Health and Diseases
The World Health Organisation [W.H.O.] gave the following definition of health in 1948. Health is state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
The WHO definition of health recognizes three dimension of health i.e. Physical, mental and social.
In 1978 this definition was updated by including- the ability to lead a "Socially and economically productive life".
It is rightly said that Health is Wealth. There are various factors which influence health. These factors lie both within the individual and also in the society in which he or she lives. The internal factors are basically the genetic make-up of an individual while external factors lie in the environment to which he/she is exposed.
Personal health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.Community health comprises of maintaining, improving and protecting the health of entire community.
The various factors that help in maintaining community health are :
(i) Maintaining proper hygienic and sanitary conditions of the environment.
(ii) Providing good socio-economic conditions.
(iii) Providing health care services.
(iv) Imparting health education and promoting public awareness.
(v) Providing proper facilities for preventing diseases.
Basic conditions for good health :
Sound mind in a sound body is the old saying and expresses the importance of good health.
(i) Balanced diet
(ii) Personal hygiene
(iii) Clean surroundings
(iv) Clean food and water
(v) Clean air
(vi) Exercise and relaxation
(vii) No addictions
(viii) Good economic conditions
Distinctions between healthy and Disease free
Disease free | Healthy |
One who is not suffering from any disease or derangement of the functioning of body. | It is a state of physical, mental and social well being |
It refers to the individual | It refers not only to the individual but also its social and community environment |
A disease free individual may have good health or poor health | A healthy individual is one who is able to perform normal under given situation. |
DISEASE
The word disease (dis-ease) literally means disturbed ease or uncomfortable. Thus disease can be defined as "Malfunctioning of the body or a part of it due to one reason or the other".
Or
Disease is a condition of the body or a part of it in which functions are disturbed or deranged.
Signs and symptoms of a disease
Signs and symptoms help in the diagnosis of a disease Diagnosis means the process of identifying a disease. In many case doctor also needs the help of laboratory tests of blood, urine, stool etc and diagnostic images like x rays to diagnose a disease.
Pathogens - Disease causing organisms are called pathogens or infectious agents.
Vectors - Animals or insects that carry the infectious agents from one person to another and spread a disease are called vectors.
DO YOU KNOW ? | |
Hippocrates : | First to look for scientific explanation for diseases. He is remembered today as FATHER OF MEDICINE. |
Susruta : | He used non poisonous leeches as an anticoagulant during surgery so he is called father of surgery. |
Charaka : | He first gave concept of digestive metabolism and immunity. He is known as Father of Ayurveda [Ayu- Life, veda- knowledge] |
Rudolf virchow : | Father of Modern pathology. |
Father of Immunity : | Edward Jenner (small pox vaccine) |
Father of Modern bacteriology: | Robert Koch (Anthrax T.B., cholera) |
Acute and Chronic Disease
A disease that occurs suddenly and lasts for a short period of time is called an acute disease e.g. common cold Malaria disease.
A disease that lasts for a long time is called chronic disease e.g. tuberculosis.
Disease and its cause
Human health is affected by various factors causes or sources, these factors can be of two major types :-
(i) Intrinsic or internal factors : Factors inside the body or within the body.
(ii) External or extrinsic factors : Factors out side the body.
Means of spread :- Disease causing microbes can spread through the air. This occurs through the little droplets thrown out by an infected person who cough or sneezes. Disease can also be spread through water. When infectious agents get mixed with drinking water.
Some diseases are spread by sexual contacts or blood transfusions animals can also carry infectious agents.
Organ specific and Tissue specific Manifestations
Different species of microbes enters through various points of body and there are many possible places organs or tissues where they could go.
If they enter from the air via nose, they are likely to go to the lungs. If they enter through the mouth they can stay in gut lining.
Malaria causing microbes enter through a mosquito bite and will go to the liver and then to Red blood cells but virus of Japanese encephalitis or brain fever will similarly enter through mosquito bite will enter in brain or goes to infect brain.
