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Natural History of Disease

Natural history of disease refers to the progression of a disease over time from its earliest stage through recovery, disability, or death without treatment. Each disease has its own unique natural history. The stages include pre-pathogenesis when the disease agent is present but has not yet interacted with the host, pathogenesis when the agent enters the host and causes changes, and the final outcome of recovery, disability, or death. Understanding the natural history is important for public health practices and prevention strategies tailored to different disease stages.

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PRATIK SHRESTHA
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274 views17 pages

Natural History of Disease

Natural history of disease refers to the progression of a disease over time from its earliest stage through recovery, disability, or death without treatment. Each disease has its own unique natural history. The stages include pre-pathogenesis when the disease agent is present but has not yet interacted with the host, pathogenesis when the agent enters the host and causes changes, and the final outcome of recovery, disability, or death. Understanding the natural history is important for public health practices and prevention strategies tailored to different disease stages.

Uploaded by

PRATIK SHRESTHA
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Natural History of Disease

Ram Shrestha
Principal
NAMS College
Natural History of Disease
• Natural History is the way of disease
development process in which a disease
progress over time from the earliest stage of pre-
pathogenesis to its termination as recovery or
disability or death in the absence of treatment or
prevention.
• Each disease has its own unique natural history
and that is not necessarily the same in all
individuals.
1. Pre-pathogenesis: It refers the period
preliminary to the onset of disease process in
man (i.e. the disease process in the
environment). The disease agent yet to enter in
man but the factors which favor its interaction
with the human host are already existed in the
environment. The condition is frequently
referred as “man in the midst of disease” or
“man exposed to the risk of diseases”
• Potentially, we all are in the pre-pathogenesis
phase of many disease both communicable
and non-communicable.
• The mere presences of agent, host and
favorable environment factors in the pre-
pathogenesis stage is not sufficient to start
disease.
• To initiate the disease process, there is need to
interaction the three factors - agent, host and
environment.
2. Pathogenesis Phase:
• The pathogenesis phase starts with the entry of
disease agents in the susceptible human host.
• The pathogenesis is clear-cut in infectious
diseases. The disease agent multiplies and
induces the tissues and physiological changes
• The disease progress through the period
incubation and latter early and late
pathogenesis
• The final outcome of the disease is the
recovery, disability or death
• The pathogenesis phase can be modified with
immunization or other preventive measures or
chemotherapy .
• In this state, the host’s reaction with infection is
not predictable. The infection may be clinical or
sub-clinical, typical or atypical or the host may
be a carrier or having without clinical disease.
• In chronic disease like coronary heart disease,
hypertension, cancer the early pathogenesis
phase is pre-symptomatic or there is no visible
of disease. The pathological changes are below
the level of “clinical horizon”
• The clinical stage begins with recognizable
signs and symptoms appear. The disease phase
already well advanced into the late
pathogenesis phase.
Importance
• The natural history of
disease is important in public health, because
it provides a framework for prevention. Sound
and effective public health practice links
specific kinds of prevention to different states
or stages of a disease's progress in an
individual or a population.

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