Diseases
Non-Infectious = Noncommunicable
Infectious = Communicable
How Pathogens Are Spread
•Pathogens can spread through contact with
•an infected person
•an infected animal
•contaminated objects
•contaminated food
•contaminated soil
•contaminated water
•The pathogens can then enter the body through breaks in
the skin or through the moist linings of the eyes, ears,
nose, mouth, or other openings.
Infected People
•Many infectious diseases are spread through some form
of contact with a person who has the disease.
•The contact may be direct physical contact.
•Infectious diseases can
also spread through
indirect contact.
Infected Animals
Some infectious diseases are
transmitted to humans through
the bites of animals.
Contaminated Objects
•Some pathogens can survive for a period of time outside
a person’s body.
•These pathogens can be spread from person to person on
objects such as
•doorknobs
•eating utensils
•towels
•needles used for
body piercings and
tattoos
Contaminated Food, Soil, or Water
•Some pathogens are naturally
present in food and soil.
•Sometimes water and food become
contaminated with pathogens from
infected people.
Non-infectious
Noncommunicable Diseases
Diseases that are not transmitted by another person,
organism, or the environment.
Hypertension
•A person whose blood pressure consistently measures
140/90 or higher has hypertension, or high blood
pressure.
•Over time, hypertension can lead to heart disease.
•You can reduce your risk of developing
hypertension by
•exercising regularly
•maintaining a healthy weight
•reducing stress
•eating foods that are low in sodium
Risk Factors for Atherosclerosis
•
•
•
•
•
•
High blood Pressure
High levels of cholesterol in the blood
Physical inactivity
Smoking
Stress
Diet
Atherosclerosis
•Atherosclerosis (ath uh roh skluh ROH sis) is a disease in
which fatty substances, including cholesterol (kuh LES tur
awl), build up on the inside walls of arteries. These deposits,
called plaque (plak), narrow or block the arteries.
•Coronary Heart Disease When atherosclerosis starts to
develop in the arteries that supply blood to the heart, it
can lead to coronary heart disease.
•Angina pectoris (an JY nuh PEK tur is) is the chest pain
that occurs when an area of the heart does not get
enough oxygen-rich blood.
Plaque
Heart Attack
•A heart attack occurs when some of the tissue in the
heart doesn’t receive its
normal blood supply
and dies.
•The cause is usually a blood
clot that forms in a coronary
artery that has been
narrowed by
atherosclerosis.
Arrhythmia
•Irregular heartbeats, or arrhythmias
(uh RITH mee uhs), are another form of heart disease. The
heart may beat too slowly or too quickly, or with an uneven
rhythm.
Congestive Heart Failure
•Congestive Heart Failure is a condition in which the heart
slowly weakens over time.
•Usually, years of atherosclerosis and high blood pressure
can lead to congestive heart failure.
•As the heart weakens, it is unable to pump as much blood
as it once did.
Stroke
•A stroke is a sudden disruption of
blood flow to part of the brain.
Strokes can occur when an artery
that supplies blood to an area of
the brain is blocked.
•Cerebral hemorrhage may also be caused by a head injury
or by an aneurysm that bursts. An aneurysm (AN yuh riz
um) is a blood-filled weak spot that balloons out from the
artery wall.
Top View of Brain
Cerebral hemorrhage
Risks You Cannot Control
•Heredity Having a family history of certain cardiovascular
diseases, such as hypertension, may increase your risk of
developing those diseases.
•Ethnicity Some diseases strike people of certain
ethnicities disproportionately.
•Gender Some cardiovascular diseases strike men and
women at different rates.
•Age As people age, their risk of cardiovascular disease
increases.
Risks You Can Control
•Maintain a healthy weight.
•Eat a healthy diet.
•Be physically active.
•Manage stress.
•Monitor your blood pressure.
•Avoid smoking and drinking.
