ACTIVITIES 3º ESO UNIT 4 (II)

SECTION 5: HEALTHY HABITS: ILLNESSES OF THE CIRCULATORY

AND EXCRETORY SYSTEMS
High blood presure:
Causes: For most adults, there's no identifiable cause of high blood pressure.But in
some cases the causes could be

 Obstructive sleep apnea

 Kidney problems

 Adrenal gland tumors

 Thyroid problems

 Certain defects you're born with (congenital) in blood vessels

 Certain medications, such as birth control pills, cold remedies, decongestants,

over-the-counter pain relievers and some prescription drugs

 Illegal drugs, such as cocaine and amphetamines

Possible medical treatment:

 Eating a heart-healthy diet with less salt

 Getting regular physical activity

 Maintaining a healthy weight or losing weight if you're overweight or

obese

 Limiting the amount of alcohol, you drink

Medicines:

 Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)

inhibitors.

 Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs)

 Diuretics.

 Beta-blockers.

 Calcium channel blockers.

  Alpha-blockers.

Anaemia:

Causes:

 Dietary deficiency – lack of iron, vitamin B12 or folic acid in the diet
 Malabsorption – where the body is not able to properly absorb or use the
nutrients in the diet, caused by conditions such as coeliac disease
 Inherited disorders – such as thalassaemia or sickle cell disease
 Autoimmune disorders – such as autoimmune haemolytic anaemia, where the
immune cells attack the red blood cells and decrease their life span
 Chronic diseases – such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and tuberculosis
 Hormone disorders – such as hypothyroidism
 Bone marrow disorders – such as cancer
 Blood loss – due to trauma, surgery, peptic ulcer, heavy menstruation, cancer
(in particular bowel cancer), or frequent blood donations
 Infection – such as malaria and septicaemia, which reduce the life span of red
blood cells
 Periods of rapid growth or high energy requirements – such as puberty or
pregnancy.

Possible medical treatment and medicines:

Treatment depends on the cause and severity, but may include:

 vitamin and mineral supplements – if you have a deficiency

 iron injections – if you are very low on iron
 vitamin B12 (by injection) –for pernicious anaemia
 antibiotics – if infection is the cause of your anaemia
 altering the dose or regimen of regular medications – such as anti-
inflammatory drugs, if necessary
 blood transfusions – if required
 oxygen therapy – if required
 surgery to prevent abnormal bleeding – such as heavy menstruation
 ILLNESSES OF THE EXCRETORY SYSTEMS

KIDNEY STONES:

CAUSES:

A kidney stone can form when substances such as calcium,

oxalate, cystine or uric acid are at high levels in the urine,
although stones can form even if these chemicals are at
normal levels

Medications used for treating some medical conditions such

as kidney disease, cancer or HIV can also increase your risk
of developing kidney stones.

Possible medical treatment:

 Avoid dehydration. Drink enough fluids to keep your urine volume at or above
two litres a day. This can halve your risk of getting a second stone by lowering the
concentration of stone-forming chemicals in your urine.
 Avoid drinking too much tea or coffee. Juices may reduce the risk of some
stones, particularly orange, grapefruit and cranberry. Ask your doctor for advice.
 Reduce your salt intake to lower the risk of calcium-containing stones. Don’t
add salt while cooking and leave the saltshaker off the table. Choose low- or no-salt
processed foods.
 Avoid drinking more than one litre per week of drinks that contain phosphoric
acid, which is used to flavour carbonated drinks such as cola and beer.

Medicines:

 Calcium stones. To help prevent calcium stones from forming. As thiazide

diuretic or a phosphate.

 Uric acid stones. Allopurinol (Zyloprim, Aloprim) to reduce uric acid levels in
your blood and urine and a medicine to keep your urine alkaline.

 Struvite stones. To prevent struvite stones. Long-term use of antibiotics in

small doses may help achieve this goal.

 Cystine stones. Cystine stones can be difficult to treat. You should drink more
fluids so that you produce a lot more urine.
Adrián García