Health Issues Across the Lifespan

Common Health Issues in Infancy and Childhood

  • Vaccination: Small doses of inactive virus stimulate antibody production, leading to a decline in diseases. Non-vaccination reasons: Various individual reasons.
  • Injuries: Cause of death in children and adolescents; influenced by individual and contextual risk factors.
  • Child Abuse:
    • Physical Abuse: Intentional injury.
    • Sexual Abuse: Inappropriate sexual activities or touching.
    • Neglect: Lack of basic needs like food, clothing, shelter, or medical care.
  • Effects of Maltreatment: Can include physical, brain development, socioemotional issues, influenced by child, parent, and community factors.

Common Health Issues in Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood

  • Body Image Dissatisfaction: Increase in risk for eating disorders.
    • Anorexia Nervosa: Extreme weight loss through starving or excessive exercise.
    • Bulimia Nervosa: Binge eating followed by purging.
  • Alcohol and Substance Use: Common and seen as a way to assert independence; usage increases in transition to adulthood.
    • Alcohol Abuse: Binge drinking defined by quantity consumed in one sitting.
    • Tobacco Use: Health risks noted; includes traditional smoking and e-cigarettes.
    • Marijuana Use: Common use with various motivations; concerns about addiction.

Common Health Issues in Adulthood

  • Cancer: Disruption in normal cell growth leads to rapid reproduction of abnormal cells, influenced by genetics and lifestyle; more common in men and low SES.
  • Diabetes: Problems regulating blood glucose levels; includes Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes caused by different factors.
  • Cardiovascular Disease: Characterized by high blood pressure, cholesterol, and increased risks; treatment important.
  • Osteoporosis: Severe bone loss, increased fracture risk; influenced by various factors.
  • Arthritis: Degenerative joint disease; includes osteoarthritis (overuse) and rheumatoid arthritis (autoimmune).
  • Injuries: Motor vehicle accidents increase with age, decline in cognitive and motor skills raise risk of falls.

Dementia in Older Adulthood

  • Dementia: Deterioration in mental abilities, related to brain changes.
    • Alzheimer’s Disease: Progressive cognitive decline leading to severe dementia, associated with amyloid plaques and tau tangles; influenced by various risk factors.
    • Vascular Dementia: Caused by strokes, sudden losses of mental function with each stroke.
    • Parkinson’s Disease: Impairs dopamine production affecting movement and cognition; difficult diagnosis and treatment.
    • Reversible Dementia: Sometimes reversible due to psychological/behavioral factors, often unrecognized.