Understanding Health, Disease, and Well-being Factors
Health: A Holistic Definition
Health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Life expectancy for women is 72.4 years and for men 19 years.
Challenges in Developing Countries
- Increase health spending for the entire population.
- Ensuring health coverage for as many people as possible.
- Efficient allocation of resources.
Determinants of Health
Health is influenced by several factors, some irremovable (such as hereditary factors) and others modifiable (such as lifestyle choices).
Environmental Factors
- Physical Contaminants: UV radiation, radioactivity, and noise, which can cause inflammation of mucous membranes.
- Chemical Pollutants: Gases emitted from the combustion of hydrocarbons and other carbon-based fuels.
- Biological Pollutants: Viruses, bacteria, and protozoa, which cause infectious diseases like hepatitis and malaria.
- Social and Work-Related Stress: Factors like social and labor-relations stress.
Personal Lifestyle Factors
- Regular exercise.
- Avoiding smoking.
- Eliminating or reducing alcohol consumption.
- Avoiding illicit drugs:
- Depressants: Alcohol, heroin, tranquilizers.
- Stimulants: Amphetamines, cocaine.
- Hallucinogens/Psychedelics: Psilocybin mushrooms, LSD, ketamine.
- Maintaining a healthy diet.
- Practicing safe sexual health.
Biological Factors
Aging and genetic predispositions play a significant role. Genes and mutations can cause disease. Genetic diseases may arise from chromosomal anomalies or defects within specific genes.
The Health System
A robust healthcare system is characterized by:
- Providing universal coverage.
- Financing through taxation and income contributions.
- Ensuring equal access to resources and services.
Understanding Disease
Disease is a state in which a person’s physical, emotional, intellectual, social, or spiritual functioning or development has diminished or altered compared to previous experience.
Diagnosing and Studying Disease
Pathology is the science of diseases, often integrating knowledge from other scientific disciplines.
Objective Data
Objective data are observable facts obtained from the examination of the patient.
Symptoms
Subjective alterations that the patient feels and reports.
Diagnostic Investigations
Provide additional information through various techniques, such as X-rays and laboratory tests.
Infectious and Parasitic Diseases
Stages of Infectious Disease
- Incubation: The time lag between the entry of the pathogen and the appearance of the first symptoms.
- Development: The progression of the disease, accompanied by its characteristic symptoms.
- Convalescence: The recovery period after the disease, until the body returns to its initial state.
Prion Diseases
Pathogens are prions, which are misfolded proteins that induce abnormal folding in normal proteins (e.g., Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, often referred to as ‘mad cow disease’).
Viral Diseases
Pathogens are viruses, acellular particles similar to prions (e.g., yellow fever, hepatitis).
Bacterial Diseases
Caused by bacteria (e.g., cholera, gonorrhea, leprosy).
Fungal Diseases
Caused by fungi, which are eukaryotic cells possessing a well-defined nucleus (e.g., ringworm, athlete’s foot).
Protozoal Diseases
Caused by protozoa, which are unicellular organisms (e.g., malaria).
Metazoan Diseases
Caused by metazoans, including helminths (worms) and arthropods (e.g., lice, scabies, ticks).
Non-Infectious Diseases
Cancer
Cancer is characterized by the abnormal proliferation of cells. Its development is influenced by environmental factors, lifestyle, heredity, and age. Treatments include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy.
Endocrine, Nutritional, and Metabolic Diseases
- Diabetes: A chronic condition affecting how the body processes blood sugar.
- Vitamin Deficiencies: Such as scurvy (lack of vitamin C), beriberi (lack of vitamin B1), and rickets (lack of vitamin D).
- Anorexia Nervosa: An eating disorder characterized by an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image.
- Bulimia Nervosa: Often linked to anorexia, characterized by repeated episodes of excessive and compulsive food intake, followed by compensatory behaviors.
Cardiovascular Diseases
- Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke): Occurs when the brain loses its blood supply. This can be caused by a clot blocking an artery in the brain (ischemic stroke/thrombosis) or the rupture of a blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke).
- Myocardial Infarction (Heart Attack): Occurs when an obstruction in the coronary arteries prevents the heart muscle from receiving oxygen, leading to tissue death.
- Arteriosclerosis: The thickening and hardening of artery walls.
- Hypertension (High Blood Pressure): Occurs when the pressure exerted by blood on the artery walls consistently exceeds healthy limits.
Mental Illnesses
- Schizophrenia.
- Bipolar Disorder.
Degenerative Diseases
- Alzheimer’s Disease: Characterized by progressive memory loss and cognitive decline, eventually leading to dependence.
- Parkinson’s Disease: Affects nerve cells responsible for controlling and coordinating movement, leading to symptoms such as tremor, muscle rigidity, and slowness of movement.