Causes of Disease Flashcards

1
Q

What does Etiology mean?

A
  • The study of the cause of disease.
  • Diseases can have a single cause or be the product of multiple factors.
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2
Q

What does Idiopathic mean?

A

Conditions with no KNOWN causes

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3
Q

What are diseases usually classified as?

A

Intrinsic - From within

Extrinsic - From outside

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4
Q

List the Intrinsic causes of disease

A

Changes in an individual’s genome

  • Nuclear or Mitochondrial
  • Inherited mutations and other genetic variations
  • de novo mutations
  • Epigenetic modifications
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5
Q

How can changes in genes causes disease

A

Alter the function of a gene or a group of genes.

  • More/less proteins or same amount but more/less activity of proteins
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6
Q

How can genetic variations manifest at a variety of levels

A

Cell Autonomously - Mutation affects the cell itself.
Cell X no longer expresses structural protein Y, so cell X is the wrong shape

Cell non-autonomously - Mutation affects other cells but not itself.
Cell X no longer secretes protein hormone Y, so cell Z no longer functions

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7
Q

List the extrinsic causes of disease

A
  • Injury
  • Infection
  • Nutrition and diet
  • Lifestyle, e.g. smoking, exposure to workplace toxins
  • Chemical poisoning (acute and chronic)
  • Exposure to radiation
  • Physcosocial Stress
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8
Q

When can the classifications be ambiguous

A

Causes of disease are often a chain of events.

Are allergies caused by a sensitive immune system (intrinsic) or the preceding allergen (extrinsic)?

Intrinsic or extrinsic depends on viewpoint. Extrinsic to what: cell, tissue, organ, body

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9
Q

Explain multiple causes of disease

A

Many diseases are the product of multiple interacting factors.

“Risk factor” can be a more accurate term than cause.

Other “diseases” are umbrella terms for a variety of conditions with different causes, but similar signs/symptoms/ pathologies

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10
Q

Explain how age can be a cause for disease

A

Age is a contributing factor to many diseases, but is it a cause?
Age often just means ‘time’, in the context of causes that accumulate.

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11
Q

Give examples where age can be a cause of disease

A

Age can be an intrinsic cause when it describes the biological ageing process.

E.g.: Ageing => Menopause => decreased oestrogen => risk of osteoporosis.

Many diseases associated with chronic inflammation also have a biological ageing as a cause.

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12
Q

What are the alternative descriptions for disease classification

A

Genetic and Environmental

Parkinson’s disease risk factors are:
- Age
- Genetics
- Environment

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13
Q

What are some Intrinsic diseases

A
  • Cancer (inc. Leukaemia, Lymphoma, Myeloma, Breast, Prostate)
  • Developmental diseases(e.g. Neural tube defects)
  • Inherited anaemia(e.g. Sickle cell disease, β-thalassaemia)
  • Inherited metabolic diseases(e.g. phenylketonuria)
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14
Q

What is the cause of Down syndrome

A

Trisomy of chromosome 21, inherited at conception

Intrinsic

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15
Q

What is the cause of COVID-19

A

Infection with SARS-CoV-2

Extrinsic

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16
Q

What is the cause of lung cancer

A

Extrinsic:
- Smoking tobacco
- Chemicals and workplace risks
- Air pollution
- Exposure to radon gas

Intrinsic:
- Previous lung disease (with its own causes)
- Family history of lung disease