38 topics with concise breakdowns: definitions, key facts, and class questions.
This section focuses on macro- and microscopic changes in diseases of the heart and circulatory system. Cardiovascular pathology is the absolute foundation for understanding the number one cause of mortality worldwide.
Here we consistently review the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, stages of hypertension, and fatal consequences of ischemic heart disease, including detailed pathogenesis and myocardial infarction morphology. Separate blocks cover inflammatory processes (endocarditis, myocarditis), systemic vasculitis (from granulomatosis with polyangiitis to Kawasaki disease), and venous pathology (thrombophlebitis, varices). The section also details the morphology of congenital (e.g., Tetralogy of Fallot, aortic coarctation) and acquired heart defects, cardiomyopathies, vascular tumors, and heart transplantation.
What is most frequently asked in class? Examiners do not forgive ignorance of atherosclerosis morphogenesis, microscopic stages of myocardial infarction, and the clinical and morphological forms of hypertension. Pay special attention to the classification of systemic vasculitis and hemodynamics in congenital heart defects—these are classic "killer" questions in system-based pathology modules.
Which layer of the artery is damaged first in atherosclerosis?
The pathological process always begins with damage to the tunica intima (inner lining) of the arteries against the background of blood composition changes.
What cells are called "foam cells" and how do they form?
These are macrophages that have migrated into the vessel wall and ingested a large amount of lipids. Due to the accumulation of fat droplets, their cytoplasm appears foamy under a microscope.
What does the presence of both lipid spots and calcification in a single vessel indicate?
Such a combination of various stages within a single artery is direct proof of the wave-like and progressive course of atherosclerosis.
How does hypertension differ from symptomatic arterial hypertension?
Symptomatic (secondary) hypertension is merely a sign of another disease and completely disappears after its cure. Essential hypertension is an independent primary pathology with an unknown exact cause, accounting for up to 95% of all cases.
What does the term "cor bovinum" mean in pathological anatomy?
This is marked myocardial hypertrophy in hypertension, where the heart mass reaches 900–1000 g and the left ventricular wall thickness reaches 2–3 cm (cor bovinum).
How does symptomatic hypertension differ from essential hypertension?
In symptomatic hypertension, high blood pressure is a consequence of a specific disease (e.g., an adrenal tumor or renal artery stenosis). In hypertension (essential), the elevation of blood pressure is an independent primary pathology.
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