Diseases and Risk Factors

• Health is the state of physical and mental well-being
• Diseases, both communicable and non-communicable, are major causes of ill health
• Defects in the immune system mean that an individual is more likely to suffer from infectious diseases
• Viruses living in cells can be the trigger for cancers
• Immune reactions initially caused by a pathogen can trigger allergies such as skin rashes and asthma
• Severe physical ill health can lead to depression and other mental illness
• Factors including diet, stress and life situations may have a profound effect on both physical and mental health
• Non communicable diseases have a human cost as many die and have a low quality of life because of them
• Non communicable diseases have a financial cost as the cost of research and treatment by the NHS is high
• In developed counties non communicable diseases are more common as people with higher income can by high fat food
• People in deprived areas are more likely to smoke, have a poor diet and not exercise which can lead to cardiovascular disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes
• Risk factors are linked to an increased rate of a disease and they can be

  • Aspects of a person’s lifestyle
  • Substances in the person’s body or environment
• A causal mechanism has been proven for some risk factors, but not in others

  • The effects of diet, smoking and exercise on cardiovascular disease
  • Obesity as a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes
  • The effect of alcohol on the liver and brain function
  • The effect of smoking on lung disease and lung cancer
  • The effects of smoking and alcohol on unborn babies
  • Carcinogens, including ionising radiation, as risk factors in cancer