Biology Non-communicable Diseases

• Coronary heart disease


  fatty buildup in the vessels make the arteries narrower until the plaque ruptures and a clot forms blocking blood flow
• Stent (A&Ds?)


  wire-mesh tube used to keep arteries open - placed in using a balloon that is inflated and then removed once metal mesh is supporting the walls
• Heart bypass surgery (A&Ds?)


  providing an alternative route for blood using bits of veins from other parts of the body to avoid using very narrow, blocked or damaged coronary arteries
• Statins (A&Ds?)


  drugs used to reduce cholesterol levels and slow down the rate at which fatty material builds up but effects are not immediate and there can be bad side effects
• Artificial pacemaker


  electrical device that sends regular electrical signals to the heart stimulating it to beat properly, some can even stimulate your heart to beat faster when you exercise
• Heart transplant (A&Ds?)


  the surgical replacement of a diseased heart with a healthy one of someone of similar tissue type and size
• Artificial heart (A&Ds?)


  a pump that replaces the natural heart and bridges the time to heart transplantation and can sometimes permanently replace the heart in some cases
• Factors affecting health


  diet, stress and life situations
• Disease


  a disorder of structure that produces specific symptoms and isn't simply a result of physical injury and different types of diseases can often interact
• Defects in the immune system...


  increases likeliness of suffering 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
• Communicable diseases


  caused by pathogens and can be transmitted between individuals
• Non-communicable diseases


  progressive and can't be transmitted
• Risk factors of getting NCDs


  genetics, lifestyle, substances in the person's body or environment
• Smoking


  150 out of 4000 chemicals produced are harmful, nicotine is the addictive, 10% of blood carries CO after smoking, cilia is damaged making smokers cough and at higher risk of infections, build up of tar can cause cancer, bronchitis (inflammation) or alveoli breakdown, smoking causes narrowing of blood vessels in skin, damage of lining of arteries and increase in BP, pregnant smoking can result in foetal growth problems
• Cancer


  uncontrolled cell division caused when DNA is damaged or there is a mutation in the DNA, sometimes causing it to replicate more rapidly resulting in a build-up of cells, called a tumour
• Benign growth


  non-cancerous abnormal growth that does not spread to other parts of the body due to the surrounding membrane but can grow large and press on the person's organs that can be life-threatening
• Malignant tumour


  cancerous tumour that spreads easily around the body through circulation in blood or lymphatic system causing secondary cancers making it harder to treat
• Cancer treatments


  surgery, radiation - stops cancerous cells from replicating using a dose of radiation to target abnormal cells, chemotherapy - drug that targets, stops replication and destroys cancerous cells without affecting healthy cells
• Obesity


  having an excess amount of body fat
• Benefits of exercise


  reduces fat, builds muscle, boosts immune system, prevents some diseases
• Type 2 diabetes


  progressive disorder in which body cells become less responsive to insulin or body doesn't produce enough insulin to control blood sugar levels, numbers increasing with age, genetic tendency and being overweight
• Alcohol


  contains ethanol - poisonous - but is broken down by the liver before any permanent damage, addictive, affects nervous system, causes lack of self-control, too much can lead to coma, death, cirrhosis, liver cancer (it is a carcinogen) and brain damage, alcohol in pregnancy can cause the baby to develop Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (physical and developmental problems)
• Ionising radiation


  electromagnetic radiation exposure can damage DNA and cause mutations leading to cancer e.g. solar radiation, radioactive materials, x-rays, nuclear power accidents