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Human Health and Diseases: Health Is The Absence of Disease
Human Health and Diseases: Health Is The Absence of Disease
What is Health?
What is Disease?
Any condition which interferes with the normal functioning of the body is called a
disease.
Disease is a pathological condition of a part, organ or system of an organism; resulting
from various causes such as:
a. Infection,
b. Genetic disorder,
c. Nutritional deficiency and
d. Environmental effects.
Disease can affect a specific tissue or organ due to a single cause and is known un-
factorial diseases, such as malaria, or
The diseases may have many causes and described as multi-factorial diseases, such
as heart disease.
There are nine main categories of disease but some diseases are more difficult to
classify and fit into more than one group or category.
1. Infectious diseases:
Infectious diseases are disorders caused by pathogens, such as bacteria,
viruses, fungi or parasites.
Some infectious diseases can be passed from person to person.
Transmission of infectious diseases may occur through normal social contact or
via food, water, an animal bite as well as sexual contact; e.g. chickenpox.
Carriers are people who can transmit the pathogen but do not have the disease
symptoms.
2. Non-infectious diseases:
These are all diseases, which are not caused by pathogens and cannot be
passed on by physical contact.
Non-infectious diseases are non-transmittable among people.
An example of non-infectious diseases would be sickle cell anaemia.
3. Deficiency diseases
These are nutritional diseases caused by an inadequate or unbalanced diet.
One or more essential nutrient is missing or in short supply.
Deficiency diseases are including:
a. Vitamin C deficiency causes scurvy.
b. Vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness
c. Vitamin D deficiency causes rickets
d. Vitamin K deficiency causes prolonged bleeding
e. Vitamin E deficiency causes sterility
4. Inherited diseases
These diseases are caused by genetic disorder and can therefore be passed
only from parent to child. They are also sometimes called genetic diseases.
For instance, haemophilia
5. Mental disorders
These disorders affect a person's mind, but may be accompanied by physical
symptoms. Emotions, thoughts, memories and personal and social behaviour
can be affected.
Some mental diseases are caused by degeneration of brain tissue - for
example, Alzheimer's - a progressive deterioration in memory is followed by a
general decline in all mental faculties (dementia).
6. Self-inflicted diseases
These diseases are caused by damage to a person's health by their own
decisions and behaviour. Included in this category would be the choice
to smoke or misusing drugs, (Alcoholism and obesity).
7. Degenerative diseases
These diseases are characterised by a gradual decline or loss of function, in
one or several organs or tissues due to aging