HEALTH AND DISEASES
Introduction
• Any malfunctioning process which interferes with the normal functioning of the body is called a disease.
Congenital disease: The disease which is present from birth (e.g. hole in the heart in infants). They are caused by some genetic abnormality or metabolic disorder or
malfunctioning of an organ.
Acquired disease: The disease which may occur after birth during one’s lifetime.
Acquired Disease
(i) Infectious diseases : The diseases which can be
transmitted from diseased person to another person to e.g.
measles.
(ii) Degenerative diseases : The diseases caused by the malfunction of some vital organs of the body e.g. heart failure.
(iii) Deficiency diseases : These are caused due to
nutritional deficiency such as that of minerals or vitamins in the diet e.g. anaemia (Fe), Beri- beri (vitamin B).
(iv) Cancer : This is an abnormal, uncontrolled and
unwanted growth of cells. e.g. lung cancer,Breast cancer.
Modes of Spread of Communicable Diseases
Direct transmission
(i) Direct contact between the infected person and the healthy person:
Diseases like small pox, chicken pox, syphilis, gonorrhoea spread through direct contact.
(ii) Droplet infection: The infected person throws out tiny droplets of mucus by coughing, sneezing or spitting. Diseases like COVID-19,common cold, pneumonia, influenza, measles, tuberculosis and whooping cough spread through droplet infection.
(iii) Contact with soil contaminated with disease-causing viruses and bacteria.
(iv) Animal bite: Virus of rabies are introduced through the wound caused by the bite of rabid animals, especially dogs. The virus is present in the saliva of the rabid animals.
Indirect transmission
(i) By vectors such as houseflies, mosquitoes, and cockroaches.
(ii) Air-borne: The pathogens may reach humans with air and dust.
(iii) Object borne (Fomite borne) : Many diseases are transmitted through the use of contaminated articles, such as clothes,
utensils, toys, door handles, taps, syringes and surgical instruments.
(iv) Water borne : If potable water is contaminated with
pathogens of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, hepatitis or jaundice, it reaches a healthy person upon consuming such water.
COMMUNICABLE DISEASES (INFECTIOUS DISEASES)
• The diseases which spread from one diseased person to another through contaminated food, water or contact or through insecticides, and animals are called the
communicable diseases.
• These are caused by different causative agents (pathogens).
• Examples : Hepatitis A , measles,HIV.
NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
Diabetes mellitus
Cardio-Vascular Diseases
Hypertension / high blood pressure
Coronary Heart Disease/ Coronary Artery Disease Heart Attack/ Myocardial Infarction
Stroke/ Cerebrovascular Accident Osteoporosis
Cancer Allergy
Mental Health
Mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which
every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community. (WHO)
Reason for increasing cases of mental health problems
➢Changing lifestyle patterns
➢Social stigma and discrimination
➢Career driven mindset
➢Extensive use of smartphones
➢Demographic Determinants
➢Environmental Determinants
Different types of mental disorders
➢Depression-A mental health disorder characterised by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life.
➢Anxiety disorder-A mental health disorder characterised by feelings of worry, anxiety or fear that are strong enough to interfere with
one's daily activities.
➢Bipolar disorder-A disorder associated with episodes of mood swings ranging from depressive lows to manic highs.
➢Dementia-A group of thinking and social symptoms that interferes with daily functioning.
➢Schizophrenia-A disorder that affects a person's ability to think, feel and behave clearly.
➢Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)-Excessive thoughts
(obsessions) that lead to repetitive behaviours (compulsions).
Steps that should be taken to counter mental health problems
➢Individual awareness
➢Keep alcohol use to minimum and avoid other drugs
➢Maintain a healthy lifestyle
➢Social stigma should be reduced around such problems
➢Reducing treatment gap
➢Proper training to people handling such patients
➢Trying for universal access to mental health services
➢Government policies to facilitate such practices
Drug Resistance
Drug Resistance:
➢Drug resistance is the reduction in effectiveness of a medication.
➢When an organism is resistant to more than one drug, it is said to be multidrug-resistant.
Antibiotics Resistance:
➢Antibiotic resistance happens when germs like bacteria and fungi develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them. That means the germs are not killed and continue to grow.
➢ Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant germs are difficult, and sometimes impossible, to treat.
➢Antibiotic resistance does not mean the body is becoming resistant to antibiotics; it is that bacteria have become resistant to the antibiotics designed to kill them.
Red Line Campaign
➢The Union health ministry’s Anti-Microbial Resistance
awareness campaign urges people not to use medicines marked with a red vertical line, including antibiotics,
without a doctor’s prescription.
➢These medicines are called as the ‘Medicines with the Red Line’.
➢This campaign is aimed at discouraging unnecessary prescription and over-the-counter sale of antibiotics causing drug resistance for several critical diseases
including TB, malaria, urinary tract infection and even HIV.
Steps to combat Anti-Microbial Resistance
• Encourage the appropriate and informed health care seeking behavior among the citizens.
• Educate patients and the general community on the appropriate use of antimicrobials and to create awareness about the dangers of taking antibiotics without being prescribed.
• Educate all groups of prescribers and dispensers (including drug sellers) on the importance of appropriate antimicrobial use and containment of antimicrobial resistance.
Revision of Antibiotic Protocol by WHO
In an effort to curb antibiotic resistance, the World Health Organization (WHO) has divided the drugs into three
categories— specifying which are to be used for common ailments and which are to be kept for complicated
diseases.
• Access: Commonly used antibiotics
• Watch: Slightly more potent
• Reserve: potent drugs to be used only as a “last resort”