Note
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health, disease and cancer
⚖ Health
🔹 Definition:
Health = A state of physical and mental well-being.
🦠 Types of Disease
Type | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
Communicable | Can spread between people, caused by pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, protists). | Flu, measles, malaria |
Non-communicable | Not infectious – caused by lifestyle or genetics. | Cancer, heart disease, diabetes |
🔗 How Diseases Can Interact
One disease can increase the risk of another:
HPV (virus) can cause cervical cancer.
Immune system problems (e.g. HIV) make you more likely to catch infections.
Physical ill health can lead to mental illness (e.g. depression).
⚠ Risk Factors for Non-Communicable Diseases
Risk Factor | Linked Condition |
|---|---|
Smoking | Lung disease, heart disease, cancer |
Obesity | Type 2 diabetes |
Too much alcohol | Liver disease, brain damage |
Poor diet | Heart disease, malnutrition |
Lack of exercise | Obesity, heart disease |
Exposure to radiation | Cancer |
Inherited genes | Higher risk of some cancers |
🧠 Remember: Risk factors don't always cause disease, but they increase the likelihood.
🎗 Cancer
🔹 What is cancer?
Caused by uncontrolled cell division → forms a tumour.
🔹 Types of Tumours:
Type | Description |
|---|---|
Benign | Tumour grows in one place, doesn’t spread. Not cancerous. |
Malignant | Cancer. Tumour spreads to other parts of the body through the blood and forms secondary tumours. |
🔹 Causes of Cancer:
Cause | Example |
|---|---|
Genetic risk | Inherited faulty genes (e.g. BRCA genes in breast cancer). |
Lifestyle | Smoking, alcohol, obesity. |
Environmental | Radiation, UV exposure. |
Infections | Certain viruses like HPV (linked to cervical cancer). |
NoteStudied by 48 peopleNoteStudied by 52 peopleNoteStudied by 12 peopleNoteStudied by 2 peopleNoteStudied by 25 peopleNoteStudied by 265 people