Risk Factors For Non-communicable Disease

Question 1

What factors can increase you likely hood for disease

Answer 1

• lifestyle —> exercise
• environment —> air pollution
• substances in your body —> e.g. asbestos build up in your body from buildings

Question 2

What are some risk factors that do directly cause a disease

Answer 2

• smoking—> CV disease, lung disease, lung cancer. It damages walls o arteries and the cells in the lining of the lungs
• obesity —> type 2 diabetes. Body is less sensitive or resistant to insulin —> body struggles to control glucose levels
• too much alcohol —> liver disease (as cells get damaged from breaking down alcohol), affect brain function (through nerve damage) which causes the brain to lose volume
• alcohol and smoking during pregnancy —> damages baby’s cells affecting it’s development
• exposure to radiation —> cause cancer

Question 3

How can risk factors be identified

Answer 3

• correlations in data
• e.g. lack of exercise and a high fat diet have an increased chance of CV disease, but they can’t cause disease directly, it’s the resulting high blood pressure and cholesterol levels
• Some risk factors don’t directly cause disease, but are related to another risk factor that is