood and send impulses to the brain that, in response to them, sends impulses to the heart to pump blood in a faster and more powerful to the lungs, so they expel the anhydride carbon and oxygen uptake encourage faster. At the same time, the brain sends nerve impulses to muscles that control breathing to contract more frequently. As a result, more carbon dioxide is expelled and inhaled more oxygen.

The endocrine system (a group of glands that emit into the blood some chemical regulators called hormones) also involved in the regulation of homeostasis. While rapid changes nerve impulses, hormones tend to act more slowly. Both regulatory mechanisms work together to achieve the same goal, to maintain homeostasis.

Disease: imbalance of homeostasis

While the various processes of the body to remain within the limits of normal saline, the cells in the body operate efficiently and maintain homeostasis (health). However, when one or more components of the body lose their ability to contribute to homeostasis organic processes do not work efficiently. If the imbalance of homeostasis is moderate disease may occur, while if intense can lead to death of the individual.

The disease is any alteration in relation to health status of a part or the whole organism, it does not work normally. A local disease is affecting a party or a limited area of the body. A general or systemic disease affects the entire body or several parts. Each disease alters the structure and function in a specific organic. A patient may have some more symptoms. The symptoms are subjective alterations of body functions that are not apparent to an observer, for example, headache or nausea.

 The objective changes that the clinician can observe and measure are called signs. Signs may be anatomical or functional: sweating, fever, rash, paralysis, etc..

The science that is why, when and where diseases occur and how they are transmitted in the human community is called epidemiology (epi = on or between, demos = people, logos = study). The science that deals with the effects and uses of drugs for the treatment of diseases is pharmacology (pharmakon = drug or poison).

diagnosis of the disease