Disease and
Disease Prevention
Essential Questions

How has the causes of death changed over the past 100 years?

What are three diseases caused by bacteria?
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What are three diseases caused by a virus?

What situations and behaviors increase or decrease the risk of
catching an infectious disease?
Infectious Diseases Vocabulary

Infectious disease: any disease that is caused by an agent that can pass from one
living thing to another
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Bacteria: very small, single celled organisms that are found almost everywhere
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Antibiotic: a drug that kills or slows the growth of bacteria

Virus: an extremely small particle that consists of an outer shell and genetic
material
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Immune system: a place in your body made up of organs and special cells that
fight infection
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Vaccine: a substance that is used to keep a person from getting a disease

Sexually transmitted disease: contagious infections that are spread from person to
person by sexual contact

AIDS: a serious viral disease that destroys the body's immune system

HIV: a virus that can lead to an infection called AIDS
Noninfectious Diseases Vocabulary

Disease: a harmful change in the state of health of your body or mind

Noninfectious disease: a disease that is not caused by a virus or a living organism

Risk factor: a characteristic or behavior that raises a person's chance of getting a noninfectious disease

Hereditary disease: a disease caused by defective genes inherited by child from one or both parents
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Metabolism: the process by which the body converts energy in food into energy the body can use

Allergy: an overreaction of the immune system to something in the environment that is harmless to
most people

Auto immune disease: is a disease in which a person's immune system attacks certain cells, tissues, or
organs of the body

Cancer: a disease in which cells grow uncontrollably and invade and destroy healthy tissue

Tumor: a mass of abnormal cells

Malignant: tumors that are cancerous and can be life threatening

Benign: tumors that are not cancerous and are usually not life threatening

Biopsy: a sample of tissue that is removed from the patient and that is sent to a specialist to see if
cancer cells are present
Introduction to Diseases

There have been significant changes in the leading causes of death throughout
time, yet it is interesting to examine why there have been changes in the leading
causes of death in the last hundred years. Causes of illness and death include
heredity, inactivity, diet, stress, environment, infection, and degenerative processes.
In a sense, we are doing our own sort of population control...but do we mean to be
doing this?

Diseases can be categorized as communicable (infectious) or non-communicable
(noninfectious). Which of these two categories is more damaging to society's
productivity and overall wellness? After completing this unit, hopefully you will be
able to answer this question.
Then and Now
Communicable Diseases

As stated before, the word "communicable" means that it can be spread from
person to person. There are four ways that a communicable pathogen (the actual
disease-causing agent, e.g., germ) can be spread:

Air-borne: the pathogen is spread through the air

Blood-borne: the pathogen is spread through contact with an infected person's
blood

Direct contact: the pathogen is spread through contact with the bodily fluids
(other than blood) of an infected person (e.g., saliva, vaginal secretions, semen,
etc.)

Dector transmission: a vector of some sort (e.g., a mosquito or other living creature)
spreads the pathogen from one person to another
Bacteria

One-celled microscopic organisms

FYI: a single grain of soil can contain over 100 million!!!

Meningitis

Conjunctivitis

Pharyngitis (sore throat)
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Bronchitis
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Pneumonia

Toxic shock syndrome

Syphilis

Gonorrhea
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Tuberculosis


Antibiotic treatment (although we have begun to use antibiotics too freely and certain bacteria
are now resistant to certain antibiotics).
Viruses

The smallest of the pathogens that require living cells for survival and reproduction (e.g., true parasites!)

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HIV annotation indicator/AIDS annotation indicator
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Mononucleosis
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The flu, cold
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Herpes

Gastrointestinal upsets
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Measles
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Chickenpox

Mumps
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Smallpox

Polio

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Proactive (immunizations/ vaccinations) OR let it run its course and be patient (over-the-counter medicines
will make you feel better while you're sick but they will not make you get well any quicker).
Fungi

Simple organisms that cannot make their own food

Candidiasis (yeast infections)
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Thrush

Athlete's foot

"Jock itch"

Ringworm (disease of the scalp)

Topical creams or sprays can be used for treatment.
Protozoa
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Microscopic, single-celled animals, larger than bacteria and have a more
complex cellular structure

Malaria
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African sleeping sickness

Amoebic dysentery

Trichomoniasis (vaginal infection)

Very common in Asia, Africa, and South America.

