B7 - Non-communicable Diseases

Question 1

What are carcinogens?

Answer 1

agents that cause cancer or significantly increase the risk of developing cancer

Question 2

What is a causal mechanism?

Answer 2

something that explains how one factor influences another

Question 3

What is correlation?

Answer 3

an apparent link or relationship between two factors

Question 4

What is ionising radiation?

Answer 4

has enough energy to cause ionisation in the materials it passes through, which in turn can make them biologically active and may result in mutation and cancer

Question 5

What is a non-communicable disease?

Answer 5

A disease that cannot spread from one person to another

Question 6

What are risk factors for diseases?

Answer 6

• Aspects of your lifestyle such as smoking, lack of exercise, or overeating
• Substances that are present in the environment or in your body such as ionising radiation, UV light from the sun, or second-hand tobacco smoke
• Age
• Genetic makeup

Question 7

Why do scientists need to do research before declaring a correlation of 2 things as a causal mechanism?

Answer 7

They have to do lots of research as it may just be a correlation but not actually a causation

Question 8

What are the impacts of non-communicable diseases?

Answer 8

Every serious disease has an impact on human life. Local communities are often tasked with supporting and looking after those who are ill, this could also have a financial cost as if a wage-earner becomes ill they will not be able to work. Diseases also cost nations huge sums of money treating those who are ill and the loss of money when people are not working

Question 9

What % of disease related deaths are non-communicable?

Answer 9

70%

Question 10

What is the addictive, but fairly harmless, drug found in tobacco?

Answer 10

Nicotine

Question 11

Why do people like to smoke?

Answer 11

Nicotine produces a sensation of calm, well being, and “being able to cope”

Question 12

What is a harmful gas found in tobacco smoke?

Answer 12

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Question 13

Why do smokers get more breathless then non-smokers?

Answer 13

After smoking a cigarette, up to 10% of the blood will be carrying carbon monoxide rather than oxygen. This can lead to a shortage of oxygen causing the smoker to be breathless. Tar in the smoke also causes a breakdown fo the structure of teh alveoli

Question 14

What can smoking during pregnancy cause?

Answer 14

Premature birthsLow birthweight*Stillbirths

Question 15

Why does smoking during pregnancy cause issues?

Answer 15

During a pregnancy a mother is carrying oxygen for her developing fetus as well as herself. If the mothers blood is carrying carbon monoxide, the fetus may not get enough oxygen to grow properly

Question 16

What does tobacco smoke contain?

Answer 16

• Nicotine, which is an addictive substance in the smoke
• Carbon Monoxide, a toxic gas, which replaces oxygen in the red blood cells
• Tar, which is a sticky black substance that accumulates in the lungs and is also carcinogenic
• Chemicals that anaesthetise the cilia in the airways and prevent them wafting up the mucus

Question 17

How many stillbirths are there in the UK each year?

Answer 17

3500

Question 18

How many stillbirths in the UK are caused by smoking?

Answer 18

20%, 700

Question 19

How are chemicals in tobacco smoke harmful?

Answer 19

the cilia in the trachea and bronchi that move mucus, bacteria, and dirt away form the lungs are anaesthetised by some of the chemicals. They stop working for a time, allowing dirt and pathogens down into the lungs and increasing the risk of infections. Mucus also builds up over time and causes coughing

Question 20

How is tar in tobacco smoke harmful?

Answer 20

Tar is a sticky, black chemical that that accumulates in the lungs, turning them from pink to grey. Tar makes smokers much more likely to develop bronchitis. The build-up of tar in the delicate lung tissue can lead to a breakdown in the structure of the alveoli, causing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This reduces the surface area to volume ratio of the lungs, leading to severe breathlessness and eventually death. Tar is also a carcinogen. It acts on the delicate cells of the lungs and greatly increases the risk of lung cancer developing. Tar also causes other cancers of the breathing system, for example, larynx and trachea

Question 21

How does smoking affect your chances of getting cardiovascular disease?

Answer 21

The chemicals in tobacco smoke also effect the heart and blood vessels. Scientists have data showing that smokers are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular problems than non-smokers. They have also worked out that this is a causal mechanism, not just a correlation

Question 22

How does smoking increase your chances of getting cardiovascular disease?

Answer 22

Smoking narrows the blood vessels in your skin, ageing it. Nicotine makes the heart rate increase whilst other chemicals damage the lining of the arteries. This makes coronary heart disease more likely, and it increases the risk of clot formation. The mixture of chemicals in cigarette smoke also lead to an increase in blood pressure. This combination of effects increases the risk of suffering cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes

Question 23

What happens if you eat more food than you need?

