Communicable Diseases Flashcards
Scurvy, Anaemia, HIV, HPV, Chlamydia, Athletes foot, toxoplasmosis
Scurvy
A non communicable, nutrient deficiency disease caused by a serious vitamin C deficiency and can lead to swollen or bleeding gums
Causes of Scurvy
A lack of Vitamin C (which usually comes from fruit/veg)
Not eating or eating very little
Smoking (reduces how much vitamin C you take in)
Drug/ Alcohol dependency which effects diet
Eating disorders
Reduced access to nutritious foods
Symptoms of Scurvy
Swollen, Bleeding gums
Teeth may fall out
Feeling tired and weak
Red or blue spots on the skin
Skin that bruises easily
Joint, muscle or leg pain
Treating Scurvy
Increase vitamin C intake, usually from fruits or vegetables. Vitamin C supplements may also be recommended. Full recovery is usually made within a couple of days.
Anaemia
A non communicable, nutrient deficiency disease caused by a lack of Iron, it can lead to tiredness and pale skin and is usually caused by blood loss.
Causes of anaemia
A lack of iron, usually caused by blood loss, pregnancy or a vegetarian/ vegan diet
Symptoms of anaemia
Tiredness and lack of energy
Shortness of breath
Paler skin then normal
Headaches
Treating anaemia
Increasing intake of Iron (with Iron tablets), with orange juice (to help absorption). These should be taken for roughly 6 months.
Eating Iron rich foods (such as beans, meat and fortified cereal)
HIV (Human immunodeficiency virus)
A virus which attacks T cells (a type of WBC) and leads to a weakened response by the immune system to new diseases. If untreated it can develop into AIDS. It spreads by sexual contact, using used needles, using shared needles.
Symptoms of HIV
high temperature
sore throat
body rash
frequently ill
tiredness
joint pain
muscle pain
Treating HIV
Antiretroviral drugs
HPV (Human papillomavirus)
A viral disease which infects cells it’s spread by, skin to skin contact around the genitals, sex, sharing sex toys
Symptoms of HPV
Not everyone develops symptoms, but they can become more prominent in some years (around 30):
Form cancer
genital warts
Treating HPV
There’s no treatment, and most problems are cleared within 2 years.
Ointments or creams may be used to treat warts etc…
Chlamydia
A bacterial infection which is spread by:
unprotected sex (or contact)
sharing sex toys
infected fluid entering the eye
