Chapter 7: Non-Communicable Diseases

Question 1

Name 2 risk factors for disease

Answer 1

• aspects of your lifestyle

- substances that are present in your environment

Question 2

What is the main difference between a communicable and non-communicable disease?

Answer 2

non-communicable are diseases that are not infectious and affect people as a result of their lifestyle and environmental factors.

Question 3

What is a correlation?

Answer 3

A similarity that links two things together (causation doesn’t necessarily mean causation)

Question 4

What is a casual mechanism?

Answer 4

A casual mechanism explains how one factor influences another through a biological process

Question 5

What is the economic impact of non-communicable diseases?

Answer 5

• if a family wage earner becomes ill, then it affects the whole household
• local economies bear the cost of helping people who are ill (e.g. through taxes)
• global economy suffers if a lot of working age people fall ill

Question 6

What is a tumour?

Answer 6

A mass of abnormally growing cells that forms when the cells do not respond to the normal mechanisms that control growth and when control of the cell cycle is lost

Question 7

What are Benign tumours?

Answer 7

Growths of abnormal cells that are contained in one area, usually within a membrane, and do not invade other tissues.

Question 8

What are Malignant tumour cells?

Answer 8

Invade neighbouring tissues and spread to different parts of the body in the blood where they form secondary tumours.

Question 9

Name 3 causes of cancer

Answer 9

• mutations: changes in genetic material
• ionizing radiation: interrupts the normal cell cycle
• virus infections and genetic risk factors

Question 10

Name two ways of treating cancer

Answer 10

• Radiotherapy

- Chemotherapy

Question 11

What is radiotherapy?

Answer 11

When cancer cells are destroyed by targeting doses of radiation. This stops mitosis in cancer cells, but can also damage healthy cells.

Question 12

What is Chemotherapy?

Answer 12

Chemicals are used to either stop the cancer cells dividing or to make them ‘self destruct’.

Question 13

What is the difference between a benign tumour and a malignant tumour?

Answer 13

Malignant tumour cells invade other tissues whereas benign tumours are contained in one space.

Question 14

What are carcinogens?

Answer 14

cancer causing agents like asbestos and tobacco

Question 15

Give 2 examples of ionizing radiation

Answer 15

• UV lights

- X-Rays

Question 16

Give an example of how ionizing radiation causes tumours

Answer 16

Melanomas appear when there is uncontrolled growth of pigment-forming cells in the skin as a result of exposure to UV light from the sun

Question 17

What is nicotine responsible for in a cigarette?

Answer 17

Nicotine is:

• addictive; but harmless
• produces a sensation of calm

Question 18

What is carbon monoxide responsible for in a cigarette?

Answer 18

Carbon monoxide takes us some of the oxygen-carrying capacity of your blood; which leads to a shortage of oxygen

Question 19

What are the problems of smoking during pregnancy?

Answer 19

-oxygen shortage: if the fetus does not get enough oxygen, then it may not grow properly.

Question 20

What are the consequences of a baby not growing properly?

Answer 20

• premature births
• low birthweight babies
• still births

Question 21

What is tar?

Answer 21

Tar is a sticky, black chemical that accumulates in the lungs (turning them from pink to grey)

Question 22

Why is tar harmful?

Answer 22

• makes smokers much more likely to develop bronchitis
• build up of tar in the lung tissue can lead to a breakdown in the structure of the alveoli; which reduces surface area to volume ratio in the lungs, leading to severe breathlessness or even death.

Question 23

What are some health problems that obesity can lead to?

Answer 23

• type 2 diabetes
• high blood pressure
• heart disease

Question 24

What are some casual mechanisms that explain why exercise keeps you healthy?

Answer 24

• more muscle tissue: increases your metabolic rate

- lowers blood cholesterol levels: reduces the risk of fatty deposits building up in coronary arteries

Question 25

Name 2 causes of type 2 diabetes

Answer 25

• body doesn’t make enough insulin

- cells stop responding to insulin

Question 26

What are the problems with type 2 diabetes?

Answer 26

• circulation
• kidney function
• eyesight

Question 27

What happens after you drink something alcoholic?

Answer 27

• ethanol is absorbed into the blood from the gut and passes into the body tissues, including the brain
• it affects the nervous system, making thought processes and reflexes slower than normal.

Question 28

What long term damage can be faced from drinking alcohol?

Answer 28

• they may develop cirrhosis of the liver: a disease that destroys liver tissue
• alcohol is a carcinogen which can increases the risk of developing liver cancer
• long term alcohol use can destroy the brain structure so it can no longer function properly

Question 29

What happens when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol?

Answer 29

• When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, it it passes across the placenta into the developing baby.
• the baby’s liver cannot cope with alcohol, and so their brain and body will be affected.

Question 30

What consequences will a baby have if the mother drinks alcohol during pregnancy?

Answer 30

• facial deformities

- kidney, liver, or heart problems

Question 31

Name 4 well known sources of ionizing radiation

Answer 31

• Ultraviolet light from the sun
• Radioactive materials
• Medical and Dental X-rays
• Accidents in nuclear power generation (e.g. Chernobyl)

Question 32

How does ionizing radiation cause cancer?

Answer 32

-Radiation penetrates the the cells and damages the chromosomes, causing mutations in the DNA

Question 33

What does COPD stand for?

Answer 33

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Question 34

How is COPD caused?

Answer 34

The build up of tar in the lung tissue can lead to a breakdown in the structure of the alveoli, which reduces the surface area to volume ratio of the lungs; leading to severe breathlessness and eventually death.