Answer 23

If you eat more food than you need, the excess is stored as fat. You need some body fat to cushion your internal organs and act as an energy store. However, over time regularly eating too much food will make you overweight and then obese.

Question 24

What can obesity lead to?

Answer 24

Type 2 diabetesHigh blood pressure*Heart disease

Question 25

What is type 2 diabetes?

Answer 25

in type 2 diabetes, either your body does not make enough insulin to control your blood sugar levels or your cells stop responding to insulin. This can lead to problems with circulation, kidney function, and eyesight, which may eventually lead to death.

Question 26

What are risk factors for type 2 diabetes?

Answer 26

Being overweight or obeseNot doing much exercise

Question 27

How can people restore their normal blood glucose balance if they have type 2 diabetes?

Answer 27

• Eating a balanced diet with controlled amounts of carbohydrate
• Losing weight
• Doing regular exercise

Question 28

How does exercise keep you healthy and reduce the chance of getting cardiovascular disease?

Answer 28

Doing exercise causes you to have more muscle tissue, increasing your metabolic rate, so you are less likely to be overweight. Your heart will be fitter and develop a better blood supply. Regular exercise lowers your blood cholesterol levels and helps the balance of the different types of cholesterol. This reduces the chances of fatty deposits building up on your coronary arteries, so lowering your risk of heart disease and other heart problems

Question 29

What do people who exercise regularly have compared to those who dont?

Answer 29

bigger musclesfitter hearts*bigger lungs

Question 30

What is alcohol?

Answer 30

A commonly used social drug that is poisonous, however the liver can usually remove it before it does any permanent damage. Alcohol is also very addictive

Question 31

What happens after you drink alcohol?

Answer 31

After drinking alcohol, the ethanol is absorbed into the blood from the gut and passes easily into the body tissues, including the brain. It affects the nervous system, making thought processes, reflexes, and many reactions slower than normal. In small amounts alcohol makes people feel relaxed, cheerful, and reduces inhibitions. Larger amounts lead to lack of self-control and lack of judgement. If the does of alcohol is too high, it can sometimes lead to unconsciousness, coma, and even death

Question 32

What organs does alcohol mostly affect?

Answer 32

BrainLiver

Question 33

What permanent damage can alcohol cause?

Answer 33

• They may develop cirrhosis of the liver, a disease that destroys the liver tissue. The active liver cells are replaced with scar tissue that cannot carry out vital functions
• Alcohol is a carcinogen so heavy drinkers are at an increased risk of developing liver cancer. This usually spreads rapidly and is hard to treat
• Long-term heavy alcohol sue also causes damage to the brain. In some alcoholics the brain becomes so soft and pulpy that the normal brain structures are lost and it can no longer function properly. This can lead to death

Question 34

What happens when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol?

Answer 34

If a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, it passes across the placenta into the developing baby

Question 35

What can drinking alcohol during pregnancy cause?

Answer 35

• Miscarriage
• Stillbirths
• Premature births
• Low birth weight
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Question 36

What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?

Answer 36

If a mother drinks during pregnancy, the baby may have facial deformities, problems with its teeth, jaw or hearing, kidney, liver and heart problems, and may have learning and other developmental problems. This is known as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

Question 37

What are well known sources of ionising radiation?

Answer 37

UV light from the sunRadioactive material*Medical and dental x-rays

Question 38

Why does drinking during pregnancy cause problems?

Answer 38

The developing liver of a baby cannot cope with the alcohol, so the development of the body and brain of an unborn baby can be badly affected, especially in the early stages of pregnancy

Question 39

How much alcohol is safe to drink during pregnancy?

Answer 39

Doctors are unsure of how much alcohol is safe to drink during pregnancy but they recommend to not drink any to avoid FAS

Question 40

Describe how the balance between mass of food eaten and the amount of exercise a person does controls body mass:

Answer 40

If a person eats more food, their energy intake will increase. If a person exercises more, more energy will be released during respiration and used for muscular contraction. If someone’s energy intake is greater than the amount of energy transferred during respiration, the persons body mass will increase as the excess energy will be stored as fatty deposits. If someone’s energy intake is the same as the amount of energy transferred during respiration, the persons body mass will stay the same. If someone’s energy intake is less than the amount of energy transferred during respiration, the persons body mass will decrease as the glycogen in the muscles and fatty deposits are used as an energy store.

Question 41

What is a problem with the heart that can be fixed with a pacemaker?

Answer 41

Heart arrhythmia