Health and Disease

What is health?

A state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing; it isn’t just the absence of disease.

What is physical wellbeing?

Being free from disease, doing things that are good for you, abstaining from things that aren’t good for you.

What is social wellbeing?

Getting on well with others, and how surroundings affect you.

What is disease?

Any deviation from the normal structure or function of a body part, organ or system that comes with a set of symptoms.

What is a pathogen?

A microorganism that causes disease.

What does communicable mean?

A disease that can be spread between people.

What does non-communicable mean?

A disease that can’t be spread between people.

What is the immune system?

The system that tries to protect the body from disease.

What are cardiovascular diseases?

Abnormalities of the heart and blood vessels.

What disease does a vitamin D deficiency cause?

Rickets.

What disease does a protein deficiency cause?

Kwashiorkor.

What disease does an iron deficiency cause?

Anemia.

What disease does a vitamin C deficiency cause?

Scurvy.

What is malnutrition?

When you don’t get enough nutrients.

State one risk factor you can’t change.

Either: age, family history and ethnicity.

State one risk factor you can change.

Either: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, smoking tobacco, obesity, and low physical activity.

What causes a heart attack?

When blood flow to the heart muscle is cut off.

What causes a stroke?

When a blood clot cuts off the blood flow to the brain.

State a method of spreading disease.

Either: sneezing, water, food, animal vectors or touch.

What are physical barriers?

Barriers that stop pathogens getting past them, or make it difficult to do so.

What are chemical barriers?

Barriers that react with the substances in pathogens to kill them or make them inactive.

What are the eyes defended by?

Tears, mucus and lyzo.

What are the ears defended by?

Wax.

What is the nose defended by?

Ciliated cells, mucus and lyzo.

What is the mouth defended by?

Saliva, mucus and lyzo.

What are cuts defended by?

Scabs and clotting.

What are antibodies found on?

Lymphocytes.

What are antigens found on?

Pathogens.

What is immunity?

Not being able to catch a certain disease because you have antibodies in your blood that fight it.

What is a vaccine?

A dead or weakened version of a disease.

What are antibiotics?

Substances that kill bacteria or prevent their processes from unfolding. This stops them from growing and reproducing.

What are the four stages of a clinical trial?

1. Testing is done on cells or tissues in a lab to find out if the antibiotic has the desired effect.

2. Testing may then be carried out on animals to see how the antibiotic acts in the body.

3. A small trial is carried out on healthy people to find out if the antibiotic is safe and to investigate the side effects.

4. A large trial is then carried out on people with the disease to finally conclude if the antibiotic is successful.