Non-communicable Diseases

Types of Non-Communicable Diseases:

Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs):

• Diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels.

• Common risk factors: high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, poor diet.

• Can lead to heart attacks, strokes, and other complications. Cancers:

• Uncontrolled cell growth leading to tumours.

• Risk factors include smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, exposure to UV radiation, and certain infections (e.g., HPV virus).

• Tumours can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous), with malignant tumours having the ability to spread (metastasis). Lung Diseases:

• Conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer.

• Risk factors include smoking and exposure to harmful chemicals or pollutants. Liver Diseases:

• Diseases such as liver cirrhosis caused by long-term damage to the liver.

• Major risk factor: excessive alcohol consumption. Diseases Influenced by Nutrition:

• Poor diet can lead to diseases like type 2 diabetes, obesity, and malnutrition.

• Obesity is a major risk factor for many conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers.

Risk Factors and Their Interactions:

A risk factor is anything that increases the likelihood of developing a disease.

• Risk factors can be genetic (inherited), lifestyle-related (diet, smoking, lack of exercise), or environmental (exposure to harmful substances). Interaction of Risk Factors:

• Many diseases are caused by the interaction of several factors. For example, a poor diet, lack of exercise, and obesity can all contribute to heart disease.

• Smoking not only increases the risk of lung cancer, but it also raises the likelihood of developing cardiovascular diseases.

Correlation vs. Causation:

• Correlation: A relationship between two variables (e.g., smoking and lung cancer), but correlation alone does not prove one causes the other.
• Causation: When a factor directly causes an outcome. For example, smoking has been proven to cause lung cancer because it introduces cancer-causing chemicals into the lungs.

Examples of Risk Factors:

• Smoking:
  • Proven to cause lung cancer and heart disease.
  • Contains chemicals that damage cells in the lungs and lead to cancerous growths.
• Obesity:
  • Increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.
  • Obesity is often caused by an imbalance between calorie intake and physical activity.
• Alcohol:
  • Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.
  • Alcohol can damage liver cells, leading to scarring (cirrhosis) and liver failure.

Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health:

• Chronic physical illnesses like heart disease or cancer can lead to mental health conditions, including depression.
• People with severe physical illnesses may feel isolated or anxious, which can worsen their overall health.

Prevention of Non-Communicable Diseases:

• Many non-communicable diseases can be prevented by reducing exposure to risk factors.
  • For example, not smoking, maintaining a healthy diet, regular exercise, and limiting alcohol consumption can significantly reduce the risk of developing heart disease, cancer, and other conditions.
• Early screening and lifestyle changes can also play a significant role in preventing or reducing the severity of these diseases.

Herd Immunity and Non-Communicable Diseases:

• Unlike communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases do not benefit from herd immunity. Instead, prevention relies on individual lifestyle choices and public health interventions aimed at reducing risk factors for large populations.

Lifestyle factors
Diet with too many/ few nutrients	Leads to malnutrition Eg. Scurvy
Not enough exercise Diet too high in fat & sugar	Risk factor for obesity
Alcohol	Risk factor for liver disease Because alcohol is broken down by enzymes in the liver and some of the products are toxins which can lead to permanent liver damage
Smoking	Risk factor for cardiovascular disease

Effects

Non-communicable diseases have knock on effects for local areas so in areas where there are high levels of certain factors there's more likely to be high occurrence of other diseases, so causes…

• Pressure on resources (eg. Beds) in hospitals
• Costly as national level as the NHS provides resources for whole of UK & people suffering may not work which affects UK economy
• Global level effect as holds back development of country especially developing ones as its costly & common