non-communicable diseases

• non communicable diseases can't be spread between organisms
• name 2 risk factors?

  • aspects of a persons life eg lack of exercise
  • substances in the persons body or environment eg chemicals from smoking
• a casual mechanism is the process by which a cause brings about an effect eg smoking being connected to lung cancer
• what is the risk factor for cardiovascular disease?

  lack of exercise/ smoking/ high intake of saturated fat
• what happens in coronary heart disease?

  layers of fatty material build up inside the coronary arteries and narrow them
• name 2 treatments for coronary heart disease?

  • stents (keep the arteries open)
  • statins (reduce blood cholesterol levels and slow down the rate at which fatty materials build up)
• faulty valves can be replaced using biological or mechanical valves
• for cases of heart failure:

  • a donor heart, or heart and lungs can be transplanted
  • artificial hearts can be used to keep patients alive while waiting for a heart transplant or to allow the heart to recover
• what is cancer caused by?

  uncontrolled cell division which can form masses of cells called tumours
• what are the 2 types of tumours?

  • benign (don't spread around the body and are usually contained in a membrane)
  • malignant ( spread in the blood to different parts of the body where they form secondary tumours)