Spread (medicine)

In medicine, spread or spread is understood to mean the migration of a locally limited disease process or a pathogen from one original location ( focus , primary focus , scattering focus ) to another. It can spread within an organ , between different organs or to the entire organism ( generalization ). When a malignant tumor spreads, one speaks in this case of metastasis in the narrower sense. The different types of spread are particularly important in the spread of infections by bacteria , viruses , fungi , protozoa and helminths . For some diseases, the way in which it spreads is characteristic or the spread is an indispensable prerequisite for the disease itself.

A distinction is made according to the type of spread:

• Spread per continuitatem : Continuously overarching along anatomically connected structures (example: spread of a basalioma through continuous spread). Special forms of this are the galactogenic (via the milk ducts of the mammary gland ) and the omphalogenic (via the navel ).
• Spread per contiguitatem : Comprehensive by touching structures that are anatomically separated by a gap (example: spread of a peripheral tuberculosis focus of the lung to the parietal pleural skin through direct contact across the pleural gap )
• Lymphogenic spread: spread by spreading the pathogen or tumor cells with the lymph in the lymph vessels
• hematogenous spread: spread via the bloodstream
• Chologene spread: spread via the bile

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• C. Mims, HM Dockrell et al .: Medical microbiology / infectiology . Munich (Elsevier) 2006 ISBN 3-437-41272-8
• Roche Lexicon Medicine, 5th edition 2003

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !