B7 Non-communicable diseases Flashcards
What are risk factors for disease?
- inherited genes
- age
- aspects of lifestyle (smoking, overeating)
- substances present in the environment or in the body (ionising radiation, UV light from the sun, 2nd hand tobacco smoke, exposure to carcinogens)
What is a casual mechanism?
- one factor influences another through a biological process
(smoking tobacco and lung cancer)
What are the impacts of non-communicable diseases?
- financial cost if wage-earner can no longer work
- local communities left to support ill people, through taxes or by taking care of families
- costs nations money, expense of treatment, loss of money when workforce is affected (ill people)
- global economy suffers (disease affects younger, working age population)
- affect more than communicable disease, greater effect on humans and economy
When does a tumour form?
when control of the cell cycle is lost and cells grow in an abnormal, uncontrolled way
What are the different types of Tumours?
Benign Tumours
- growth of abnormal cells contained in one place (usually within a membrane)
- don’t invade body but can grow large very quickly. Can threaten life if damages or pressures an organ (ie in the brain)
Malignant Tumours
- can spread around the body
- invading neighbouring healthy tissue
- initial tumour may split up, releasing small clumps of cells into bloodstream or lymphatic system, carried around body, may lodge into an organ
- continue division and may form secondary tumours
- cancer cells divide more rapid that normal cells, also live longer
- disrupt normal tissues if left untreated, often fatal, can be difficult to treat due to how they spread
What are the causes of cancer?
- clear genetic risk factors (breast cancer, ovarian cancer)
- result of mutation, changes in genetic material (asbestos, tar in tobacco smoke, ie carcinogens)
- ionising radiation (UV light, X-rays) interrupt cell cycle, cause tumours (melanomas: caused from over exposure to UV light)
- virus infections (HPV-> cervical cancer)
What are examples of treatments for cancer?
- more successful in recent times
- Radiotherapy: cancer cells are destroyed by targeted doses of radiation (stops mitosis of cancer cells, can damage healthy cells)
- Chemotherapy: chemicals are used to either stop cancer cells dividing or make them self destruct.
What is nicotine?
- addictive in cigarettes
- relatively harmless drug, sensation of calm, wellbeing
What is Carbon Monoxide?
- poisonous gas in tobacco smoke
- takes up oxygen carrying capacity in blood
- after smoking, up to 10% of blood will be carrying carbon monoxide rather than oxygen (lead to shortage of oxygen)
-reason why smokers get more breathless when exercising than non smokers
What are the effects of smoking during pregnancy?
- woman is carrying oxygen for fetus and herself
- if the blood is carrying carbon monoxide, fetus may not get enough oxygen to grow properly
- lead to premature births, low birthweights, stillbirths
How can chemicals from smoking affect a person?
- cilia in trachea and bronchi move mucus, bacteria and dirt from lungs. They stop working due to some chemicals in tobacco smoke temporarily.
- allows a build up of dirt and pathogens into the lungs, increasing infection risk and causing coughing due to mucus build up
- tar turns lungs from pink to grey, more likely to develop bronchitis (inflammation and infection of the bronchi)
- can lead to breakdown of alveoli structure (causing COPD), leading to severe breathlessness and eventually death
- carcinogen, increases risk of developing lung cancer (acts of delicate lung tissue) ALSO acts on other parts of breathing system (throat, trachea etc)
How does smoking affect the heart?
- more likely to suffer from cardiovascular issues, casual link
- narrows blood vessels in skin, ageing
- Nicotine increases heart rate, other chemicals damage lining of arteries, increasing chance of Coronary heart disease, increase risk of clots
- mix of chemicals-> increase BP
- increased risk of cardiovascular disease (heart attacks, strokes)
How can diet, exercise and obesity affect the body?
- excess food eaten is stores as fat, too much can make you overweight, then obese
- too much weight, inconvenient and uncomfortable
- obesity leads to serious health problems (High BP, blood sugar levels, heart disease, type 2 diabetes)
How can Exercise and health affect the body?
- food eaten transfers energy to muscles for respiration (amount of exercise affects amount of respiration in muscles, and amount of food needed)
- people who exercise regularly are usually much fitter, have bigger muscles (which needs more energy from food rather than to body fat), fitter hearts, bigger lungs
- regularly exercising means less risk of developing cardiovascular disease, less health problems (type 2 diabetes)
- casual mechanisms: more muscle tissue, higher metabolic rate, less likely to be overweight. (reduce risk of arthiritis, diabetes, high blood pressure) Regular exercise lowers blood cholesterol levels, balances types of cholesterol, reduces fatty deposits in coronary arteries, lowering risk of heart disease
How do Obesity and Type 2 diabetes affect the body?
- Type 2, issues with lack of insulin or unresponsive to insulin-> lead to circulation issues, kidney function, eyesight, even death. More common with age, genetic tendency.
- Risk factors : overweight, obese, lack of exercise
- becoming increasingly common in young people, can be restored with balanced diet, controlling carbs, losing weight, doing regular exercise
