Which term means the process and causes of a disease?

• A. Pathogenic
• B. Pathology
• C. Posterior
• D. Potential

Answer: (B)

Understanding disease through pathology helps explain this. Pathology is the study of disease, covering both what causes a disease (etiology) and how it develops and progresses (pathogenesis), along with the structural and functional changes that occur in tissues and organs. That combination of causes and progression is exactly what the term aims to describe, which is why it’s the best fit. A word like pathogenic describes something that can cause disease, but not the process or overall study of disease itself. Posterior is a directional term, and potential refers to possibility rather than the disease process.