Google definitions:
the manner of development of a disease.
the likely course of a medical condition.
They sound similar, perhaps it is about time I used a proper online dictionary.
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3Pathogenesis looks backward: it's where the affliction came from, and more broadly its usual course of development. Prognosis looks forward: it's where the doctor expects a particular patient with the disease to end up.– StoneyB on hiatusCommented Dec 7, 2014 at 4:16
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1@Kris - Nonsense. They are totally comparable, as much as any English words are. There is no need to know "the concepts of 'disease' and 'medical condition' as relevant to the context". Both disease and medical conditions have an etiology (pathogenesis) and a more or less likely course (prognosis).– anongoodnurseCommented Dec 7, 2014 at 5:57
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1@Kris - Again, nonsense.– anongoodnurseCommented Dec 7, 2014 at 6:12
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1Google is not a dictionary, full stop! Had you bothered to consult an actual dictionary instead of googling, you might have learned that a “process or manner of origination of a disease or bodily affection” so contrasts with a “forecast of the probable course and termination of a case of disease” as for there to be no possible confusion between them (source: OED, an actual dictionary). But you didn’t: you used Google, which gives different answers to the same question to different people, or even to the same person at different times. DO NOT TRUST GOOGLE FOR MATTERS LEXICOGRAPHICAL!– tchrist ♦Commented Dec 7, 2014 at 22:32
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2Thanks for asking: we actually have a FAQ on that very question.– tchrist ♦Commented Dec 7, 2014 at 22:48
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2 Answers
It is precisely as StoneyB has said with a bit more eloquence than your dictionary.
The word pathogenesis is derived from the Greek words pathos (feeling, suffering, disease) and genesis (creation; origination). Together, they indicate the way a disease originated ("the manner of development of a disease").
The word prognosis is derived from the Greek words pro (forward) and gnosis (knowledge). Together, they indicate a forecast, a knowing ahead of the likely outcome of a situation ("the likely course of a medical condition").
The pathogenesis of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus is a lack of insulin-secreting cells in the pancreas, leading to elevated blood sugar. The prognosis is that the individual will need to take insulin for the rest of their life, and they are somewhat likely to develop one or more of a set of problems related to chronic elevation of blood sugar in the future.
answered Dec 7, 2014 at 6:08
Pathogenesis is the way that a medical condition develops.
The word is based on pathology (the study of diseases, esp by examining tissue samples both macroscopically and microscopically, and blood tests, and really any test on any specimen -blood, urine, sputum, pus ... etc - from a person (or animal if considering veterinary pathology; or plant if considering plant pathology) and genesis (meaning origin and how the condition progresses/develops with time). Thus "patho-genesis".
Prognosis is different. Its what the doctor tells you when you ask whats going to happen next after diagnosis of a condition.
So if for example the doctor diagnoses that you have lung cancer and it has spread to your lymph glands and also there are also cancerous deposits in your liver (this being an advanced condition of the cancer) and you ask "How long have I got to live?", then the answer that the doctor gives you is called the "prognosis" - its what he (or she) expects the outcome to be. This answer may be a judgement call based on experience with other patients, or an estimate based on published results in medical journals (for patients with this stage of the condition). A common thing is to talk about the "5 year survival rate". So the answer - the "prognosis" - in this example might be something like: "Well for patients with this cancer which is as advanced as this the chance of you being alive in 5 years time is about 10%, though with chemotherapy it could increase to 20% if the cancer is responsive". This is an estimate, not a definite answer, as every case is different.
Another example would be if you get influenza. The prognosis here is not about death, but about how long it (typically) takes to recover. So you might be told: "You are likely to be feeling unwell for another week or so then you well gradually improve and should be well enough to go back to work in 2 weeks time, though you may continue to have a cough for a few weeks more" - this answer is the doctor giving the patient an individual prognosis, but of course such answers are really estimates based on the usual situation.
(These 2 particular examples about the meaning of "prognosis" are not meant to be accurate or to be medical advice - just made up practical examples. It usually easier to understand by considering concrete examples.)
And of course the 2 are related in the medical sense. If the doctor has knowledge (from his training, experience, or from textbooks) of the usual progression (including the recovery phase) of a disease - that is, if he/she knows the usual "pathogenesis" (including here how long things take to recover, rather than just what causes what) of the disease - then he/she can give a more reliable "prognosis" about what is likely to happen in the future (whether recovery, complications, death etc).
Both words can be used in a non-medical context as well, say in a figurative or metaphorical way. For example if you have your car stolen and you ask the police officer what are the chances of getting the car back undamaged, then the answer (say "less than a 10% chance") is his 'prognosis' of this outcome. And this answer could be said to be due to his knowledge of the 'pathogenesis' (in the sense of the usual progression of events and the ability/resources of the police service) of car theft events in his local area.
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1Pathology is the study of disease. It is different from pathogenesis. You know the genesis of pathos by studying (-logy) it, as biology is different from biogenesis. Commented Dec 7, 2014 at 7:39