Which term refers to the cause or origin of a disease?

Which term refers to the cause or origin of a disease?

• A. Etiology
• B. Diagnosis
• C. Prognosis
• D. Therapy

Answer: (A)

Etiology refers to the cause or origin of a disease. It covers the factors or agents that initiate and drive disease development, such as pathogens, genetic mutations, or environmental exposures. Understanding etiology helps explain why a disease occurs and guides prevention and targeted interventions. Diagnosis is about identifying the disease based on symptoms and tests, prognosis concerns the likely course and outcome, and therapy covers treatments to manage or cure the condition. Therefore, etiology is the correct term because it directly describes the disease’s cause or origin.

Etiology refers to the cause or origin of a disease. It covers the factors or agents that initiate and drive disease development, such as pathogens, genetic mutations, or environmental exposures. Understanding etiology helps explain why a disease occurs and guides prevention and targeted interventions. Diagnosis is about identifying the disease based on symptoms and tests, prognosis concerns the likely course and outcome, and therapy covers treatments to manage or cure the condition. Therefore, etiology is the correct term because it directly describes the disease’s cause or origin.