The signs and symptoms of a disease will thus depend on the tissue or organs which the microbes target.
Principles of treatment
The immune system is a major factor that determines the number of microbes surviving in the body.
There are two ways to treat an infectious disease, i.e., (i) to reduce the effects of the disease and (ii) to kill the cause of the disease.
In the first case, treatment is provided to reduce the symptoms which are due to inflammation. Doctor gives medicine to the patient so as to bring down fever, reduce pain or loose motions. The patient is also advised to take bed rest, so that he/she can conserve his/her energy. This will enable him/her to have more energy to focus on healing.
To cure the disease, the microbes have to be killed by the use of medicine. As you know that microbes can be classified into different categories. They are viruses, bacteria, fungi or protozoa. Each of these groups of organisms will have some essential biochemical life processes, which is peculiar to that group and not shared with the other groups. These processes may be pathways for the synthesis of new substances or respiration. For example, our cells may make new substance by a mechanism different from that used by bacteria. Therefore, the drug that can block the bacterial synthetesis pathway without affecting our own, is used to cure a bacterial disease. The antibiotic drugs work on the same principle. Similarly, there are drugs that kill protozoa such as malarial parasite without affecting our body.
Since viruses have only a few biochemical mechanisms of their own. This is the reason that making antiviral medicines is difficult than making antibacterial medicines. The viruses enter the host cells and use host's machinery for their life processes. Therefore, there are relatively few virus drugs, which check a number of viral diseases including HIV infection.
Principles of Prevention
There are two ways for prevention of disease one is general and one is specific to each disease.
First one is we can prevent exposure by providing good living conditions. Safe drinking water and clean environment.
Other is immune system of our body is normally fighting off microbes we have cells that specialise in killing infecting microbes. These cell go into action when microbes enter into body. The immune cells manage to kill off the infection long before it assumes major proportions.
The functioning of the immune system will be good if proper and sufficient nourishment and food is available.
There are some specific ways also for preventing infections like vaccination for particular disease.
Bacterial disease
Salmonellosis
Food poisoning by bacteria Salmonella is called salmonellosis. BacteriaSalmonella is present in the sick farm animals. So the infection of bacteriaSalmonella which causes food poisoning is contracted from the sick farm animals through their contaminated food products such as milk, eggs and meat.
Toxins released by Escherichia coli cause mild diarrhoea to severe dehydration.Shigellosis, caused by Shigella, is characterised by frequent passage of stools with blood and mucus and abdominal cramps.
Clostridium botulinum causes food poisoning or botulism from taking preserved foods (dibba-bund food).
?Viral disease
PROTOZAN DISEASE
CANCER (crab = cancer)
Uncontrolled , abnormal and excessive mitotic division of cells is called cancer
Oncology : Study of cancer is called oncology.
Cancerous cells : The abnormal and undifferentiated cells are called cancerous cells.
Cancer is a non infections disease but cancer cells spread from one part to another part of body through blood lymph etc.
Tumour or Neoplasm : The abnormal tissue that grows continuously forms a tumour. Tumour's are of two types (1) Benign, (2) Malignant
Carcinogens : The factor that induce cancer are called carcinogens they include (i) Pollutants (ii) Radiations (iii) Tobacco (iv) Biological agents (v) Mechanical agents.
Symptoms : Initially a lump or swelling or sore development followed by unexplained loss of weight, difficulty in swallowing, Persistent cough etc.
Types of cancer depending on the organs affected
(i) Carcinoma : In skin glands, lungs, breast, pancreas and stomach
(ii) Sarcoma : In connective tissues, bones, muscles.
(iii) Leukemia : Increase in no. of white blood cells.
Metastasis : The stage of cancer in which it becomes malignant and spreads to different body is called metastasis.
Diagnosis can be done by endoscopy and biopsy
Cure : (i) Radiation therapy (ii) Chemo therapy (iii) Surgery
AIDS
AIDS : Acquired immuno deficiency syndrome.
