Health and Disease

• Non communicable disease are not passed from person to person
• Non communicable diseases are a consequence of inheriting combinations of genes that make us more likely to develop some conditions
• lifestyle factors

  1. poor diet
  2. lack of exercise
  3. overexposure to the sun
  4. misuse of drugs
• diet and disease

  • may become overweight and result in obesity
  • may not get a balanced diet
  • may miss out on essential vitamins and minerals
• exercise and health

  if the energy we use in exercise is less then the amount we eat we run the risk of become overweight or obese
• exercise can

  1. strengthen our bones
  2. help our circulatory system
  3. lift our mood
• Overexposure to sun

  too much uv radiation can cause skin cancer which can cause mutations in the skin
• Misuse of alcohol

  1. long term excessive use can damage liver
  2. binger drinking can cause harm to body
  3. drinking heavily during pregnancy can cause serious harm to foetus including brain damage (foetal alcohol syndrome)
• Misuse of tobacco

  Tar cause bronchitis, emphysema and lung cancer

  Nicotine is addictive and affects heart rate
• Carbon monoxide

  combines with red blood cells to reduce the oxygen carrying capacity of blood
• carbon monoxide causes shortage of oxygen reaching body tissues which means less oxygen available for respiration
• heart disease is caused by high cholesterol in the blood building up in artery walls which narrows arteries
• narrowing of arteries more likely to happen in narrow coronary arteries causing CHD
• Narrowing of arteries may from a clot and prevent part of heart muscle receiving oxygen and glucose meaning the cells will die and heart will stop beating = heart attack
• if there is a blockage in the brain a stroke will result as the cells are deprived of oxygen and glucose and will die
• Strokes can cause

  1. paralysis
  2. speech issues
  3. personality change
• Stroke increasing factors

  1. smoking
  2. excess dietary fats
  3. lack of regular exercise
  4. stress
• Angioplasty and stents

  increase the space for blood in arteries
• Angiograph is a medical imaging technique to allow doctors to see inside blood vessels
• Angioplasty and stents

  dye is added to blood and through thin tubes and inserted into blood vessel near skin. Balloon like structures are used to hold the affected artery open for stents
• statins help reduce blood cholesterol
• Aspirin helps thin blood and make it less sticky reducing the risk of a clot forming
• cancer occurs when cell division goes wrong
• A tumour is a group of cancerous cells
• Benign tumours remain in one place and may be surrounded by a distinct boundary
• Malignant tumours are less likely to have a boundary and cells can break off, spread and grow into secondary tumours
• UV radiation from sun/sun beds

  damages DNA in skin cells which can cause cancer
• Chemicals in cigarette smoke contains carcinogens (tar) which irritates and damages cells
• Viruses like HPV are linked to cervical cancer
• Cancer detection

  if detected early the tumour will be smaller and cause less damage
• Screening programmes are given to people of certain age and medical history to detect cancer
• Surgery can physically remove cancer cells from body with few side effects.
• Disadvantages of surgery

  1. less effective if cancer has spread
  2. cells could be in an inaccessible part of body
• Radiotherapy uses xrays to kill cancer cells by pinpointing xray beams to target very small tumours
• disadvantage of radiotherapy

  1. may pass through normal tissues and cause damage to healthy cells
• Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells which can target cancer cells anywhere in the body
• Disadvantages of chemotherapy

  1. broad brush approach can cause damage to normal cells
  2. significant side effects like nausea and hair loss
• Immunotherapy uses antibodies which attach to the antigens on the surface of cancer cells which acts as markers so phagocytes can locate and destroy them
• immunotherapy is a targeted treatment with potentiallt reduced side effects
• Economic costs of cancer treatment

  1. long term treatment
  2. long stays in hospitality
  3. highly trained/specialist staff required