Aetiopathogenesis (etiopathogenesis)

Aetiopathogenesis is defined as the analysis of the causes and development of a pathology or an abnormal condition. The term derives from the "union of" etiology "and" pathogenesis ", which in the medical field indicate, respectively, the causal factors (etiology) and the mechanism of onset, and consequent development, of a pathological process (pathogenesis).

The etiopathogenesis can be certain (precisely determinable), multifactorial (attributable to various factors), uncertain, unknown or misunderstood. Most of the most common diseases recognize a "multifactorial etiopathogenesis, since origin and development are often due to" interaction of genetic factors (familiarity, heredity, small mutations, etc.) with the very important environmental component (diet, physical activity, body weight, smoking habit, stress, alcohol intake, drugs, various types of abuse, etc.). The importance of these behavioral factors in the etiopathogenesis of various diseases is underlined by the fact that their expression in homozygous twins (therefore with the same genetic heritage) can also vary significantly.