NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES Flashcards
What are benign tumours?
Growths of abnormal cells that are contained in one area, usually within a membrane, and do not invade other tissues.
What is cancer?
The common name for a malignant tumour, formed as a result of changes in a cell that lead to uncontrolled growth and division.
What are carcinogens?
Agents that cause cancer or significantly increase the risk of developing cancer. Eg ionising radiation.
What is casual mechanism?
Something that explains how one factor influences another.
What is a correlation?
An apparent link or relationship between two factors.
What is ionising radiation?
Has enough energy to cause ionisation in the material it passes through, which in turn can make them biologically active and may result in a mutation or cancer.
What are malignant tumours?
Invade neighbouring tissues and spread to different parts of the body in the blood where they form secondary tumours. They are also known as cancers.
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 control of the cell cycle is lost.
What are some causes of cancer?
Genetic risk factors
Mutations - changes in genetic material
Ionising radiation
How can cancer be treated?
Radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
What is radiotherapy?
When cancer cells are destroyed by targeted doses of radiation. This stops mitosis of healthy cells but can also damage healthy cells.
What is chemotherapy?
Where chemicals are used to either stop the cancer cells dividing, or to make them self-destruct.
Why is smoking bad?
Some chemicals in tobacco smoke cause lasting and often fatal damage to the body cells. Carbon monoxide is poisonous and is found in tobacco smoke. It takes up some of the oxygen-carrying capacity of your blood. After smoking a cigarette, up to 10% of the blood will be carrying carbon monoxide rather than oxygen. This can lead to a shortage of oxygen, which is one of the reasons why smokers get more breathless than non-smokers.
What do some of the chemicals in tobacco smoke do to the cilia? (Carcinogens)
The cilia is anaesthetised by some of the chemicals in tobacco smoke. They stop working for some time, allowing dirt and pathogens down into the lungs and increasing the risk of infections. Mucus also builds up over time and causes coughing.
Why is smoking bad for your heart?
It narrows the blood vessels in your skin, ageing it. Nictotine makes the heart rate increase whilst other chemicals damage the lining of the arteries. This increases the chance of developing coronary heart disease, and the risk of clot formation. The mixture of chemicals in cigarette smoke also lead to an increase in blood pressure.
Increase of developing cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes.
