B7 - Non-communicable diseases

• Health


  • The state of physical and mental wellbeing
• Factors that affect health

  • communicable and non-communicable diseases
  • diet
  • stress
  • exercise
  • life situations
• Interactions between diseases


  • immune system defects make an individual more likely to suffer from infectious diseases
  • viral infections can trigger cancers
  • immune reactions caused by pathogens can trigger allergies
  • severe physical ill health can lead to depression and other mental illnesses
• Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)


  • occurs when coronary arteries become narrowed by the build-up of layers of fatty material within them
  • this reduces the flow of blood, resulting in less oxygen to the heart muscle
  • this can lead to heart attacks
• Treating cardiovascular diseases


  • stent
  • statins
  • replacing faulty heart valves
  • transplants
• Stent


  Inserted into blocked coronary arteries to keep them open
• Advantages of stents


  • widens the artery
  • allows more blood to flow, so more oxygen is supplied to the heart
  • less serious surgery
• Disadvantages of stents


  • can involve major surgery
  • risk of infection, blood loss, blood clots and damage to blood vessels
  • risks from anaesthetic used in surgery
• Statins


  drugs that reduce blood cholesterol levels, slowing down the deposit of fatty material in the arteries
• Advantages of statins


  • effective
  • no need for surgery
  • can prevent CHD from developing
• Disadvantages of statins


  • possible side effects like muscle pain, headaches and sickness
  • cannot cure CHD, so patient will have to take tablets for many years
• Replacing faulty heart valves


  heart valves that do leak or do not open fully, preventing control of blood flow to the heart, can be replaced with biological or mechanical valves
• Advantages of replacing valves


  • allows control of blood flow to the heart
  • long-term cure for faulty heart valves
• Disadvantages of replacing valves


  • can involve major surgery
  • risk of infection of blood loss
  • risks of anaesthetic used during surgery
• Transplants


  • if the heart fails, a donor heart can be transplated
  • artificial hearts can be used to keep patients alive while waiting for a heart transplant, or to allow the heart to rest during recovery
• Advantages of transplants


  • long-term cure for the most serious heart conditions
  • treats problems that cannot be treated in other ways
• Disadvantages of transplants

  • transplant may be rejected if there is not a match between the donor and patient
  • lengthy process
  • major surgery
  • risk of infection and blood loss
  • risks fom anaesthetic used during surgery
• Risk factors


  Any aspect of lifestyle or bodies that can increase the risk of a disease developin
• Risk factors


  • diet and amount of exercise
  • alcohol
  • smoking
  • carcinogens and genetic risk factors
• Diet and amount of exercise


  • Type 2 diabetes
  • body does not respond properly to the production of insulin
  • blood glucose levels cannot be controlled
  • Cardiovascular disease
  • increased blood cholesterol can lead to CHD
• Alcohol


  • Impaired liver function
  • long-term alcohol use causes liver cirrhosis
  • the liver cannot remove toxins from the body or produce sufficient bile
  • Impaired brain function
  • damages the brain
  • can cause anxiety and depression
  • Affected development of unborn babies
  • alcohol can pass through the placenta
  • risks premature births and birth defects
• Carcinogens and genetic risk factors


  • Cancers
  • tar in cigarettes and UV rays can cause cancers
  • some genetic factors can make an indvidual more likely to develop certain cancers
• Cancer


  • The result of changes in cells that lead to uncontrolled growth and division by mitosis
  • Rapid division of abnormal cells can form a tumour
• Malignant tumours


  cancerous tumours that invade neighbouring tissues and spread to other parts of the body in the blood, forming secondary tumours
• Benign tumours


  non-cancerous tumours that do not spread in the body