Defining Health
- The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines health as'a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity'
- This means that health is not just dependent on whether an individual is physically sick or not.
- There are lots of factors should be considered when assessing the health of an individual which includes mental health as well as the level of social support in place
Communicable & Non-Communicable Disease
Communicable Diseases
- Communicablediseases are caused bymicroorganismscalledpathogenswhich canspreadbetween individuals or individuals and animals
- E.g.chickenpox, a common childhood disease, is caused by a viral pathogen called the varicella-zoster virus whereasCovid-19is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus
Communicable Diseases Table
Non-Communicable Diseases
- Non-communicablediseases arenot caused by pathogensand不能通过between individuals
- Their effects on health tend to belonger-lasting; examples areasthma,CHDand mostcancers
- However, theriskof developing non-communicable diseases may beincreasedby certainfactors(includingdiet,stressandlifesituations) as these factors may have a profound effect on both physical and mental health
- Eating a balanced diet that provides the right amount of energy and nutrients helps maintain good health whereas apoordietcan lead todeficiencies,obesity,diabetesandpoormentalhealth
- 不断下stresscan lead to cardiovascular issues (such as high blood pressure, increasing the risk of CHD) and poor mental health
- Where a person lives and their income can have a profound impact on health - this affects the standard ofhealthcarethat is accessible to them (and what they can afford), what food they buy etc.
Risk Factors in Non-Communicable Diseases Table
Susceptibility
- If an individual suffers from one disease, they are likely to be more susceptible to other diseases
- This is because the immune system may be compromised in some way or the different types of disease may interact in ways that negatively affect the health of the individual
- Defects in theimmune systemmean that an individual is more likely to suffer frominfectious diseases;individuals infected with HIV eventually end up with reduced numbers of lymphocytes circulating around the body which reduces the ability of the immune system to fight opportunistic infections like pneumonia
- Virusesliving in cells can be the trigger for cancers; the HPV virus can infect cells of the cervix in women resulting in cervical cancer developing in some cases, whereas some strains of the hepatitis virus can cause liver cancer
- Immunereactions initially caused by a pathogen can triggerallergiessuch asskinrashesandasthma- these often develop as a result of anoveractive immune response
- Severephysicalillhealthcan lead todepressionand othermentalillness; both can negatively impact the immune system and lifestyle choices made by the individual, further compounding the effects of poor health