Risk factors for non communicable diseases Flashcards
What do we mean by the term ‘risk factor’
things linked to an increase in likelihood that a person will develop certain disease during their lifetime. They don’t guarantee someone will get the disease.
What are risk factors often aspects of ?
a persons life style. they can also be the Prescence of certain substances in the environment or substances in your body.
Many — ————– diseases are caused by several risk factors interacting with each other rather than one factor alone.
non communicable
Lifestyle factors can have different impacts, ——– —— and ——–.
locally, nationally, globally.
E.g. in developed countries non-communicable diseases are more common as people generally have a higher income and can buy high fat food. Nationally, people from deprived areas are more likely to smoke, have a poor diet and not exercise. This means the incidence of cardiovascular disease, obesity and Type 2 diabetes is higher in those areas. Your individuals choices affect the local incidence of disease.
Some risk factors are able to directly cause a disease. For example..
Smoking proved to directly (PD2) cause cardiovascular disease, lung disease and lung cancer. It damages the walls of the arteries and the cells in the lining of the lungs.
Obesity PD2 cause type 2 diabetes by making the body less resistant to insulin, meaning it struggles to control the concentration of glucose in the blood
Drinking too much alcohol has been shown to cause liver disease. Too much alcohol can affect the brain function too. It can damage the nerve cells in the brain, causing the brain to lose volume.
Smoking when pregnant can cause lots of health problems for the unborn baby. Drinking alcohol has similar effects.
Cancer can be directly caused by exposure to certain substances or radiation. Things that cause cancer are known as carcinogens, ionising radiation is an example of carcinogens.
How are risk factors identified ?
by scientists looking for correlations in data, and correlation doesn’t always equal cause. Some risk factors aren’t capable of directly causing a disease. For example, a lack of exercise and a high fat diet are heavily linked to increased chance of cardiovascular disease, but they can’t cause the disease directly. It’s the resulting high blood pressure and high ‘bad’ cholesterol levels that can actually cause it
Non communicable diseases can be costly
1) The human cost of non communicable diseases is obvious. Tens of millions of people around the world die from non communicable diseases per year. People with these diseases may have a lower quality of life or a shorter lifespan. This not only affects the sufferers themselves, but their loved ones too.
2) Its also important to think about the financial cost. The cost to the NHS of researching and treating these diseases is huge. - Its the same for other health services and organisations around the world. Families may have to move or adapt their home to help a family member with a disease, which can be costly. If the family member with the disease has to give up work or dies, The families income will be reduced. A reduction in the number of people able to work can also affects the countrys economy.
