health & disease

• give the definition of health

  health is the state of physical and mental well being
• what are communicable diseases?


  diseases that spread from person to person or animal and people. caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi. described as contagious or infectious diseases.
• what are examples of a communicable disease?

  measles and malaria
• what is a non communicable disease?

  diseases that cannot spread between people or animals and people. last a long time and get worse slowly.
• what are some examples of a non communicable diseases?

  asthma, cancer, coronary heart disease
• what is the problem with having a bad immune system?


  increase in chance of suffering from a communicable disease because their body is less likely to be able to defend itself against the pathogens.
• how would having a HIV affect the likelihood of a person catching a communicable disease?

  HIV would make a person more likely to catch communicable diseases because their body is less able to defend itself against pathogens.
• suggest how a persons life situation could have an effect on there health.

  it could be affected by wether they have easy access to medicines to treat illness or access to things that would prevent them getting ill in the first place. such as healthy food, condoms
• give two factors other than disease and life situation that can affect a persons health

  diet & stress
• what is the function of the immune system?

  To protect the body from pathogens and foreign substances.
• cancer


  can be triggered by infection with certain viruses
• what is the financial cost of communicable diseases?

  • NHS research
  • families may have to move/adapt their home to help a family member with disease
  • a family member with disease may have to give up work or died - family income will be reduced
  • reduction is number of people working
• what is the human cost of non communicable diseases?

  • tens of millions die per year
  • lower quality of life
  • shorter lifespan
• what is a risk factor?

  things that are linked to an increase in the likelihood that a person will develop a certain disease during their lifetime.
• what are some non communicable risk factors?

  • excerise
  • environment
  • smoking
  • poor diet
• what is it meant by the term carcinogen?


  something that causes cancer
• name two organs that are affected by drinking too much alcohol


  the liver & brain - liver disease, damage cells in brain
• describe the effect of smoking on the incidence of the non communicable diseases on a national scale.


  nationally, people from deprived areas are more likely to smoke - meaning non communicable diseases (lung diseases, lung cancer) are more common in these areas