Pathology — 30-Min Notes

1. General Pathology

• Cell injury → reversible (swelling, fatty change) vs irreversible (necrosis, apoptosis).

• Necrosis types: coagulative (ischemia), liquefactive (brain, abscess), caseous (TB), fat (pancreas), fibrinoid (vessels).

• Inflammation: acute → neutrophils, exudate; chronic → lymphocytes, macrophages, fibrosis.

• High-yield: Granulomatous inflammation → TB, leprosy, sarcoidosis

• Tip: Acute vs chronic inflammation distinguished by duration and predominant cells.

2. Hematology

• Anemias: microcytic (iron deficiency), macrocytic (B12/folate), normocytic (chronic disease, hemolytic).

• Leukemias: acute (ALL, AML) → rapid onset; chronic (CML, CLL) → slow progression.

• High-yield: Iron deficiency → koilonychia, spoon nails; B12 deficiency → glossitis, neurological symptoms

• Hemostasis: primary (platelets), secondary (clotting factors); disorders: hemophilia A/B, von Willebrand disease.

• Tip: Bleeding time ↑ in platelet disorders; PT/INR ↑ in factor deficiencies.

3. Cardiovascular Pathology

• Atherosclerosis: intimal lipid deposition → plaques, risk of MI, stroke.

• Hypertension → left ventricular hypertrophy, nephrosclerosis.

• Myocardial infarction: STEMI → full thickness; NSTEMI → partial thickness.

• High-yield: MI biomarkers: Troponin I/T (most sensitive), CK-MB

• Tip: Pathology of heart valves → rheumatic heart disease → mitral stenosis, vegetations on leaflets.

4. Respiratory Pathology

• Pneumonia: lobar (S. pneumoniae), bronchopneumonia (S. aureus), interstitial (viral)

• TB: caseating granulomas, Ghon focus, lung apex preference

• High-yield: Smoking → squamous metaplasia, risk of squamous cell carcinoma

• Tip: ARDS → diffuse alveolar damage, hyaline membranes, hypoxemia

• Chronic bronchitis vs emphysema → blue bloater vs pink puffer; key for exam differentiation

5. Gastrointestinal Pathology

• Peptic ulcer → H. pylori common, gastric vs duodenal features

• Inflammatory bowel disease: Crohn (skip lesions, transmural), UC (continuous, mucosal only)

• High-yield: Colorectal carcinoma → adenoma-carcinoma sequence; FAP → multiple polyps

• Tip: Liver pathology → Hepatitis (viral), Cirrhosis (micronodular vs macronodular)

• Pancreas: acute vs chronic pancreatitis; fat necrosis, pseudocysts common complications

6. Renal Pathology

• Nephrotic syndrome → proteinuria >3.5 g/day, edema, hypoalbuminemia

• Nephritic syndrome → hematuria, hypertension, oliguria

• High-yield: Minimal change disease → children; IgA nephropathy → episodic hematuria

• Tip: RPGN → crescent formation on biopsy; rapidly progressive kidney failure

• Glomerular diseases: membranous, membranoproliferative, FSGS; differentiate by biopsy and clinical features

7. High-Yield Repeated Points (NEET MDS)

• Cell injury: reversible vs irreversible

• Granulomatous inflammation → TB, leprosy, sarcoidosis

• Iron deficiency anemia → spoon nails, koilonychia

• B12 deficiency → glossitis, neurological symptoms

• MI biomarkers → Troponin I/T most sensitive

• Colorectal carcinoma → adenoma-carcinoma sequence

• Minimal change disease → children, nephrotic syndrome

• ARDS → hyaline membranes, hypoxemia