Prevention: don't drink unclean water, and use basic sanitation
Parasitic Worms

The largest organism that can enter the body to cause infection

Flukes (infect liver, intestines, and lungs and can be deadly in large
numbers)

Tapeworms (live in the intestines)

Roundworms (infect the intestines, muscles, and fluids under the skin)

Prevention: careful attention to hygiene and not eating/drinking food or
drink that could be contaminated or not cooked thoroughly.
NOTE TO SELF….

We don't catch colds from being outside when it's cold! You can go
outside in 20 degree weather with no shoes on and your hair
completely drenched and not necessarily "catch a cold!" Germs
don't pick on people in such conditions! You "catch a cold" from
being infected by the cold germ/pathogen - NOT the weather. So
why is winter often called the "flu season"? Because people don't
get out in the open environment as much as in the fall, spring and
summer and therefore germs stay in closed environments and do
what they do best: infect as many people as possible. They can't
live without us! One of the best things people can do to prevent
getting the flu each year (other than the obvious ways of frequent
hand washing, etc.) is to air out their living quarters at least once a
month.
The Immune System Response

When a person becomes infected by a communicable pathogen, the immune system begins
to work on defeating this particular pathogen by weakening it and eventually killing it so that
you can recover from the sickness.

Another name for the immune system is the lymphatic system. Lymphocytes are
manufactured in the lymphatic system to combat communicable pathogens. Specifically,
this occurs in the spleen, tonsils, thymus gland, lymph, and lymph nodes. If you think about it,
this is why the doctor feels your throat, tells you to open up and say "Ahh," feels your lower
abdominal area, feels the back of your neck, etc. when you complain of not feeling well.

There are two main types of lymphocytes: T-cells and B-cells, both of which are produced in
the bone marrow. These two types of cells are white blood cells that travel in your blood
vessels and lymph in order to identify and fight the pathogens that infect you.

The word "macrophage" means "big eater" and that is how you remember what those cells
do. Macrophages recognize foreign substances such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites,
and other pathogens. Then they destroy them and literally eat them. This is a simplified
version of how the immune system works:
Cardio Vascular Disease

Cardiovascular Disease: "cardio" means heart muscle and "vascular" means vessels (arteries & veins).

Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death in the United States. Our unhealthy diets,
tobacco use (and stimulant drug use such as cocaine) and sedentary lifestyles are leading many people
into early graves. The risk factor for CVD can be broken down into controllable and uncontrollable ones:

Controllable CVD risk factors

tobacco use

lack of physical activity

unhealthy diet and eating habits

stimulant drug use, etc. All of the lifestyle factors we have already discussed!

Uncontrollable CVD risk factors
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gender
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age
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heredity
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Race

Females have a lesser risk of developing CVD compared to males until they reach menopause and then
their risk is the same as males; this is because estrogen acts as a protector against the risk factors for CVD.
Types of CVD
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The term "CVD" refers to the disease in general (just as the word "cancer" doesn't tell you what specific
type of cancer). There are many different types of CVD. The main types include:

High cholesterol (levels over 200): elevation in fat component (blood lipids) in blood.

Hypertension: High blood pressure is a condition in which the pressure against the artery walls increases
when the heart beats above normal. This can cause fat deposits to build up more quickly in the arteries.
It increases the chance an artery will burst or become blocked.

Angina Pectoris: Chest pain or discomfort due to lack of oxygen to the heart muscle. May manifest as
pain or discomfort, heaviness, tightness, pressure or burning.

