10412004
Description
Flashcards by Miles McIntosh, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Miles McIntosh
almost 7 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| What is meant by a non-communicable disease? | A non-communicable diseases is a disease which cannot be passed from one individual to another. |
| What is a lifestyle factor? | A lifestyle factor is how your life can affect your health, through ways like smoking, lack of exercise or overeating. |
| What is a risk factor? | Risk factors are aspects of a person's lifestyle, or substances present in a person's body or environment that have been shown to be linked to an increased rate of a disease. |
| What is a casual mechanism? | A casual mechanism explains how one factor influences another through a biological process. If a casual mechanism can be demonstrated, there is a link between the two. For example, there is a clear link between smoking tobacco and lung cancer. |
| What is a tumour? | A tumour is something that forms from abnormal, uncontrolled cell division. There are benign and malignant tumours. |
| What are benign tumours? | Benign tumours are growths of abnormal cells contained in one place usually within a membrane. They do not invade other parts of the body but a benign tumour can grow very large, very quickly. If it causes pressure or damage to an organ, this can be very life threatening. |
| What are malignant tumours? | Malignant tumour cells can spread around the body, invading neighbouring healthy tissues. A malignant tumour is often referred to as cancer. The initial tumour may split up, releasing small ccmps of cells into the bloodstream. They circulate and are carried to different parts of the body where they may lodge in another organ. They will then form secondary tumours. The growing tumours often completely disrupts normal tissues if left untreated,will often kill the person. |
| Causes of cancer | There are genetic risks factors for some cancers including early breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Most cancers are the result of mutations - changes in the genetic material. Tar found in tobacco can cause mutations. These cancer-causing agents are called carcinogens. Ionising radiation, such as UV light and X-rays can cause tumours to form. About 15% of human cancers are caused by virus infections. |
| Radiotherapy | A way of treating cancer. When the cancer cells are destroyed by targeted doses of radiation. This stops mitosis in the cancer cells but can also damage healthy cells. Methods of delivering different types of radiation in very targeted ways are improving cure rates. |
| Chemotherapy | Where chemicals are used to either stop the cancer cells dividing or to make them 'self-destruct'. There are many different types of chemotherapy and scientists are working to make them as specific to cancer cells as possible. |
| How smoking affects the risk of developing cardiovascular disease? | Smoking increases blood pressure, decreases exercise tolerance and increases the tendency for blood to clot. Smoking can cause cardiovascular disease including coronary heart disease, lung cancer, and lung diseases such as bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD). |
| What is the effect of smoking with unborn babies? | A fetus exposed to smoke has restricted oxygen, which can lead to premature birth, low birthweight, and even stillbirth. 20% of stillbirths are due to smoking or 700 babies a year are born dead due to smoking in the UK. |
| Diet and obesity | If you eat more fat than needed, the excess is stored as fat. Carrying too much weight is often inconvenient and uncomfortable. Far worse, obesity can lead to serious health problems, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease. |
| Exercise and health | People who exercise regularly are usually much fitter than people who take little exercise. People who take regular exercise make bigger muscles, up to 40% of their body mass, and muscle tissue needs much more energy to be transferred from food than body fat. People who exercise regularly have fitter hearts and bigger lungs. A lack of exercise increases the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease. |
| Type 2 diabetes | In type 2 diabetes, either your body doesn't make enough insulin to control your blood sugar levels or your cells stop responding to insulin. This can lead to problems with circulation, kidney function and eyesight, which may lead to death. Type 2 diabetes gets more common with age and some people have a genetic tendency to develop it. Obesity is a strong risk factor for type 2 diabetes. |
| Managing type 2 diabetes | Most people can restore their normal blood glucose balance by eating a balanced diet with controlled amounts of carbohydrate, losing weight, and doing regular exercise. |
| How alcohol can affect the liver. | Their liver and brain may suffer long-term damage and eventually the alcohol can kill them. They may develop cirrhosis of the liver, a disease that destroys the liver tissue and the liver cells are replaced with scar tissue and can not carry out their functions. Alcohol is a carcinogen so heavy drinkers are at increased risk of developing liver cancer. This usually spreads rapidly and is difficult to treat. |
| How alcohol can affect the brain. | Long-term heavy alcohol use causes damage to the brain. In some alcoholics the brain becomes so soft and pulpy that the normal brain structures are lost and it can no longer function properly. This too can cause death. |
| Alcohol and pregnancy | If a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, it passes across the placenta into the developing baby. Miscarriage, stillbirths, premature births, and low birthweight are risks linked to alcohol during pregnancy. The developing liver cannot cope with alcohol, so the development of the brain and body can be badly affected, especially in the early stages of pregnancy. |
| Ionising radiation | Ionising radiation in the form of different types of electromagnetic waves is a well-known carcinogen(risk factor for cancer). Radioactive materials are a source of ionising radiation. The radiation penetrates the cell and damages the chromosomes causing mutations in the DNA. The more exposed you are to ionising radiation the greater the chance that cancer will develop. Ionising radiation is particularly dangerous when taken directly into your body. |
| Examples of ionising radiation | Ultraviolet light from the sun - this increases the risk of skin cancers such as melanoma. Radioactive materials found in the soil, water and air. Medical and dental X-rays. Accidents in nuclear power generation. |
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