non- infectious diseases Flashcards
(31 cards)
what are non-infectious diseases also known as
chronic diseases
characteristics of non-infectious diseases
not caused by microorganisms, do not spread from a person to another
usually develop slowly, last for a long time
do not have a single cause, are usually related to risk factors
what are risk factors
factors that increases a person’s risk of developing a disease
risk factors examples
age / alcohol drinking / smoking / environmental factors / genetic factors / lack of physical activities / unbalanced diet / being overweight
mostly related to unhealthy lifestyles
what is a tumour
a large group of non-functional and abnormal cells produced from uncontrolled cell division (is a tissue)
how are tumours formed
when the mechs that control cell division fail, cells may divide in an uncontrolled way, forming a tumour
2 types of tumours
benign / malignant
characteristics of benign tumours
grow slowly
do not spread to other parts of the body
not a major health risk, but can develop into a malignant tumour (hence it needs monitioring)
characteristics of malignant tumours (what is it?)
cancer, can invade nearby tissues and spread to other parts of the body to form more malignant tumours
can form in diff parts of the body -> diff cancers
how does a malignant tumour spread?
malignant tumours develop their own blood vessels, allowing it to obtain oxygen and nutrients from the circulatory system and in turn making it able to grow very quickly
these cells can detach from the site of formation and enter the bloodstream, travelling along the circulatory system to another part of the bloodstream
they get out of the bloodstream upon reaching a new site, and they invade nearby cells + divide uncontrollably to form a new tumour (hence cancer is so hard to treat, as you don’t know where it might spread)
risk factors of colorectal cancer
unbalanced diet + lack of physical factors -> increased risk of colorectal cancer
risk factors of lung cancer
smoking, family hist, exposure to chemicals eg. asbestos -> lung cancer
risk factors of skin cancer
drinking alcohol, age, family hist -> breast cancer
high exposure to uv radiation, fam hist, skin colour -> skin cancer
risk factors of cervical cancer
hpv virus / other stds, fam hist, being sexually active -> cervical cancer
how does family history function as a risk factor for cancer
there are certain genes in DNA that lead to a higher risk of developing cancer
what are cardiovascular diseases and what are they usually caused by
a group of diseases that affect the heart / blood vessels
usually caused by a buildup of lipid deposits in the blood vessels usually
how may cardiovascular diseases occur
high levels of lipids in blood may lead to the lipids being deposited on the inner wall of the blood vessels -> narrows the blood vessels + decreases the rate of blood flow
blood vessels may even become blocked
what are some examples of health problems caused by lipid deposits in blood vessels
coronary heart disease, stroke
what is the coronary artery
artery carrying blood containing high levels of oxygen / nutrients to heart muscles
has a very small lumen
how does coronary heart disease occur
blood vessels that supply blood to the heart muscles are blocked
cells cannot perform respiration at a sufficient enough rate
heart cannot get enough oxygen / nutrients to undergo respiration
less energy available for heart muscles to contract
coronary heart disease (heart cannot pump blood effectively, could even stop beating -> death)
what are the lipid deposits in the blood vessels made out of and why
saturated fats, as they are solid at room temperature
how does a stroke occur
blood vessels that supply blood to the brain become blocked -> -cells cannot perform respiration at a sufficient enough rate -> brain cells cannot get enough oxygen / nutrients to undergo respiration for energy -> brain cells may die, results in stroke
depending on which parts of the brain are damaged, patient may lose ability to control some body parts; can also result in death
how can high blood pressure also cause a stroke
can also be caused by high blood pressure
blood vessels damaged by such may burst / leak blood
leaked blood exerts pressure on brain, damages brain cells -> stroke
what is diabetes
in a diabetes patient, body doesn’t produce insulin / doesn’t respond to insulin properly -> blood glucose level may become too high
so basically when patients blood glucose is too high bc body cannot effectively regulate the amount of glucose in the blood
