B7 - Non-communicable diseases

Question 1

What factors can affect physical and mental wellbeing?

Answer 1

-diseases (both communicable and non communicable)
-life situation (eg sex, financial status, where you live)
-stress
-diet

Question 2

Describe and explain 4 ways of how different diseases can interact:

Answer 2

-immune reactions caused by pathogens can trigger allergies (skin rashes, asthma)

-diseases can affect immune system, more likely to get other infectious diseases

-viruses can trigger cancers

-poor physical health can result in poor mental health

Question 3

What are risk factors?

Answer 3

aspects of a person’s lifestyle or substances from the environment that are linked to an increased rate of disease by a proven causal mechanism

Question 4

Name 6 proven causal mechanisms:

Answer 4

-effects of diet/smoking/exercise on cardiovascular disease
-effect of alcohol on liver/brain function
-effect of smoking on lung disease/cancer
-effect of smoking/alcohol on unborn babies

-obesity as a risk factor for T2 diabetes
-carcinogens as risk factors for cancer (including ionising radiation)

Question 5

What is cancer? Name the 2 types:

Answer 5

-the result of changes in cells that lead to uncontrolled growth and division

-benign
-malignant

Question 6

How is a benign tumour different to a malignant tumour?

Answer 6

benign -an abnormal growth of cells contained in one area by a membrane (can’t invade other areas)

malignant - cancers that invade neighbouring tissues, spreading via the blood to form secondary tumours

Question 7

The bacteria Helicobacter pylori can cause stomach cancer. Describe how a person infected with this bacteria may also develop liver cancer:

Answer 7

if the cancer is malignant, cancer cells can spread from the stomach via the blood to form a secondary tumour in the liver

Question 8

How does increased exercise and better diet affect the body?

Answer 8

-heart is fitter, reduces chance of T2 diabetes, arthritis, heart diseases
-more muscle mass, increases metabolic rate, reduces chance of being obese
-less cholesterol in blood, reduces chance of CHD

Question 9

How does smoking affect an individual?

Answer 9

-CO lowers oxygen carrying capacity, foetuses can be born prematurely
-tar can cause lung disease/cancer
-other toxins paralyse the cilia, so pathogens can’t be swept out of the trachea

eg COPD is caused by the breakdown of the alveoli, reducing the SA of the gas exchange surface

Question 10

Why is alcohol bad for an individual?

Answer 10

-damages liver/brain functions
-foetuses can’t cope with alcohol

Question 11

How does nicotine cause addiction?

Answer 11

alters chemical processes in the brain

Question 12

Explain the financial impact on the economy of an increasing number of obese people:

Answer 12

-costs health services more to treat additional patients and provide medication
-costs employers more to give financial support to people who need to spend more time off work (because they’re ill)

Paper 1, Nov 2021, Q3.4

Question 13

Why might having diabetes cause body cells to lose more water?

Answer 13

-blood solution is more concentrated (due to excess glucose) than body cells
-water moves out of body cells into the blood by osmosis through a PPM

Question 14

If a person had liver failure, what effect would it have on blood glucose concentration?

Answer 14

-liver can’t store any glycogen anymore
-BGC can’t be controlled
-diabetes may develop, may go into a coma