Health

 

Health is the complete physical and mental wellbeing of an individual. A disease is a major cause of ill health.

 

A non-communicable disease is a disease which cannot be spread between people, e.g. cancer, coronary heart disease.

 

​

Cardiovascular Disease

​

Coronary heart disease (CHD) disease is the build up of fatty deposits in the coronary arteries.

 

This leads to a narrow lumen so less oxygen gets to the heart muscle thus increasing the risk of a heart attack.

 

Coronary heart disease is an example of a cardiovascular disease (disease involving the heart and blood vessels)

 

Treatments for Cardiovascular Disease — Evaluate Pros & Cons

 

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

​​
 

​

 

 

Issues with non-communicable diseases:

 

1. Human Cost  

• Loss of life  

• Reduced quality of life  

• Emotional stress on family  

 

    2. Financial Cost  

• Treatment (NHS)  

• Lost work (productivity)  

• Home adaptations, travel

​​​

​

Lifestyle risk factors are actions in your life that increase your risk of developing disease. You need to know the following examples:

 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​​
 

Causal mechanism = proven link (e.g., smoking → lung cancer)

 

Local, National & Global Trends  

• Higher obesity in low-income areas → more diabetes  

• Smoking rates falling in UK, rising in some countries  

• Alcohol harm higher in deprived communities

 

Cancer

 

A tumour is a mass of abnormal cells. They can either be benign (does not grow or alter, effectively harmless) or malignant (cancer). A benign tumour can progress and become malignant.

 

Cancer (a malignant tumour) refers to uncontrolled cell growth and division due to DNA changes  

 

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

​
 

Cancer Risk Factors  

• Lifestyle: smoking, alcohol, poor diet, UV exposure  

• Genetic: inherited faulty genes (e.g., BRCA)