Pathophysiology

Course Code: AMG 115 • Study year: I • Academic Year: 2025-2026
Domain: Health • Field of study: Nursing
Type of course: Compulsory
Language of instruction: English
Erasmus Language of instruction: English
Name of lecturer: Adrian Ghigolea
Seminar tutor: Antonia Nitescu
Form of education Full-time
Form of instruction: Lecture
Number of teaching hours per semester: 56
Number of teaching hours per week: 4
Semester: Summer
Form of receiving a credit for a course: Grade
Number of ECTS credits allocated 3

Course aims:

Knowledge and understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the onset and evolution of pathological processes.
Explanation of clinical manifestations and functional imbalances based on the underlying mechanisms.
Differentiation between functional disorders that contribute to disease onset, those that result from disease, and those produced by compensatory mechanisms triggered by disease.

Course Entry Requirements:

Physiology, Anatomy

Course contents:

Introductory notions. Definition and scope of pathophysiology. Pathophysiology of the inflammatory response: acute inflammation (definition, etiology, stages) and chronic inflammation (definition, classification, general features) – 2h
Interactive lecture with PowerPoint presentation and rich iconography (images, tables, explanatory schemes), available on the UMFVBT Moodle e-learning platform.

Pathophysiology of thermoregulation disorders: febrile reaction (definition, exogenous and endogenous pyrogens, phases, role and manifestations). Hyperthermia and hypothermia (definition, classification) – 2h

Pathophysiology of atherosclerosis: definition, risk factors, stages and mechanisms of atheroma plaque formation. Pathophysiology of coronary heart disease: myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (oxygen supply and demand, mechanisms), acute coronary syndromes (classification, pathogenesis, manifestations) – 2h

Teaching methods:

Lecture, conversation, exemplification.

Learning outcomes:

Acquisition of fundamental concepts of pathophysiology.

Learning outcomes verification and assessment criteria:

Final assessment: 50-item MCQ exam – 50%/Continuous assessment– 25%/Final assessment: oral practical exam– 25%

Recommended reading:

Sturza A., Borza A., Muntean D., Duicu O., Noveanu A., Applied Pathophysiology for Nurses, V. Babeș, Timișoara, 2016, -.
VanMeter K.C., Hubert R.J. Gould’s, Pathophysiology for Health Professions, Saunders, -, 2014., -.
Grossman S., Mattson Porth C. Porth’s, athophysiology: Concepts of Altered Health States, ippincott Williams & Wilkins, -, 2014, -.