Disease

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For other uses, see Disease (disambiguation).
"Diseased", "Maladies", and "Medical condition" redirect here. For the Seether s
ong "Diseased", see Karma and Effect. For the 2012 film, see Maladies (film). Fo
r medical condition terminology, see Medical state..
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Scanning electron micrograph of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, an infectious pathog
enic bacteria that is the primary cause of tuberculosis.
A disease is a particular abnormal, pathological condition that affects part or
all of an organism. It is often construed as a medical condition associated with
specific symptoms and signs.[1] It may be caused by factors originally from an
external source, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dys
functions, such as autoimmune diseases. In humans, "disease" is often used more
broadly to refer to any condition that causes pain, dysfunction, distress, socia
l problems, or death to the person afflicted, or similar problems for those in c
ontact with the person. In this broader sense, it sometimes includes injuries, d
isabilities, disorders, syndromes, infections, isolated symptoms, deviant behavi
ors, and atypical variations of structure and function, while in other contexts
and for other purposes these may be considered distinguishable categories. Disea
ses usually affect people not only physically, but also emotionally, as contract
ing and living with a disease can alter one's perspective on life, and one's per
sonality.
Death due to disease is called death by natural causes. There are four main type
s of disease: pathogenic disease, deficiency disease, hereditary disease, and ph
ysiological disease. Diseases can also be classified as communicable and non-com
municable. The deadliest disease in humans is ischemic heart disease (blood flow
obstruction), followed by cerebrovascular disease and lower respiratory infecti
ons respectively.[2]