Diabetes
•Diabetes (dy uh BEE teez) is a disease in which the body’s
ability to use glucose (blood sugar) is impaired.
•Diabetes involves insulin (IN suh lin), a hormone produced by
the pancreas that stimulates body cells to take up and use
blood sugar.
•If not controlled, diabetes can be life-threatening.
•People with diabetes are also at risk for
•heart disease
•stroke
•kidney disease
•blindness
•infections requiring amputation
•complications during pregnancy
Type 1 Diabetes
•A person with type 1 diabetes produces little or no insulin.
•Without insulin, glucose levels in the blood remain high.
•Symptoms include
•thirst
•frequent urination
•nausea
•hunger
•fatigue
•weight loss
Daily doses of insulin via injections or pump
Most people with Type 1 Diabetes are usually born with it
and have it their whole lives
Type 2 Diabetes
•People with type 2 diabetes produce sufficient insulin, but
their body cells do not respond normally to insulin.
•As with type 1 diabetes, the result is a high level of glucose in
the blood.
•Symptoms are the same as for type 1 diabetes, but also include
• drowsiness
• itching
• blurred vision
• numbness in the hands or feet
• frequent, hard to heal infections
•Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include a family history of
diabetes, being overweight, and a lack of physical activity.
Allergies
•An allergy is a disorder in which the immune system is
overly sensitive to a particular substance not normally
found in the body.
•Any substance that causes an allergy is called
an allergen.
Asthma
•Asthma is a disorder in which a person’s respiratory passages
become inflamed and narrow significantly in reaction to
certain “triggers.”
•Asthma attacks can be triggered by many things, including
• certain allergens
• stress
• cold weather
• tobacco smoke
• exercise
•During an attack, a person may wheeze, cough, or become
short of breath.
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An Asthma Attack
Bronchus
Lung
Arthritis
•Inflammation or irritation of a joint is known as arthritis (ahr
THRY tis).
•Arthritis results in joint stiffness, joint pain, or swelling in one or
more joints.
•There is no cure for most types of arthritis.
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Osteoarthritis
•The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis (ahs tee oh
ahr THRY tis).
•This form of arthritis is caused by wear and tear on a joint after
years of use or by repeated injuries to a joint.
•Osteoarthritis can occur in almost any joint, but most commonly
occurs in hips, knees, spine, and fingers.
•Treatment for osteoarthritis may involve drugs, heat and cold
treatments, and exercise.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
•In rheumatoid arthritis (ROO muh toyd), the membrane
surrounding a joint becomes inflamed.
•Any joint in the body may be affected by rheumatoid arthritis,
although joints in the wrist and knuckles are most commonly
affected.
•Treatment includes aspirin or other anti-inflammatory drugs,
exercise, and rest.
Ulcer
• Open sore on an external or internal surface of the body. This
sore is caused by a break in skin or mucous membrane that
fails. A person can get antibiotics, antacids to decrease the
pain. Ulcerspictures.com
Cataracts
• Eye disease that involves the clouding of the
natural lens of the eye
.
Emphysema
• Condition in which air sacs of the lungs are
damaged and enlarged causing
breathlessness.
Alzheimer’s
• Progressive degenerative disorder that attacks
the brains nerve cells or neurons.
Causes of Cancer
•Heredity Some people inherit genes that have a
tendency to change, or mutate, into forms that allow cells
to reproduce too rapidly. A normal gene that has changed
into a cancer-causing gene is called an oncogene (AHN
kuh jeen).
•Environment The environment contains cancer-causing
agents known as carcinogens
(kahr SIN uh junz). Carcinogens can cause mutations in
genes that control cell reproduction.
How Cancer Affects the Body
•Cancer is a group of diseases that involves the rapid,
uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells.
•Cancer harms the body by destroying healthy body tissues.
•Cancer cells typically form a mass of tissue called a tumor.
•The word malignant (muh LIG nunt) is used to describe a
cancerous tumor. Benign is a noncancerous tumor
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