Etiology

In literature

It is a rhetorical figure used in poems and other types of expressions, which explains the causes of things.

In medicine

The etiology is the study of the causes of things. It is usually used in the field of medicine and philosophy.

In philosophy

This discipline uses a general study of the causes that produce many things. It can be something as profound as the origin of life on Earth, or the causes that produced a virus .

The experts will have the tools to scrutinize all the variables and elements involved in order to number the possible causes.

In medicine

The widest use of this concept is found in the field of medicine. And it is that doctors have specialized in the investigation of the causes that give rise to the development of diseases . Many times, depending on this extraction, more accurate diagnoses or more efficient treatments are defined.

Many of the causes already known today were studied under the etiology of things and it is very likely that at this time this study is being applied to more disorders.

History in medicine

Since ancient times, medical professionals apply certain techniques to quickly understand what is happening with a patient. They are trained to ask the right questions for an early diagnosis before attempting more technical analysis.

Already in the 19th century, various instruments began to be used to make diagnoses or determine causes of diseases in the most precise way. At present, the field of robotics and artificial intelligence in medicine is more advanced, achieving great support for specialists.

How does the etiological study work?

In summary, it has been established that a disease includes three factors to evaluate: a host (the organism that becomes ill), an agent (what causes the disease) and an environment (the environment). The three factors, according to the etiology, must be concurrent in space and time for the disease to manifest itself.

Examples of etiology

In the literature:

“Do not allow the torment
to go away, because it does so on purpose,
because by the time it returns I
will feel more and complain . “
(from Quevedo)

Types of causes caused by host alteration :

• Genetics
• Congenital
• Nutritional
• Metabolic
• Degenerative
• Autoimmune
• Inflammatory
• Endocrine
• Mental

Causes by direct action of the agent on the host :

• Infectious
• Parasitic
• Venereal
• Toxic
• Traumatic
• Allergic
• Latrogens

Causes due to the influence of the environment-agent on the host :

• Environmental
• Professionals
• Mechanopostural
• By external cause
• Diseases of multifactorial etiology:
• Neoplastic
• Development
• Idiopathic
• Psychosomatic