Unit 1: Health

and illness

1. Illness and health (pp. 70-

71)
2. Infectious diseases (pp. 72,
75)
3. Body’s defences (pp. 73)
4. The inmune system (pp.
74)
5. Preventing and curing
infectious diseases (pp. 76-
77)
6. Non-infectious diseases
(pp. 78-79)
 1. Health and illness
• Disease: condition or disorder in which the organs
or systems of the body stop working properly.

• Health: the complete physical, mental and social

well-being, not only the absence of disease.

Environment Lifestyle Personal Healthcare

characteristics system

• Symptoms: changes in the body produced by diseases.

• Signs: symptoms that can be easily observed by

doctors.

• Vital signs: physiological parameters tha inform about

our state of health or the evolution of a disease.
 2. Infectious diseases
• Infectious disease: disease that is caused by
pathogenic microorganisms, so they can be
transmitted from person to person.

Bacteria Protozoa Fungi Non-cellular

forms

• Infection: a pathogen microorganism enters into

a healthy body. It requieres transmission.

direct air
(person to
person) drinking and
eating
touching animals
 3. Body’s defences
• External defenses: they are barriers that act first to
prevent the pathogenic agents from entering our
bodies. They are non-specific (not specific for a
certain disease).

structural biochemical mechanical ecological

skin tears cilia intestinal flora
mucous saliva non-
membranes gastric juices pathogenic
bacteria

• Internal defenses (inmune system): a set of

effective internal defences based on the action
of the white blood cells (leucocytes).
 4. The inmune system
• Non-specific internal defenses: they act against
any pathogen (phagocytes). They are also
responsible for the inflamatory disease.
 4. The inmune system
• Non-specific internal defenses: they act against
any pathogen (phagocytes). They are also
responsible for the inflamatory disease.
 4. The inmune system

Specific internal defenses: they

act against specific pathogens
(limphocytes). Lymphocytes
produce antybodies specific for
each type of pathogens.
Antybodies destroy, inactive or
mark the pathogen for the
phagocytes.
 5. Prevemting and curing
infectious diseases

• Prevention: healthy habits and vaccination.

• Curing: serum and chemotherapy.
 5. Prevemting and curing
infectious diseases

• Prevention: healthy habits and vaccination.

• Curing: serum and chemotherapy.
 5. Prevemting and curing
infectious diseases

• Prevention: healthy habits and vaccination.

• Curing: serum and chemotherapy.
 6. Non-infectious diseases

• Non infectious diseases: they are not caused by

pathogens, so their causes are varied.

cancer
congenital traumatic
injuries

malnutrition
malfunction
diseases
of any organ
or system
mental
metabolic
disorders
diseases

parasitic?
metabolic
diseases