B7 Flashcards
Non-communicable diseases
1
Q
What is a non-communicable disease ?
A
A disease that cannot be contracted/passed on between individuals
2
Q
What are the main risk factors for non-communicable disease ?
A
- genetics
[] some non-communicable diseases like certain cancers and diabetes may increase their chances of developing them later in life - age
- lifestyle
[] smoking, drinking and diet all contribute to the development of different non-communicable diseases - environmental factors
[] excess ionising radiation in the form of UV light or x-ray may stimulate random changes in the DNA of one’s cells, thus mutating them and increasing risk of cancer
[] second-hand smoking
[] exposure to carcinogenic chemicals
3
Q
What is a causal mechanism ?
A
An explanation as to how one factor influences another THROUGH A BIOLOGICAL PROCESS
[] if a causal link can be demonstrated, the link between two things goes from simple correlation to causal mechanism
4
Q
What is the main (economic) impact of non-communicable disease ?
A
- non-communicable disease affects many more people than communicable disease across all age ranges and is a bigger killer
[] treating non-communicable disease is often an intensive process and costs the government a lot of money
[] if people are unable to work, local taxpayers are responsible for paying for the person’s government benefits, causing a rise in taxes and meaning the economy is weakened
5
Q
What is a benign tumour ?
A
- growth of tumour cells (mutated, rapidly dividing cells that are uncontrolled in their reproduction) in one place, usually contained by a membrane
[] do not spread around the body, so are not referred to as cancer - can be dangerous if pressing on vital organs, as the continued, uncontrolled growth can eventually begin to damage organs due to the increased pressure on them
- relatively easy to surgically remove, so can be cured quickly
[] HOWEVER - all tumour cells must be removed, otherwise the tumour will simply regrow
6
Q
What is a malignant tumour ?
A
- tumours that are not contained in one place and can spread around the body, invading neighbouring healthy tissues
[] after the main tumour forms, small clumps of tumour cells can break off, travelling through the blood and lymphatic system to reach other sites in the body where they lodge and develop into secondary tumours - completely disrupt normal tissues, and steal resources from healthy tissues via tumour cells signalling to divert blood vessels to the tumour, providing it with nutrients to grow instead of the healthy tissue
- movement of malignant tumours around the body make them more fatal and difficult to treat
7
Q
Describe 4 of the main causes of cancer
A
- 15% of cancers are triggered by viruses, like HPV for cervical cancer
[] teenagers in the UK are routinely vaccinated against HPV thus - genetic predisposition to development of cancer
- overexposure to ionising radiation
- exposure to chemical carcinogens, like tar in cigarettes
8
Q
Describe the two ways in which cancer is currently treated, as well as the benefits/disadvantages of both
A
- radiotherapy
[] small, controlled bursts of high-frequency radiation (often x-rays or gamma rays) are fired at tumour sites to prevent the mitosis of cells as well as to destroy them
[] HOWEVER often damages healthy tissue surrounding the tumours - chemotherapy
[] chemicals are used to stop the cancer cells from dividing or to make them self destruct
[] sometimes can damage surrounding tissues, but there are developing methods to ensuring chemical delivery is as specific to cancer as possible
9
Q
What are the three main components in cigarette/tobacco smoke ?
A
- nicotine
- carbon monoxide
- tar
10
Q
What is nicotine ?
A
- toxin that stimulates the body to produce adrenalin
[] increases heart rate and blood pressure, making the heart work much harder (raises risk of heart attack) - highly addictive
- gives people a sensation of calm
11
Q
What is carbon monoxide ?
A
- odourless, colourless gas
- binds to haemoglobin in red blood cells better than oxygen, blocking oxygen from binding to red blood cells
[] heart has to work harder to pump more blood to supply efficient oxygen to the body - leads to shortness of breath and fatigue in smokers
12
Q
What is tar ?
A
- black/brown tacky substance made of over 1000 chemicals, many of which are carcinogens
[] stains teeth and lungs of smokers
[] increases risk of lung, mouth and throat cancer - irritates trachea and bronchi, and anaesthetise the cilia that usually clear away mucus and these particulate irritants
[] mucus builds up, causing a lot of coughing (smoker’s cough) - build up of tar in lung tissue can break down alveoli and cause COPD and emphysema
[] reduces in surface area of lungs, making gas exchange less efficient and causing breathlessness, eventually death - tar makes more likely to contract bronchitis (inflammation and infection of bronchi)
13
Q
Which diseases is smoking a risk factor for ?
A
- COPD
- atherosclerosis/cardiovascular diseases (thus heart attacks)
- cancer (especially throat, lung and mouth)
- chronic breathlessness
- strokes (due to high blood pressures and atherosclerosis)
14
Q
What effects does smoking have on the baby of a pregnant smoker ?
A
increases likelihood of:
[] cot death
[] stillbirth
[] premature birth
[] low birthweight
this is often because a lack of oxygen in the mother’s blood means that the baby cannot grow properly
- smoking near the end of pregnancy may mean that the baby is born with symptoms of withdrawal
[] increased irritability
[] difficulty sleeping
15
Q
What is obesity a risk factor for ?
A
- type 2 diabetes
- high blood pressure
- heart disease
16
Q
What are the benefits of exercise and proper diet on the body (and why) ?
A
- less likelihood of suffering from heart disease and type 2 diabetes
- more muscle tissue means higher metabolic rate and thus less chance of being overweight
- heart fitter and with better blood supply, reducing CHD risk
[] exercise lowers cholesterol levels
17
Q
What are the main effects of drinking alcohol on the body ?
A
- when drinking:
[] lowers inhibitions and impulse control; higher risk of accidents
[] too high a dose can be fatal, a cause of coma or unconsciousness
[] causes vasodilation, leading the body to lose heat
[] alcohol easily passes into body tissues, including the brain, and is toxic - in general:
[] liver cirrhosis (active liver cells replaced with scar tissues that cannot perform important functions of the liver)
[] alcohol is a carcinogen, so increases risk of cancer
[] causes damage to the brain in heavy, long-term drinkers (makes brain matter pulpy and loses many vital structures; also a cause of death)
18
Q
Describe the effects of alcohol on unborn babies
A
- alcohol passes across placenta to the developing foetus
- increases risk of:
[] miscarriage
[] stillbirth
[] premature birth
[] low birthweight - brain and liver of the foetus can be heavily affected, causing severe disabilities if baby is born alive
- development of FAS (foetal alcohol syndrome)
[] facial deformities
[] deformities of the teeth and jaws
[] problems with hearing, kidneys, liver and heart
[] ALL OF THESE AFFECTED REGIONS HAVE CLOSE LINKS WITH NEURODEVELOPMENT IN THE BRAIN
19
Q
Give 4 common sources of ionising radiation
A
- UV light from the sun or tanning beds
- medical and dental x-rays
[] higher carcinogenic effects for x-ray technicians who are regularly around these - nuclear accidents like Chernobyl
- radioactive gases or materials in soil, water and air, particularly radon gas in granite-rich areas
