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Developmental Disorders
Developmental disorders are caused by events impacting the child during various critical periods:
Prenatally (before birth)
Perinatally (during birth)
Postnatally (after birth)
These disorders may interrupt normal development in one or multiple areas.
Example: Cerebral Palsy
Cause: Damage to brain areas controlling movement and coordination.
Damage may result from injury or infection during any developmental stage.
Genetic Disorders
Familial Combined Hyperlipidemia
Definition: A genetic disorder resulting in high cholesterol and elevated fat levels in the blood.
Inherited through family genes.
Consequences: Increases risk for early heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes.
Importance of early diagnosis, medical treatment, and healthy lifestyle choices to manage the disease.
Congenital Defects
Definition: Defects present at birth, detectable via modern technology, and sometimes treatable before birth.
Potential for diseases or disorders to manifest later (may be present at birth but not symptomatic).
Health Monitoring in Children
Regular pediatrician visits can help identify potential developmental disorders and help prevent infectious diseases through vaccinations.
Aging and Health
Older adults experience unique biological changes that increase susceptibility to diseases due to:
General reduction in body function at cellular and organ levels.
Inability of organs like the brain and heart to regenerate effectively.
Factors Predisposing to Disease
Gender
Differences between male and female anatomy can influence disease prevalence.
Example:
Osteoporosis is more common in women.
Parkinson's disease is more common in men.
Lifestyle
Compromising health habits include:
Smoking
Alcohol and drug misuse
Poor diet
Lack of exercise
Healthier choices can improve overall health status.
Environment
Environmental stressors contributing to poor health include:
Pollution (air/water)
Chronic stress
Unsanitary living conditions
Heredity
Genetic material inherited from parents can link to certain diseases.
Important to acknowledge the interaction between genetic makeup and lifestyle risk factors affecting susceptibility to diseases.
Prevention and Health Care
Preventive health care strategies can reduce the risk of various diseases
Healthy lifestyle choices:
Balanced diet
Regular exercise
Routine health screenings
Avoiding harmful behaviors
Emphasis on preventive health helps reduce treatment burdens in healthcare.
Signs and Symptoms of Disease
Definition
Signs: Objective measurements of disease present (e.g., fever, measurable symptom).
Symptoms: Subjective experiences that cannot be objectively measured (e.g., headache, nausea).
Pain and Inflammation
Pain: serves as a defense mechanism indicating potential issues.
Example: Significant pain may arise from a fracture, warning of injury.
Inflammation: Normal immune response involving
Redness
Heat
Swelling
Pain
Purpose of inflammation: to promote healing, not just from injury but also in response to pathogens.
Classifications of Disease
Infectious Diseases
Caused by pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites)
Pathogens may damage local tissues or produce toxic substances.
Types:
Communicable: Contagious and spread from person to person (e.g., flu).
Noncommunicable: Caused by pathogens but not contagious (e.g., food poisoning)
Noninfectious Diseases
Classification examples:
Cancers: Uncontrolled cell growth forming tumors, impacting normal body functions.
Immune Disorders: Ineffective immune defense leading to hypersensitivity (e.g., allergies) and immunodeficiencies (e.g., AIDS).
Autoimmune Disorders: Body's immune system attacks its own tissues (e.g., type 1 diabetes).
Genetic Disorders: Caused by changes in genetic material, impacting inherited traits (e.g., mutations).
Mental Disorders: Affect psychological well-being and behavior, with various unknown etiologies.
Trauma and Disease
Trauma leads to abnormal functioning of the body post-injury.
Types of trauma include physical injury or exposure to harmful agents.
Diagnosing Disease
Definition and Process
Diagnosis: Determining the nature and circumstances surrounding a diseased condition through a systematic approach:
Collecting patient history.
Patient examination.
Utilizing diagnostic tests.
Determining diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.
Differential Diagnosis
Employed when multiple diseases may cause patient symptoms.
Involves a process of elimination based on patient assessments and test results.
Diagnostic Tests
Types of Diagnostic Tests:
Biopsy: Removal of tissue for lab analysis.
Screenings: Regular checks, e.g., mammograms for breast abnormalities.
Treatment of Disease
Types of Treatment Plans
Palliative Treatment: Aims to make patients comfortable, often used at terminal stages.
Therapeutic Treatment: Restores normal body function through physical or occupational therapy.
Preventive Treatment: Reduces the risk of disease through proactive measures.
Epidemiology
Definition
Epidemiology (EP-ih-DEE-mee-OL-oh-jee): Study of disease incidence, distribution, and control in populations.
Aims to improve public health responses, manage outbreaks, and inform healthcare practices.
Key Terms
Incidence: Number of new cases of a disease.
Prevalence: Total number of cases of a disease.
Epidemic: Widespread disease occurrence in a community at a specific time.
Pandemic: Widespread disease occurrence over broader regions.
R0 Value (Basic Reproduction Number)
Indicates how easily a disease spreads;
R0 > 1 means potential spread in the population.
Example: 1918 Flu had an R0 of 1.4 to 2.8.
Case Fatality Rate (CFR)
Measures death occurrence from a particular disease, independent of R0 value.
Example: Although measles spreads quickly, it has a relatively low CFR.