Disease Flashcards
What is health?
A state of physical and mental well being
What is a disease?
Anything that negatively affects health
What can ill physical health lead to?
Depression and other mental illnesses
What are the two types of diseases?
- Communicable diseases
- Non-communicable diseases
What factors of non-communicable disease affect health?
- Diet
- Stress
- Life situations
What are risk factors?
Factors which increase the risk of a particular disease
What are the two general types of risk factors?
- Aspects of your lifestyle
- Substances in the body or environment
What is the key fact to remember about non-communicable diseases about cause and correlarion?
A correlation does not mean or prove causation
What is CVD and it’s main causal links?
Cardiovascualr Disease (disease of the whole circulatory and respiratory systems) Caused by diet, lack of exercise and smoking
What part of the body does coronary heart disease refer to?
The heart and blood vessels
What is the role of the coronary arteries?
To provide the heart muscle with oxygen and glucose for anaerobic respiration
What can block (coronary) arteries?
Fatty deposits
What are fatty deposits and what are their effects?
Fatty deposits are a combination of cholesterol and other fats building up in the vessels, restricting the availabilty of oxygen getting to a particular muscle
What is coronary artery fatty blockage generally associated with? What does it lead to?
High blood pressure and poor diet which leads to atherosclerosis
What are the typical effects of athersclerosis?
Patients suffer tiredness, shortage of breath, and chest pain associated with a loss of flexibility in the arteries
Why are arteries required to be felxible?
Because of the heart beats and consequent pulsations
What are the possible treatments for atherosclerosis?
- Statins
- Stents
- Bypass Surgery
How do statins work?
they reduce cholesterol levels which reduces the rate of fatty deposits in the coronary arteries
What are stents?
Tubes inserted into arteries to hold them open
What is bypass surgery?
When (typically) a vein is removed from the leg anf used to make a bypass around the artery blockage
Other than atherosclerosis, what is another issue with the heart and how is it solved?
- The heart could have faulty valves which may allow blood to flow backwards in the heart.
- The valves can be transplanted with biological or mechanical ones
- Sometimes the whole heart can be transplanted
What are the risk factors for type 2 diabetes?
Obesity and a lack of exercise
What is the effect of alcohol on type 2 diabetes?
Body cells do not respond to the hormone insulin, which helps control the glucose level in the blood
What is the risk factor of liver misfunction?
Alcohol
What are the effects of alcohol on liver misfunction?
Long-term alcohol usage can cause liver cirrhosis. The cells in the liver stop working and are replaced by scar tissue. This stops the liver from removing toxins, storing glucose as glycogen and making bile
What is the risk factor of brain malfunction?
Alcohol
What are the effects of alcohol on brain malfunction?
Excessive alcohol can alter the chemicals in the brain, which pass messages between nerve cells. This can cause anxiety and depression and reduced brain functions
What is the risk factor of lung disease and cancer?
Smoking
What are the effects of smoking on lung disease and cancer?
Smoking can cause cancer in many parts of the body. It also increases the chances of having asthma, bronchitis and emphysema.
What are the risk factors of underdevelopment in unborn babies?
Smoking and Alcohol
What are the effects of smoking and alcohol on underdevelopment in unborn babies?
Alcohol and cigarette chemicals in the mother’s blood pass through the placenta to the baby. Without a fully developed liver, the baby cannot detoxify these as well as the mother can. This can lead to miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight and reduced brain function
Whar are the risk factors for cancer?
Carcinogens and ionising radiation
What are the effects of carcinogens and ionising radiation on the body?
These are chemicals and radiation that cause cancer. Tar in cigarettes, asbestos, UV light and X-Rays are all examples. These damage the DNA in the cells and cause them to multiply uncontrollably.
What is cancer formed as a result of?
Tumours
How are tumours formed?
Due to uncontrollable division of body cells
What is a benign tumour?
A tumour which is contained within a membrane. It is usually small and unable to spread.
What is a malignant tumour (cancer)?
A tumour which spreads into other tissues
How do malignant tumours spread through the body to form secondary tumours?
Through the bloodstream
What are the possible ways in which cancer can be tried to be combatted?
Through chemotherapy or radiotherapy which target at trying to kill the tumour cells
What sort of things can increase the risk of cancers?
- Lifestyle choices (smoking, excess alcohol etc.)
- Exposure to radiation (UV light)
- Pathogens (HPV which causes cervical cancer)
What is the pathogen type of measles?
Virus
What is the pathogen type of HIV?
Virus
What is the pathogen type of salmonella?
Bacteria
What is the pathogen type of gonorrhoea?
Bacteria
What is the pathogen type of malaria?
Protist
What is the pathogen type of the tobacco mosaic virus?
virus
What is the pathogen type of rose black spot?
Fungus
How is measles transmitted?
Inhalation of droplets from coughs and sneezes
What are the symptoms of measles?
Fever and a red skin rash. Can be fatal with complications.
How can measles be prevented?
Through vaccination
How is HIV transmitted?
Blood borne, spread through mixing of body fluids and sexual contact
What are the symptoms of HIV?
It is like a flu in the early stage but AIDS develops when the immune system is so badly damaged that it can no longer deal with other infections
How can HIV be prevented?
Through condoms and sterile needles
How is salmonella transmitted?
Ingested with food
What are the symptoms of salmonella?
Fever and abdominal cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea caused by both the bacteria and the toxins they produce
How can salmonella be prevented?
Maintain hygiene in food preparation areas
Vaccinate poultry
How is gonorrhoea transmitted?
Sexual contact
What are the symptoms of gonorrhoea?
Pain when urinating
Thick yellow or green discharge from the penis or vagina
How can gonorrhoea be prevented?
Use of a condom
Treated with antibiotics to control the spread
How is malaria transmitted?
Mosquito vector
What are the symptoms of malaria?
Recurrent episodes of fever and can be fatal in many cases
How can malaria be prevented?
Use of mosquito nets and prevention of mosquitos from breeding
How is the tobacco mosaic virus transmitted?
It is air borne
What are the symptoms of tobacco mosaic virus?
A distinctive mosaic pattern of discolouration on the leaves which causes stunted growth due to lack of photosynthesis
How can the tobacco mosaic virus be prevented?
The separation and removal of infected plants (commonly tomatoes from greenhouses)
How is rose black spot transmitted?
Through water and the wind
What are the symptoms of rose black spot?
Purple and black spots form on the leaves which then fall from the plant. This reduces photosynthesis and therefore growth
How can rose black spot be prevented?
Through the use of fungicides and removal of infected leaves
What does our body have which stops pathogens gettung into us?
Primary defences