health issues

• what is a communicable disease?

  a disease which can be spread from person to person
• what are non communicable diseases?

  diseases that cannot be passed from person to person
• what is health?

  health is the state of physical and mental well-being
• how can ill health be caused?

  • by poor diet
  • high levels of stress
  • other life situations
• people with a defective immune system are much 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 tigger allergies such as skin rashes and asthma
• severe physical ill health can lead to depression and other mental illness
• what are pathogens?

  microorganisms that cause infectious diseases
• what do pathogens consist of?

  • bacteria
  • viruses
  • protists
  • fungi
• how do bacteria make us feel ill?

  • once inside the human body, bacteria reproduce very rapidly
  • bacteria can then release harmful chemicals called toxins
  • toxins damage tissues and make us feel ill
• how are viruses different to bacteria?

  viruses cannot reproduce by themselves, they can only reproduce inside a host cell
• how does a virus make us feel ill?

  • first the virus invades the host cell
  • the virus then reproduces inside the host cell
  • this is very damaging to the cell
  • when the virus leaves the cell it can cause the cell to burst open and die
• how do pathogens spread?

  • in water droplets
  • directly in water
  • direct contact
• how can we reduce the spread of pathogens?

  • washing your hands before eating
  • providing people with clean drinking water
  • patients may be isolated
  • vaccination
• what risk factors are associated to cardiovascular disease?

  • smoking
  • diet
  • obesity
  • lack of exercise
• risk factors are linked to an increased rate of a disease, they can be..?

  • aspects of a persons lifestyle
  • substances in the persons body or environment
• if there is more disease the workforce will be less productive which means government will have to spend a greater share on health
• how can smoking cause disease?

  the toxins in some can directly damage the walls of our blood vessels
• how can obesity be caused?

  • by poor diet and lack of exercise
  • type 2 diabetes
• how does cancer occur?

  as a result of changes in cells that lead to uncontrolled growth and division
• what are benign tumours?

  growths of abnormal cells which are contained in one area usually within a membrane.

  they DO NOT invade other parts of the body
• what are malignant tumours?

  cancers, they invade neighbouring tissues and spread to different parts of the body in the blood where they form secondary tumours
• there are cancers linked to genetics and lifestyle
• what is a radon?

  a radioactive gas which increases your risk of developing lung cancer this is because radon releases ionising radiation which damages the DNA in our cells this can cause cancer