Interpreting Lung Disease Data

Question 1

What is risk factors?

Answer 1

All disease have factors will increase a person’s chance of getting that disease

Question 2

Is smoking a risk factor for cancer?

Answer 2

Yes

If you smoke , you are more likely to get lung cancer

Question 3

What is a correlation?

Answer 3

A link between two things

Question 4

What does correlation not mean?

Answer 4

That one thing causes the other

Question 5

Example of correlation doesn’t always mean that one thing causes the other

Answer 5

Smokers have increased the risk of getting cancer but that doesn’t necessarily

mean smoking cause the disease

• other factors to take into consideration

Question 6

Example 1 - Smoking and Lung Cancer

Describe the data in this graph

Answer 6

Number of adult males in Great Britain who smoke decreased between 1990 and 2012

Question 7

Example 1 - Smoking and Lung Cancer

Draw conclusions from the this graph

Answer 7

A correlation/link between the number of males who smoked and the mortality rate for male lung cancer

• can’t say one caused the other

There could be other reasons for the trend

e. g deaths due to lung cancer may have decreased as less asbestos was being used in homes
- rate of lung cancer cases increase but medical advances mean more people were surviving

Question 8

Government restrictions on sources of risk factors

Answer 8

• Medical studies in 1950 and 1960s document the link between smoking and various forms of cancer , particulary lung cancer
• Evidence prompt the first voluntary agreement between the UK goverment and tobacco companies in 1971
• It stated that tobacco products and adverts should carry a health warning label
• As October 2008, picture health warnings were made compulsory of UL boxes of cigarettes after they were more effective than written warnings alone

Question 9

Example 2 - Air Pollution and Asthma

Describe the data….

Answer 9

• Number of new cases of asthma in UK fell between 1996 and 2000 from 87 to 62 per 100 000 people

Question 10

Example 2 - Air Pollution and Asthma

Describe the data….

Answer 10

Emissions of sulfur dioxide in the UK fell between 1996 and 2000, from 2 to 1.2 million tonnes

Question 11

Example 2 - Air Pollution and Asthma

Draw the conclusions…

Answer 11

• Link between the number of new cases of asthma and emissions of slufur dioxide in UK
• Rate of new cases of asthma has fallen as sulfur dioxide emissions fallen
• e.g number of new cases of asthma falling due to the decrease of people smoking
• (can’t say air pollution as only sulfur dioxide studied)

Question 12

Government restrictions on air pollutions

Answer 12

• Studies connecting air pollution to various disease
• EU adopted the National Emissions Ceilings Directive
• Sets upper limits on total emissions of four major pollutants in atmosphere to be achieved by 2010
• New limits are being agreed for 2020
• EU also introduced the Clean Power for Transport Package to create cleaner fuels for vehicles
• UK taxes car owners according to their car’s emissions

Question 13

a) Describe the changes in daily death rate and the levels of pollutants over the days shown
b) What conclusions can be drawn from the graph

Answer 13

a) The daily death rate increased rapidly after 4th Dec peaking around 7th then decreasing

Pollutants follow same pattern

b)Link/Correlation between the increase in sulfur dioxide and smoke concentration and increase in death rate

Question 14

Answer 14

PVR = Tidal Volume x BR

Tidal Volume - hyperventilating

Measure from start and then towards the peak (minus both of them) = 4.3 - 2.3 = 2dm³

Breathing Rate - Measure time between two peaks and minus from both

60 divided by time you calculated= BR (60/1.5 = 40 breaths per min)

PVR = 2X 40 = 80dm³min^-1

Question 15

What are the follow risk factors for lung disease:

Answer 15

1. Smoking: 90% suffering from COPD are heavy smokers
2. Air Pollution: Pollutant particles and gases (e.g sulfur dioxide) increase likelihood of COPD in areas of heavy industry
3. Genetic make-up : Some people are genetically vulnerable
4. Infections : chest infections
5. Occupation: People working with harmful chemicals and dust may be inhaled increase risk

Question 16

Suggest some restrictions been introduced and reduce the incidence of lung disease:

Answer 16

• Banning Smoking in public places at work/shops: reduce opportunties for smoker to smoke
• Ban on tobacco advertisting: Less encouragment for smokers and people young to start
• Minium age to buy: Help prevent young people to smoke and become addicted at an early age
  
  • Plain packaging: Reduce appeal of tobacco

Question 17

Pulmonary fibrosis

One symptom is the shortness of breath, especially when exercising. Suggest why this symptom arises

Answer 17

Much air occupied from the fibrous tissue

Less air

Less oxygen is taken in lungs at each breath

Scar tissue thicker and less elastic than normal lung tissue

Question 18

One measure of lung function if FEV

Volume of air that can forcily be blown in one second after a full inspiration

Suggest how pulmonary fibrosis might effect FEV and explain why:

Answer 18

FEV less

Fibrosis - scar tissue less elastic so difficult to breath out

Question 19

If the volume of air in the lungs when the person inhaled was 3000cm³

calculate the volume of air in the lungs after the person had exhaled

Show your working

Answer 19

Measure from 0 to peak

3000dm³ - 3 cm³

3 - 0.48 = 2.52dm³