Non-communicable diseases

Non-communicable disease

A disease that cannot be passed from one individual to another

Risk factors

Aspects of a person's lifestyle, or substances present in a person's body or environment, that have been shown to be linked to an increased rate of disease.

Carcinogens

Cancer causing agents

Ionising radiation

has enough energy to cause ionisation in the materials it passes through, which in turn can make them biologically active and may result in mutation and cancer

Correlation

An apparent link or relationship between two factors

Casual mechanism

something that explains how one factor influences another

Radiotherapy

When the cancer cells are destroyed by targeted doses of radiation. This stops mitosis in the cancer cells, but can also damage healthy cells.

Chemotherapy

When chemicals are used to either stop the cancer cells dividing or make them 'self destruct'

Smoking

What can cause cardiovascular diseases including: coronary heart disease, lung cancer and lung diseases such as bronchitis and COPD?

premature birth, low birth weight, still birth and fetal alcohol syndrome

What effects can smoking and alcohol have on a fetus during pregnancy?

Obesity

What is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes?

Liver cirrhosis and liver cancer

What effect can alcohol have on the liver?

Brain damage and death

What effect can alcohol have on the brain?

UV light, radioactive materials and X-rays

3 examples of ionising radiation

coronary heart disease

When coronary arteries that supply the blood to the muscle of the heart get blocked by layers of fatty material building up. This causes the arteries to become so narrow that blood flow is restricted and there is a lack of oxygen to the heart muscle. This can cause a heart attack

Stents

Tubes are inserted into arteries to keep them open. Effective for a long time and the recovery time from the surgery is relatively quick. However there is a risk of blood clots and complications during surgery

Statins

Reduces levels of cholesterol in the blood, which slows the rate of fatty deposits forming

Advantages of statins

- reduced risk of strokes and other heart problems

- increased amount of good cholesterol

- prevent other diseases

Disadvantages of statins

-long term drug that must be taken regularly so there's a risk someone could forget to take them

-negative side effects eg. headaches

-can have serious side affects eg. kidney failure, liver damage, memory loss

-effect isn't instant and takes time to kick in

artifical heart

Mechanical devices that pump blood for a person whose heart has failed. They're usually used as a temporary fix, to keep a person alive until a donor heart can be found to help a person recover by letting the heart rest and heal. Sometimes they're used as a permanent fix

Less likely to be rejected than donor heart

Disadvantage of artificial hearts

They can lead to bleeding and infection.

The blood does not flow through the heart as smoothly which can lead to blood clots and strokes.

The patient will need to take blood thinners

Faulty valves

- Replaced with either mechanical valves or biological valves

- M. valves are often made of titanium and polymers; lasting a long time but medicine has to be taken to prevent BLOOD CLOTTING around it

- B. valves are taken from ANIMALS or HUMAN donors but only last 12-15 years

Health

the state of physical and mental well-being

More likely to suffer from infectious diseases

Defects in the immune system mean a patient is...

A trigger for cancer

Viruses living in cells can be...

allergies such as skin rashes and asthma

Immune reactions initially caused by a pathogen can trigger...

depression and other mental illnesses

Severe physical ill health can lead to...