Atherosclerosis: A disease in which fat deposits on the artery walls. These fat deposits cause artery walls
to lose their ability to expand and to carry blood. A deposit on the artery wall can break away and
circulate in the blood. It can block blood flow.

Stroke (thrombosis, embolism, and hemorrhage): Stroke is a condition caused by a blocked or broken
blood vessel in the brain. With reduced blood flow, the brain does not receive oxygen. A person loses
the function of that part of the brain. The person might be paralyzed or die.

Heart attack: The death of part of the heart muscle. Heart attack is caused when blood flow to the
heart is blocked. Part of the heart muscle does not get oxygen and dies. A heart attack can result in
disability or death.
Cholesterol

Cholesterol begins accumulating in your arteries at around the age of 2…. HOW DO YOUR ARTERIES LOOK
NOW?

What is cholesterol and what does it have to do with heart disease?

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance produced in the liver of all animals and, therefore, found only in foods of
animal origin. Cholesterol is a waxy substance that occurs naturally in all parts of the body, that your body
needs to function normally. It is present in cell walls or membranes everywhere in the body, including the brain,
nerves, muscle, skin, liver, intestines, and heart. Your body uses cholesterol to produce many hormones, vitamin
D, and the bile acids that help to digest fat. It takes only a small amount of cholesterol in the blood to meet
these needs. However, if you have too much cholesterol in your bloodstream, it can lead to atherosclerosis, a
condition in which fat and cholesterol are deposited in the walls of the arteries in many parts of the body,
including the coronary arteries which feed the heart. In time, narrowing of the coronary arteries by
atherosclerosis can produce the signs and symptoms of heart disease, including angina and heart attack.

Should teens and adults have similar cholesterol levels?

No, an adult's cholesterol is usually higher because he/she has had more time for cholesterol to accumulate in
his/her arteries versus a teen's.
Arteries
Cancer

Cancer is the 2nd leading cause of death in the United States. Cancer is defined
as a disease in which cells grow uncontrollably and invade/destroy healthy
tissue. There are many different types of cancer throughout the body.

Look for sores that won’t heal, unusual bleeding, or an unusual lump. Obviously
other signs can appear within the body.

Statistics
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Cancer is the second leading cause of death

Over 500,000 people will die over the next year from different types of cancer

1/5 of all deaths are caused by cancer

1.2 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed within the next year BUT 80% of
these cases will be due to poor lifestyle choices that could have been prevented

$104 billion dollars is spent on cancer each year
Skin Cancer

A,B,C.D,E’s of skin cancer

Look for changes often

Wear sunblock of 30SPF

and apply often
Stroke
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The Facts

Stroke is the 3rd leading cause of death in the United States and the #1 cause of
adult disability.

Stroke is a condition caused by a blocked or broken blood vessel in the brain. With
reduced blood flow, the brain does not receive oxygen. A person loses the
function of that part of the brain. The person might be paralyzed or die.

Did you know 80% of strokes could have been prevented?
Diabetes

See diabetes power point from the ADA
Osteoperosis

Osteoporosis comes from two root words: "osteo"
meaning bone and "porosis" meaning porous.

Osteoporosis is a disorder in which the bones deteriorate due to the
excessive loss of bone tissue. This most likely is the result of an
inadequate intake of calcium throughout a person's life. For people
who don't (or can't) enjoy dairy products, there are other non-dairy
sources of calcium: figs, spinach, and broccoli.
In addition to this risk factor, there are also other things that increases a person's risk:
Age
Being of the female gender
Being of Caucasian or Asian descent
Tobacco smoking
Family history
Eating disorder
Sedentary lifestyle
Lack of weight-bearing (lifting) exercises
High consumption of carbonated drinks
Thin/slender build
Unfortunately, there are often NO warning signs for this disease prior to a significant
breaking of a bone. As a result, many medical professionals have begun "bone density"
evaluations to detect whether or not a person is at risk for this disease but this is still
somewhat new.
Have you ever known an older person who has fallen and broken his/her hip?
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Images from Google images