Diseases and Risk Factors

    Subdecks (2)

    Cards (33)

    • 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