5 - Health, Disease and the Development of Medicines Flashcards
Give the definition of health?
Health is the state of physical and mental well-being
True or false? Communicable diseases can be spread between people, or between animals and people.
True
Communicable diseases are contagious
Give two examples of non-communicable diseases
Examples of non-communicable diseases include: asthma, cancer and coronary heart disease
HIV is a virus that causes damage to the immune system. How would having HIV affect the likelihood of a person contracting a communicable disease, such as tuberculosis?
HIV would make a person more likely to contract communicable diseases, because their body is less able to defend itself against pathogens
Suggest how a person’s life situation could have an effect on their health
A person’s health could be affected by whether they have easy access to medicines to treat illness, or access to things that would prevent them from getting ill in the first place, such as healthy food or condoms.
Give two factors, other than disease and life situation, that can affect a person’s health
E.g. diet and stress
What is a stent? How do stents reduce the risk of heart attacks?
A stent is a tube that is inserted inside an artery. Stents keep coronary arteries open, so oxygenated blood can flow to the heart muscle.
What is one disadvantage of using stents?
There is a risk of complication during the operation, a risk of infection from surgery, and a risk of patients developing thrombosis (a blood clot) near the stent
Angelica has developed coronary heart disease. Describe the changes that have occurred in her coronary arteries. What are the consequences of these changes?
The coronary arteries that supply blood to Angelica’s heart have been blocked by layers of fatty material building up. This has narrowed the arteries, restricting the blood flow, which reduces the amount of oxygen that reaches the heart muscle
How might statins help to treat coronary heart disease?
Statins reduce cholesterol in the blood, slowing down the rate of fatty deposit formation
Mitral regurgitation is when one of the heart valves is leaky. Give one consequence of this disorder. Suggest how mitral regurgitation could be treated.
A leaky value could cause blood to circulate less effectively, as blood will flow in both directions. The valve could be replaced with a biological valve or with a man-made mechanical valve.
Raoul has heart failure and is fitted with an artificial heart. Outline how this compares to having a heart transplant using a real donor heart.
An artificial valve is less likely to be rejected by Raoul’s immune system than a donor heart. However, blood doesn’t flow through an artificial heart as smoothly, so Raoul will have to take drugs to thin his blood, which can cause problems with bleeding. Parts of the artificial heart could also wear out or the electrical motor could fail
How does the stomach help to defend the body against pathogens?
The stomach produces hydrochloric acid, which kills pathogens that reach the stomach
Describe the role of antibodies when somebody is first infected with a pathogen
Specific antibodies are produced by white blood cells to lock onto specific antigens on a pathogen. This is so the pathogen can be found and destroyed. The antibodies are rapidly multiplied and transported around the body to find similar pathogens.
Outline how a vaccination protects a person from future infections.
The person is injected with a small amount of a dead or inactive pathogen. The immune system produces antibodies specific to the antigens on the pathogens. In the future, if the person is infected by the live version of the same pathogen, then their white blood cells can rapidly produce the antibodies needed to kill it off
If a large proportion has been vaccinated, outbreaks of a disease can be prevented. Why isn’t it necessary for the entire population to have had the vaccination in order to prevent outbreaks
If most of the population has had the vaccination, then even the people who have not been vaccinated are unlikely to get the disease, because there are fewer people who are able to pass it to them
What are pathogens?
Microorganisms that cause communicable diseases
Bacteria, viruses and fungi are examples of types of pathogens. Give one other example of a type of pathogen.
Protists
Cholera is a disease that is spread by water. How could a person pick up the pathogen that causes cholera?
The pathogen could be picked up by drinking or bathing in contaminated water
Give two other ways that diseases can be spread
Diseases can be spread by air, by direct contact, through eating contaminated food and through exchanging infected bodily fluids.
State one way that the spread of malaria could be controlled.
By preventing mosquitos from breeding or by using mosquito nets to prevent mosquitos from biting people.
HIV can be spread by sexual contact. Give one other way that HIV can be spread
The sharing of needles between drug users. This is because HIV spreads through the exchange of bodily fluids, and sharing needles can cause the exchange of blood.
Describe the long term effects of HIV if it is not successfully controlled with drugs
The virus will attack the immune system cells, and over time, the immune system will become so damaged that it can no longer cope with other infections or cancers. This is called late stage HIV infection, or AIDS
Describe the role of mosquitos in the spread of malaria.
A mosquito picks up the malarial protist when it feeds on an infected animal. The mosquito acts as a vector (it carries the protist without getting the disease itself). Each time it feeds on another animal, it infects it by inserting the protist into the animal’s blood vessels.
