Non-Communicable Diseases

• What is a risk factor?


  Things that are linked to an increase in likelihood that a person will develop a disease
• How is smoking a major risk factor with cardiovascular disease?


  • Nicotine in cigarettes increases heart rate, so increases blood pressure
  • High blood pressure damages artery walls , which adds to build of fatty deposits in the arteries . These deposits restrict blood flow and increase the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
  • Smoking increases the risk of blood clot forming, which can restrict blood flow, leading to a heart attack or stroke
• A disease with too many or too few nutrients can lead to malnutrition
• Not getting enough exercise and having a diet in fat and sugar are risk factors for obesity
• How is drinking alcohol a major risk factor?

  Alcohol is broken down by enzymes in the liver and some of the products are toxic
• What is the difference between a lifestyle factor and a risk factor?


  A risk factor can be unavoidable a lifestyle factor can be changed
• Example of non-communicable diseases


  Cancer, heart disease, stroke, chronic lung disease
• Effects of non-communicable disease for areas

  • Pressure on resources(local)
  • Reduction in employment could affect a country's economy(national)
  • High cost and occurence of these diseases can hold back the development of a country(global)
• How to calculate BMI


  MASS(KG)÷(HEIGHT(M))^2
• Why isn't BMI always reliable?


  Athletes have alot of muscle , which has a higher mass than fat , so the can come out with a higher BMI whilst not being overweight
• How do you calculate waist to hip ratio?


  Waist Circumfrence(cm)/Hip circumfrence(cm)
• How does CVD affect your heart and blood vessels?


  1. Too much cholesterol can cause fatty deposits to build up in arteries restricting blood flow
  2. Deposits occur in areas where the artery wall has been damaged
  3. These fatty deposits can also trigger blood clots to form, which can block blood completely.
  4. If this is an artery that supplies the heart , the heart muscle will be deprived of oxygen. This causes a heart attack
• What are some medicines used to reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke?

  • Statins
  • Anticoagulants
  • Antihypertensives
• What do statins do?


  Statins reduce the amount of cholesterol in the bloodstream, which slows down the rate at which fatty deposits form
• What is negative side of statins?


  Aching muscles and in serious cases liver damage
• What do anticoagulants do?


  Make blood clots less likely to form
• What is the negative of anticoagulants?


  Excessive bleeding in an accident
• What do hypertensives do?


  Reduce blood pressure, to prevent damage to blood vessels and so reduces risk of fatty deposits forming
• Side effects of hypertensives?


  Headaches and fainting
• Stents


  1. Tubes inserted inside arteries ,to keep them open making sure blood can pass through to the heart muscles, lowering the risk of heart attack
  2. Over time, the arterty can narrow again and make scar tissue grow .
  3. The patient also has to take drugs to stop blood clotting on the stent
• Coronary Bypass


  If a part of a blood vessel is blocked ,A piece of healthy vessel is taken form elsewhere and can be used to bypass the blocked section
• Donor Heart


  The new heart does not always start pumping properly and drugs have to be taken to stop the body rejecting it
• Side effect of heart surgery


  • Vulnerable to infections
  • bleeding
  • clots