The Environmental Basis Of Disease Flashcards
1
Q
What is Epidemiology?
A
- Basic science concerned with the pattern of disease frequency in a human population
- Distribution of disease by person, place, time
- Assumptions:
- Disease doesn’t occur randomly
- Disease has identifiable causes
- which can be altered and thereby prevent disease developing
2
Q
Aims of epidemiological research
A
- Describe health status of a population
- Explain aetiology of disease
- Predict disease occurance
- Control disease distribution
3
Q
The Epidemiological Triangle
A
4
Q
Epidemic Vs Pandemic
A
- Epidemic: Widespread disease outbreak amongst a population
- Pandemic: Epidemic crossing populations
5
Q
Migrant Studies
A
- Can point to whether people’s environment/ genes are more important for certain diseases
6
Q
John Snow (1813-1858)
A
- Victorian surgeon and anesthesiologist
- Plotted deaths from cholera on map and noted clustering around water pump
- had it blocked
- Vibrio cholera was discovered 25yrs after his death by Robert Koch
7
Q
Cholera
A
- Remains serious problem in many countries
- Main reason: poor access to safe water and inadequate disposal of sewage in resource-poor countries
- In unprepared communities cholera case fatalities can be up to 50%
- In well organised and prepared countries case fatalities can be <1%
- ~6million/yr die from diarrhoea (not all caused by cholera)
8
Q
Associations Vs Causations
A
eg
9
Q
Mortality associated with smoking
A
- At least 320 deaths every day from smoking in the UK
- 120,000 per yr
- 1/5 of deaths across all ages
- 7.5yrs average loss of life
- A million deaths/yr worldwide
10
Q
Major Health Consequences Of Smoking
A
- Cancer
- Lung
- Mouth, larynx throat oesophagus
- Bladder, cervix, kidney, pancreas
- Respiration disease
- COPD
- Vascular disease
- CHD
- Stroke
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Pregnancy and birth complications
- Premature birth
11
Q
Pulmonary Emphysema
A
Impacts on amount of proteases released incl elastase
Tissue damage (eg in alveoli)
12
Q
Smoking Is Highly Addictive
A
- At least 70% of smokers want to give up
- Less than half succeed before 65
- 40% of heart attck smokers relapse while still in hospital within 2 days of intensive care
- 50% of pts with laryngectomies try smoking again
- 50% of pts with lung removed from lung cancer smoke again
- Nicotine - driving force behind addiction
- Patterns of use determined by complex interplay between:
- Pharmacology
- Learning mechanisms
- Social and economic influences
13
Q
Critical factors in determining whether exposure => disease
Occupational Lung Disease
A
- Chemical and biological composition
- Shape and size of particles
- Dose- conc. and duration
- Pre-existing health/ genetic status (host response)
- Concurrent exposure to other toxic agents
14
Q
Occupational lung disease: 2 broad responses
A
- Allergic
- Rhinitis & laryngitis
- Extrinsic allergic alveolitis (hypersensitivity pneunmonitis)
- Asthma
- Pneumoconiosis (pneumoconioses)
- from dusts
15
Q
Pneumoconioses
- Cause
- Reaction
A
- Lung disease caused by inhaled dusts
- Caused by particulate exposure
- Many workers suffered/ suffering
- Dusts may be:
- Inorganic (mineral)
- Organic
- Reaction may be:
- Inert (coal miners)(fine particulate of rock dust)(increased mucus production)
- Fibrous (asbestosis, silicosis)
- Allergic (extrinsic allergic alveolitis)
- Neoplastic (mesothelioma, lung carcinoma) (disturbance in normal process of cell division)
- Co-existing disease may aggrevate reaction
