Pathomechanism is a term used in medicine to describe the biological processes responsible for the development of a disease. However, there are several other synonyms that can be used to describe the same phenomenon. These include pathophysiology, which refers to the study of functional changes in the body that occur in response to disease; etiology, which is the study of the causes of diseases; and pathogenesis, which deals with the steps that lead to the development of a disease. Other related terms include morbidity and mortality, which denote the level of illness and death associated with a particular disease. Ultimately, all of these terms refer to the complex processes that govern the development and progression of diseases.