Casual Agent : Human immuno deficiency virus H.I.V. This virus belong to retrovirus group of viruses.
HIV gradually reduces the efficiency of human immune system. This make the body vulnerable to other life threatening disease that finally causes patient's death.
How does a person get infected with HIV ?
This virus is transmitted through blood, semen and breast milk. Thus a person can get HIV by :-
(i) Transfusion of infected blood.
(ii) Sharing of needle with an infected person.
(iii) Having sexual intercourse with an infected person.
(iv) An unborn child can get infection from the mother.
(v) Infected mother's milk can infect an infant.
HIV is not contracted by touching an infected person nor can it be contracted by breathing in the virus when patient coughs or sneeze.
Signs and symptoms of AIDS : (i) Swollen lymph glands (ii) Weight loss (iii) Frequent fever (iv) Night sweat (v) Diarrhoea
The disease may affect the central nervous system which may cause memory loss and difficulty in speaking.
Prevention and control : No drug has been developed to cure AIDS only prevention is cure. A patient is usually given a combination of drug that manage to slow down the progress of that disease. Scientists are working on drugs that promise to cure this disease in the near future.
1. For blood transfusion always use blood which has been screened for HIV.
2. Use of disposable needles and syringes blade or razors
3. Avoid multiple sex partnership
4. Condoms can be used to prevent the transmission of HIV through sexual fluids.
The drug zidovudine (AZT) stops HIV replicating by binding with reverse transcriptase enzyme and blocking its action. But it has a side effect, i.e., it causes anaemia.
Jaundice / HEPATITIS
Hepatitis is a disease in which liver became enlarged.
Symptoms :
(i) Yellowing of skin and whites of eyes This condition referred to as jaundice
(ii) Dark urine
(iii) Whitish Stools
Note : The yellowing is because of the presence of excessive bilirubin (a bile pigment) in the blood.
Viral hepatitis is caused by different strains of hepatitis virus. Hepatitis caused by a virus is named after it. Thus we have hepatitis A, hepatitis B....... hepatitis G.Named after the strains ABCDEF and G.
Transmission of HEPATITIS
(i) Some strains of Hepatitis like hepatitis A is transmitted through contaminated food or water.
(ii) Hepatitis B ® Through blood, semen, saliva, breast milk.
General Hepatitis patient need 4 weeks to recover but certain types of hepatitis can cause death.
Prevention and Control : A hepatitis patient is advised to take light food with high carbohydrate and low fat to give rest to the liver An antiviral injection (interferon) controls disease. The patient should take bed rest.
Good sanitation prevent the spread of disease by food and water use clean and hygienic water for drinking. Tested blood should be used for transfusion. use of disposable needle and syrings.
vaccine like A- vaccine, Engerix B, Shenva-B, Enivac-B, Provides immunity against hepatitis A and B.
HEMOPHILIA
Hemophilia is sex linked hereditary disease. Genes of this disease found on sex chromosomes.
Characters : In case of disease blood clots very slow so patient die due to excess of hemorrhage.
Hemophilia is caused by a recessive gene due to presence of two x chromosome. The disease is not developed in woman inspite of presence of gene for hemophilia on x chromosome. This is due to suppression of expression of recessive gene in presence of dominant gene.
While in man the recessive gene can be expressed if present on x chromosome. Due to presence of only one x chromosome and y chromosome in the genotype. Women is known as a carrier, she herself does not show the symptoms but pass the gene to off spring.
Colour blindness/ Daltonism
It is a recessive sex linked defect in which human beings are unable to distinguish red and green colour. Its genes are also situated on sex chromosome X. In colour blindness womens are found generally as carrier and men as patients. Heredity of colour blindness is similar to that of hemophilia.
Thalassemia
It is a genetic disease that leads to synthesis of defective subunits of haemoglobinBlood of a sufferer child have to change frequently. Cause of this disease is a recessive gene. only a homozygous child with recessive gene shows the symptoms and heterozygous remains normal.
