health & disease

• Types of diseases

  • Communicable
  • Non-communicable
• Communicable diseases


  • Spread between organisms, often caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi
• Communicable diseases

  • Measles
  • Salmonella
  • Malaria
  • Covid-19
  • Chicken-pox
  • Flu
  • common cold
  • meningitis
• Non-communicable diseases (NCD)


  • Do not spread from person to person, typically progress slowly
• Non-communicable diseases

  • Cancer
  • Diabetes
  • Coronary heart disease (CHD)
  • Asthma
  • Depression
  • Arthritis
• Lack of balanced diet leads to health issues like obesity, malnutrition, and mental health struggles due to deficiencies in essential nutrients
• Interaction Between Disease examples:

  • If someone had a DEFECTED IMMUNE SYSTEM, they're more likely to suffer from infectious disease.
  • Some VIRUSES living in cells can trigger for CANCERS.
  • Immune reactions initially caused by a PATHOGEN can trigger ALLERGIES like:
  • SKIN RASHES
  • ASTHMA
  • Mental health can be affected by physical health issues, influencing a person’s overall well-being.
• Lifestyle choices can impact health like:

  • Balanced Diet
  • Stress Management
  • Life Situation
• Lack of balanced diet leads to health issues like:

  • obesity
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • coronary heart disease
  • high blood pressure
  • cancer
  • depression
  • malnutrition
  • mental health struggles
  • due to deficiencies in essential nutrients
• Stress Management:


  STRESS is a silent contributor to many health problems.

  • Effective stress management strategies are for maintaining good health.
• Chronic stress can lead to serious health issues like:

  • HYPERTENSION
  • HEART DISEASE
  • WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEM
• Life Situation:


  Access to healthcare & preventive measures affects one's health.

  • Factors like access to MEDICINES, HEALTHY FOOD & preventive tools like CONDOMS can prevent disease & improve the quality of life.
• HUMAN COST:


  Non-communicable diseases don't just affect the individual with the disease, but can also affect friends, family, & society more generally.

  • People with NCDs may have a lower quality of life or a shorter lifespan.
• FINANCIAL IMPACT with diseases:


  • The NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE (NHS) spends an amount of money on research & treatment of theses diseases.
  • Families often bear a personal financial strain due to these diseases.
  • They may need to relocate or modify homes to support a family member with a chronic illness.
  • leading to high expenses.
• FINANCIAL IMPACT with diseases:

  Loss of income can occur if the family member with the disease is UNABLE TO WORK.

  • Stressing family FINANCES.
  • If there’s more disease, the workforce will be less productive.
  • A bigger share of government spending will have to be spent on health.
• RISK FACTORS:


  Factors that increase the chances of a person developing diseases.

  • They include the person’s lifestyle choices & the environment the person is exposed to.
• Risk factors that lead to diseases & problems:

  • smoking
  • obesity
  • alcohol
  • carcinogens
• SMOKING:


  Can directly cause diseases like:

  • CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE
  • LUNG DISEASE
  • LUNG & MOUTH CANCER

  Smoking when PREGNANT can cause health problems for the unborn baby.
• ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION:


  Linked to LIVER DISEASES & can impact brain function.
• Carcinogens:


  Exposure to specific substances or radiation that can directly cause cancer.

  e.g. ionising radiation from X-RAYS
• Disease:


  Refers to a group of conditions that can cause ill health.
• The role of the immune system is to detect and destroy pathogens.

  • If your immune system is weakened, you become more susceptible to communicable diseases.
• A certain group of people are more likely to have certain risk factors than others.

  • so those groups have a higher incidence of the associated diseases.
• To maintain good health:

  • Eat a well-balanced diet
  • exercise regularly
  • reduce stress
  • seek medical help for mental / physical difficulties
  • avoid smoking
  • drink alcohol in moderation only
• Smoking:


  • Tar - carcinogenic
  • Nicotine - addictive chemical
  • carbon monoxide - reduces oxygen content of blood
• Body mass index (BMI):

  • Helps to show if a person has a healthy body mass for their height.
• Body mass index (BMI) = body mass in kg / (height in m)^2
• Medical risk factors:

  • high blood pressure
  • high cholesterol
  • diabetes
  • genetic factors
  • medications
• The number of people, who are obese in the UK is increasing.

  The financial impact of this is:

  • Costs the hospitals more money
  • because need to pay for additional surgery
• Exercise is Regular physical activity & benefits are:

  • losing body mass
  • strengthens muscles, heart & bones
  • reduces risk of diseases like:
  • cardiovascular disease
  • type 2 diabetes
  • obesity
  • reduces blood pressure
  • improves mental health
  • weight loss
  • as exercise requires energy, obtained from fat