Non-communicable diseases

Question 1

What are communicable diseases?

Answer 1

Diseases that can be transferred from one person to another, or from one organism to another, e.g. the flu

Question 2

What are non-communicable diseases?

Answer 2

Diseases which are not transferred between people or other organisms

Question 3

Give five examples of non-communicable diseases.

Answer 3

• cancer
• diabetes
• genetic diseases and conditions
• heart disease
• neurological disorders

Question 4

What causes cancer?

Answer 4

Cells grow and divide uncontrollably

Question 5

What are the two types of tumour?

Answer 5

• Benign

- Malignant

Question 6

What are the characteristics of a benign tumour?

Answer 6

• Grows slowly
• Usually grow within a membrane, so easily removed
• Does not invade other parts of the body

Question 7

What are the characteristics of a malignant tumour?

Answer 7

• Grows quickly
• Invades neighbouring tissues and spreads to other parts of the body in the bloodstream
• can form secondary tumours by metastasis

Question 8

What are carcinogens?

Answer 8

Chemicals that can cause cancer by damaging DNA (causing mutations to occur)

Question 9

What are some lifestyle factors that increase a person’s risk of developing cancer?

Answer 9

• Viruses such as HPV being spread through sexual intercourse
• Alcohol intake
• Exposures to carcinogens in cigarette smoke
• Exposure to ultraviolet radiation, part of which is ionising
• Diet, including fat and salt intake

Question 10

What are four ways that smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases?

Answer 10

• Damages the lining of the arteries, encouraging the build-up of fatty materials
• Inhalation of carbon monoxide decreases the amount of oxygen that can be carried in the blood
• Nicotine increases the heart rate, putting strain on the heart
• Chemicals increase the likelihood of blood clotting

Question 11

How can smoking cause COPD?

Answer 11

• Smoking damages bronchioles and eventually destroys alveoli in the lungs
• Airways become inflamed and mucus builds up
• Patient becomes breathless, and finds it more difficult to obtain oxygen for respiration

Question 12

What are some associated risks of smoking during pregnancy?

Answer 12

• Increased risk of miscarriage
• Babies more likely to suffer from asthma
• Affects child’s long-term physical growth and intellectual development
• Reduces birth weight of baby

Question 13

What is the liver responsible for?

Answer 13

Processing and breaking down alcohol

Question 14

Describe the different ways that alcohol can damage the liver.

Answer 14

• Causes lipids to build up in the liver (fatty liver disease)
• Causes alcoholic hepatitis (inflammation), which can lead to death
• Cirrhosis of the liver - liver scars and loses ability to function

Question 15

Describe five ways that alcohol affects brain function.

Answer 15

• slows reaction time
• causes difficulty walking
• can impair memory
• causes slurred speech
• causes changes in sleep patterns and mood, including increased anxiety and depression

Question 16

Describe four traits of a fetus with fetal alcohol syndrome.

Answer 16

• is smaller in size
• has a smaller brain with fewer neurones
• will have long-term learning and behavioural difficulties
• has distinct facial features

Question 17

How can obesity cause cardiovascular disease?

Answer 17

Obesity leads to high blood pressure and the build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries

Question 18

What is the cause of type 2 diabetes?

Answer 18

The body’s cells lose their sensitivity to insulin - they no longer respond, or respond less effectively, to the insulin that’s produced.

Question 19

What are 2 diseases linked to obesity?

Answer 19

• Cardiovascular disease

- Type 2 diabetes

Question 20

What is epidemiology?

Answer 20

The study of the distribution and patterns of health and disease, in and across populations.