Chapter B7- Non-communicable Diseases Flashcards
What are risk factors for disease?
Aspects of your lifestyle- smoking, lack of exercise, overeating
Substances that are present in the environment or in your body such as ionising radiation, UV light, second hand tobacco smoke
Genes you inherit
Age
What are carcinogens?
Agents that cause cancer or significantly increase the risk of cancer
What is a causal mechanism?
Explains how one factor may influence another through a biological process
Give an example of a causal mechanism
Smoking increases the risk of lung cancer as carcinogens are taken into your lungs
What are impacts of non communicable diseases?
Human impact- impact on individual or on family members
Financial cost- individual may not be able to work
What is a tumour?
A mass of abnormally growing cells that forms when the cells do not respond to the normal mechanisms that control growth, and when the cell cycle has lost control
What is a benign tumour?
Growth of abnormal cells, contained in one place, but does not invade other parts of the body
Are benign tumours dangerous?
Yes, as they can cause pressure on your organs, for example, benign rumours on the brain as there is no space for them to grow
What are malignant tumours?
Growth of abnormal cells that can spread around the body invading healthy neighbour tissues. This is often referred to as cancer
How does a malignant tumour spread?
The initial tumour may split up, releasing small clumps of cells into the bloodstream, which circulate, and spread to others organs. They continue their uncontrolled division and form secondary tumours
What are traits of cancer cells?
Divide more rapidly than normal cells
Live longer than normal cells
What are the causes of cancer?
Genetic risk factors
Mutations due to chemicals- such as asbestos and tar found in tobacco
Ionising radiation- UV light and X-rays, can interrupt the cell cycle, causing tumours to grow
Virus infections- HPV causes cervical cancer
How do we treat cancer?
Radiotherapy- cancer cells are destroyed by targeted dosages of radiation
Chemotherapy- chemicals are used to stop the cells dividing or make them self destruct
Why is cancer hard to treat?
Due to the way cancer spreads through your body
What is a problem of radiotherapy?
Can damage healthy cells
How many smokers are there world wide?
1.1 billion smokers
What is the addictive drug in cigarettes?
Nicotine
Is nicotine harmful?
It is relatively harmless, however it is addictive which causes smokers to continue smoking the other harmful substances
What is a poisonous gas found in tobacco smoke?
Carbon monoxide- takes up some of the oxygen carrying capacity in your blood
What does smoking during pregnancy cause?
lack of oxygen to the foetus- Can lead to premature births, low birthweight babies and still births
What effect does tobacco smoke have on cilia?
Causes it to be anaesthetised, allowing dirt and pathogens into the lungs and increasing risk of infections
What toxic chemical accumulates in your lungs due to smoking?
Tar- turns lungs from pink to grey
What effects does tar have on the lungs?
More likely to have bronchitis ( infection of the bronchus)
Breakdown to the alveoli structure (this causes the surface area of the alveoli to decrease, leading to severe breathlessness and eventual death)
Is a carcinogen- acts on delicate cells of the lungs and others in the breathing system- pharynx, larynx, trachea
How does smoking affect the heart?
Smokers are more likely to suffer cardiovascular systems
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
Increases risk of clot formation
Increase in blood pressure
Increases risk of heart attacks and strokes
What problems can obesity lead to?
Type 2 diabetes
High blood pressure
Heart disease
What are people that exercise more regularly less likely to have?
Health problems such as type 2 diabetes
What are some causal mechanisms that explains why exercise keeps you healthy?
More muscle tissue, increasing your metabolic rate, less likely to be overweight
This reduces the risk of developing arthritis, diabetes and high blood pressure
Heart will be fitter, so a better blood supply
Lowers your blood cholesterol levels and helps balance different types of cholesterol
Reduces risk of fatty deposits in your coronary arteries
What is a risk factor of type 2 diabetes?
Being overweight and not doing much exercise
How does your liver protect the body from alcohol?
Is poisonous, but the liver can usually remove it before permanent damage
Is alcohol addictive?
Yes
How does alcohol affect the body?
Effects your nervous system, making thought process, reflexes and many other reactions slower than normal
What can large doses of alcohol lead to?
Unconsciousness, coma or death
How can alcohol affect the liver?
May develop cirrhosis, a disease that destroys liver tissue. The active liver cells are replaced with scar tissue
Alcohol is a carcinogen so heavy drinkers risk developing liver cancer
How can alcohol damage the brain?
The brain becomes soft and the normal brain structures are lost and it can no longer function properly- can cause death
What happens if a pregnant women drinks alcohol?
It passes across the placenta into the developing baby- can lead to miscarriages, still birth, premature births, and low birthweight
The development of the babies brain and body of an unknown baby can be badly affected, especially in the early stages of pregnancy
May have facial deformities- problems with teeth, jaw or hearing, kidneys, liver and heart problems- this is known as feral alcohol syndrome
How is ionising radiation a carcinogen?
The radiation penetrates the cells and damages the chromosomes, causing mutations in the DNA.
What are sources of ionising radiation?
UV rays from the sun- increase risk of skin cancer
Radioactive materials found in soil, water and air
Medical and dental X-rays
Accidents in nuclear power plants- can spread ionising radiation over wide areas