Antibiotics and interferon
Antibiotics are chemical substances produced by living organisms such as bacteria and fungi, etc., which can kill or stop the growth of some pathogenic (disease producing) microorganism such as bacteria and fungi. Some of the important antibiotics which are used for the treatment of disease caused by bacteria and fungi : 1. Penicillin; 2. Tetracycline; 3. Streptomycin; 4. Chloromycetin; 5. Quinclones; 6. Cephalosporin; 7. Gentamicin; 8. Chloramphenicol and 9. Rifampicin.
The treatment of viral infections is more difficult than that of bacterial infection. For each type of viral infection, human body produces its own antiviral protein, called interferon (IFN). Interferon is released from the infected and dying host cells. On reaching the un infected cells, IFN makes them resistant to the virus infection. Interferon have been proved to be effective in treating influenza and hepatitis.
Immunization
Stimulating the body to produce antibodies by artificial means is known as Immunization.
Vaccine : Preparation of weakened infectious agents or their products that can be injected or given orally to prevent specific disease.
HISTORY OF VACCINES AND VACCINATION
The modern term vaccination comes from the Latin word vacca means cow and vaccinia
means cowpox An English physician Edward Jenner observed that people who got cow pox (A mild disease) did not suffer from small pox. (a more severe disease). jenner took some pus with a sterile needle from the cowpox rashes of an infected girl and injected in the scratches made in skin of an uninfected boy who soon got cowpox. After he recovered Jenner infected the boys arm with pus from the spots of a person suffering from small pox luckily the boy did not get small pox and jenner experiment was successful.
National disease eradication programme
To control and eradicate different disease, Government of India has prepared a National Health Programme with help of several International Organisations like World Health Organisation, UNICEF, World bank, etc. Under this programme environment cleanliness, population control, vaccination, improvement of nutritional habits, village health programme are included. Some programmes are -
(a) National Malaria Eradication Programme- This programme was started in India as National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) in 1953. In 1958 it was renamed a National Malaria Eradication Programme (NMEP). The aim of this programme is to eradicate the disease with community cooperation. In this programme workers of primary health centre and department of malaria collects blood samples of the persons suffering from fever and test them, if patients are reported malaria positive then drug are distributed through health workers and members of Panchyat Samiti. Insecticides are also sprayed to control malaria.
(b) National Leprosy Eradication Programme - This programme was started in 1955. The aim of this programme is to identify the patients in early stage and treat them with multi drug therapy (M.D.T.) and rehabilitate them. For this purpose leprosy control centre were established.
(c) National Tuberculosis Eradication Programme - This programme was started in 1962. Under this scheme disease eradication programme is run in leader ship of District tuberculosis- disease Incharge. In this programme patient are examined, identified, treated and educated.
(d) National Naru Eradication Programme- This programme was started during sixth five years plan. In this programme importance was given to cleanliness of drinking water. People were educated to consume water after boiling and cooling and not use unsafe water. It can be said that programme was a success because no patient of Naru is reported after year 2000 from Rajasthan.
(e) National AIDS Control Programme - Reporting
of first AIDS patient from India in 1986 and knowing severity of the disease this programme was started in 1987. In 1991, an action plan was prepared to console AIDS with help of World Health Organisation. At present on national level, National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) and at state level Rajasthan AIDS Control Society are working. The aim of these organisations is to identify and advice the patient. Besides this these organisations are educating people and making them aware towards AIDS and sexual transmitted diseases.
(f) Pulse Polio Vaccination Campaign - To eradicate polio, this programme was started on 9th December 1995. The aim of this programmes to replace natural poliovirus with vaccinated virus so that the disease can be eradicated.
For competitive exams
HELMINTH DISEASE
NON COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
Degenerative diseases
1. What is the reason behind falling ill? |
2. How can we prevent falling ill? |
3. What are the common diseases that affect humans? |
4. How can we detect diseases early? |
5. Can genetics play a role in falling ill? |