Biology-non communicable diseases

• What are the types of non communicable diseases

  • asthma
  • cancer
  • coronary heart disease
• Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)

  NCDs are chronic illnesses caused by a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors, rather than being spread from person to person
• What diseases does smoking cause

  heart disease, lung disease, lung cancer
• what diseases does obesity cause

  type 2 diabetes, heart disease
• what diseases does excessive alcohol consumption cause

  liver disease, damage nerve cells in the brain
• what disease does exposure to ionising radiation cause

  cancer
• how does obesity increase the chance of developing chd

  eating too much fatty foods increases the percentage of fatty material in the arteries which gradually builds up leading to high cholesterol and then chd
• how is cancer formed

  uncontrollable cell division causes cells to keep on dividing and form a tumour which can spread and invade surrounding tissue
• what is a benign tumour

  tumour that is slow growing, non cancerous, doesn't spread, cells have a normal shape
• what is a malignant tumour

  tumour that is fast growing, cancerous, cells can break off and spread around the body in the blood stream invading other tissue, cells may have abnormal shape
• how can chemotherapy treat cancer

  uses chemical drugs which prevent DNA being copied which stops the cell cycle. If DNA can't be copied cells will not be able to divide so mitosis is stopped
• how can radiotherapy treat cancer

  uses targeted doses of radiation to damage DNA. If DNA is damaged this will force the cell to kill itself - mitosis is stopped
• how can smoking lead to cancer

  the chemicals in cigarette smoke are carcinogens, it can cause lung, mouth, throat, bowel, stomach, cervical cancer
• how can UV light exposure lead to cancer

  regular exposure to UV radiation from the sun or from sun beds can lead to skin cancer
• how can obesity lead to cancer

  fat in the body can send signals to there cells telling them to divide more often - bowel, liver, kidney cancer
• what viral infections can cause liver cancer

  hepatitis b + c
• a _______ ________ passed down from parents causes some breast cancers

  genetic mutation
• why are the survival rates of cancer increasing

  improved treatments, improved patient knowledge of risk factors
• how is smoking a risk factor for cardiovascular disease

  • smoking damages lining of (coronary) arteries which causes a build up of fatty material- heart attack, stroke.
  • Inhaling carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke reduces amount of oxygen carried by blood.
  • Nicotine increases heart rate putting strain on heart.
  • Chemicals increase the risk of blood clots- heart attack, stroke.
• how is smoking a risk factor for lung disease or COPD

  • damage is permanent and can result in death.
  • chemicals in tobacco smoke can stop cilia in trachea and bronchi working- don't move mucus, dirt or bacteria away from lungs- buildup of mucus, swollen airways.
  • patient becomes breathless, finds it hard to obtain the oxygen required for respiration.
• how is smoking a risk factor for lung cancer

  • carcinogens in the tar of cigarettes and smoke cause lung cancer by mutating cells.
  • almost all cases of lung cancer are from smoking and majority lead to death.
• how is the liver affected by alcohol

  • excess alcohol damages liver which is the organ responsible for processing and breaking down alcohol.
  • causes fats to build up- fatty liver disease.
  • alcohol damage leads to alcoholic hepatitis- can lead to death.
  • cirrhosis of the liver can develop- scarred, loses ability to function.
• how is the brain affected by alcohol

  • excess alcohol can cause liver damage so the alcohol can't be removed from the body- travels to brain where it can cause brain damage.
  • causes brain shrinkage.
  • memory problems.
  • psychiatric problems.
  • may result in needing long term care.
• how does foetal alcohol syndrome affect the baby

  • smaller in size/weight
  • smaller brain with fewer neurones
  • will have long term learning and behavioural difficulties
• what are the effects of smoking while pregnant

  • increases risk of miscarriage
  • babies and children are more likely to suffer from lung infections and an increased risk of asthma
  • long term physical growth and intellectual development of baby/child is affected
  • increased risks of birth defects
  • reduced birthweight of baby
• when we are ill, white blood cells produce __________ to kill microorganisms

  antibodies
• many strains of bacteria, including ____, have developed resistance to drugs called ________

  MRSA, vaccines
• how are the lungs adapted for efficient exchange of gases

  large surface area due to multiple alveoli which have thin, moist walls, a rich blood supply from capillaries closely surrounding them, and a large diffusion gradient, allowing for rapid diffusion of oxygen into the blood and carbon dioxide out of the blood.
• what is the difference between causation and correlation

  causation applies to cases where an action directly causes the outcome, correlation is simply a relationship.
• how does emphysema affect the diffusion of gases in and out of blood

  large surface area means higher rate of diffusion so if you have emphysema less gases will diffuse through blood
• why will stopping smoking improve a persons health

  • reduce risk of cancer, CHD, asthma, lung disease
  • decrease cholesterol
  • stop damaging alveoli
  • tar stops mucus getting through
• how do you calculate BMI

  mass in kg/(height in m)^2
• what are the limitations of BMI

  not applicable to children or people with a high proportion of lean versus fat tissue e.g. athletes
• how does a vaccination make a person immune to a disease

  A vaccination basically injects an inactive form of a pathogen into the body. This will activate an immune response and antibody production, which means that memory cells are made. This protects the individual incase the real pathogen enters the blood again.
• how does nicotine cause a person to become addicted

  rapidly reaching the brain and triggering the release of dopamine which your brain seeks to repeat
• how does a build up of fatty material damage the heart

  narrowing the arteries, restricting blood flow, and ultimately causing a heart attack if a piece of the plaque breaks off and blocks the artery completely
• how can statins help to reduce deaths from CHD

  Statins don't just lower cholesterol levels but also reduce the risk of fatty plaques breaking off from walls of your arteries, reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke