Health and Disease

• Communicable diseases are those that can spread from person to person or between animals and people. They can be caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites and fungi. e.g. measles and malaria
• Pathogen is an organism capable of causing disease
• Non-communicable diseases cannot be passed on directly from one person to another. Examples include cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
• People who have problems with their immune system have an increased chance of suffering from communicable diseases
• Risk factors for diseases: Age, diet, physical health, environment, mental health, substances present, stress and life situation (access to medicines ect.)
• Cancer is caused by uncontrolled cell growth and division
• Benign tumor - tumor that does not spread to other parts of the body and does not invade the surrounding tissues, is not cancerous
• Malignant tumor - cancerous tumor that can spread to other parts of the body, cells invade healthy tissues and form secondary tumors
• Smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer, heart disease, and strokes
• Obesity is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers
• UV exposure is a risk factor for skin cancer
• Viral infection is a risk factor for cervical cancer
• Hormonal imbalance is a risk factor for breast cancer
• You can inherit faulty genes which make you more susceptible to cancer