B7: Non Communicable Diseases Flashcards
What are non communicable diseases and what are the risk factors?
They are diseases that cannot be passed from one person to another. Risk factors include genes, lifestyle such as smoking/lack of exercise and environment. E.g. diet, exposure to ionising radiation and UV light.
What are tumours?
Tumours form and cause the growth of more cells in an abnormal/uncontrolled way through rapid division.
What are benign tumours?
They are growths of abnormal cells contained in one place, usually within a membrane. They do not invade other parts of the body but can grow very large, very quickly, causing pressure or damage to an organ.
What are malignant tumours?
They can spread through the body and invade healthy tissues. This is cancer. They can enter the bloodstream and form secondary tumours to continue uncontrolled division.
What are the risk factors and treatment for cancer?
Risk factors - genetics, mutations, carcinogens, ionising radiation, viruses.
Radiotherapy - cancer cells are destroyed by a dose of radiation to stop mitosis.
Chemotherapy - chemicals are used to stop cancer cells dividing.
How does smoking affect the body?
It contains carbon monoxide which is a poisonous gas that takes up oxygen in your blood, leading to a shortness of oxygen, less aerobic respiration and therefore breathlessness due to short, quick breaths being taken to repay oxygen debt.
Smoking during pregnancy means there isn’t enough oxygen for the foetus to develop, causing premature births or miscarriage.
Mucus builds up due to the cilia not being able to function properly. Alveoli break down.
Increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Directly causes cardiovascular disease, lung disease and lung cancer by damaging the walls of he arteries and the cells of the lungs.
How can a bad diet and a lack of exercise affect the body.
It can cause more fats and cholesterol levels to build up, increasing the risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
How does alcohol affect the body?
It can cause damage to the liver and brain. Ethanol is absorbed into the bloodstream and has an effect on the nervous system by damaging nerve cells. It is a carcinogen so can cause cancer. Alcohol during pregnancy can affect the liver and baby to cause things such as miscarriage.
How do non communicable diseases have an economic cost?
Costs a lot of money for the NHS to research and treat diseases and if there are more then it puts pressure on health services/organisations around the world and in the UK. Families may have to move or adapt their homes to help a family member with a disease. It can cause death, meaning there is less income in the family. Reduces the number of people available to work.
What can obesity lead to?
Obesity is thought to directly cause type 2 diabetes by making the body less sensitive of resistant to insulin, meaning it struggles to control the concentration of glucose in the blood.
