Understanding Major Health Conditions and Risk Factors
Genetic Diseases and Their Causes
A genetic disease is a disorder caused by an alteration in a gene, known as a mutation. These mutations can occur randomly or as a result of exposure to certain environmental risk factors, such as tobacco smoke.
Environmental Factors Affecting Health
Environmental factors, such as certain chemicals, air pollution, or allergenic substances, also play an important role in the occurrence of diseases and the expression of certain genes.
Key Environmental Factors:
- Exposure to Carcinogens: Tobacco smoke and its components, as well as certain construction materials like insulation, can cause cancer.
- Water and Food Quality: In most developed countries, water and food quality is assured by health institutions. However, in less developed nations, contaminated water is responsible for the transmission of many fatal diseases.
- Pollution: Cities with high pollution levels and locations near industrial sites or nuclear power stations can see an increase in respiratory diseases and cancer.
- Healthcare Systems: A healthcare system focused on prevention, through health campaigns, vaccination, and epidemiological control, significantly contributes to improving public health.
The Importance of Healthy Habits
Maintaining healthy habits is crucial for well-being. This includes:
- A balanced diet
- Regular physical activity
- Proper personal, food, and household hygiene
- Avoiding tobacco, alcohol, and other harmful substances
Understanding Infectious Diseases
Infectious diseases are caused by microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites. They are called transmissible diseases because they can be transmitted from one individual to another. Some of these diseases, like AIDS, tuberculosis, measles, or the flu, can spread globally, respecting no borders.
Epizootics are diseases that affect animals but can be passed to humans. Many of these, such as the Ebola virus (which causes a severe acute respiratory syndrome), originate in wildlife, while others, like avian flu, affect domestic animals.
Emerging Diseases and Antibiotic Resistance
Antibiotics are medicines used to fight bacterial infections without harming the body’s own cells. They are not effective against infectious diseases caused by viruses and should not be administered in such cases. In the past, antibiotics were considered miracle drugs because they eliminated many illnesses.
However, infectious diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis, and West Nile fever have increased rapidly worldwide. A primary cause for this is antibiotic resistance, which often results from the excessive and inadequate use of antibiotics.
AIDS: An Infectious Disease Epidemic
AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is caused by a virus called HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), which belongs to the retrovirus family. Retroviruses are characterized by their small size and having RNA as their genetic material.
Modes of Transmission:
- Sexual contact
- Blood transfusions
- From mother to child during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding
Once inside the body, HIV incorporates into the bloodstream and is distributed throughout the body. It specifically targets the lymphatic glands, weakening the body’s defenses. An individual with a compromised immune system is left exposed to numerous other diseases.
What It Means to Be HIV-Positive
Current diagnostic methods detect the presence of antibodies to the virus in the blood. This determines if a person is HIV-positive, meaning they are infected with the virus, even if they do not yet show symptoms of the disease.
Treatments Against AIDS
Despite worldwide efforts, a vaccine for HIV has not yet been developed, making prevention extremely important. However, research centers and pharmaceutical laboratories have developed treatments capable of turning AIDS into a chronic disease, similar to diabetes or kidney insufficiency. While these drugs cannot destroy the virus, they can drastically slow its multiplication.
Non-Communicable Diseases
Non-communicable diseases are due to the alteration of the body’s tissues or organs. Two major groups of these diseases are leading causes of death: cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Others include mental illnesses and neurodegenerative diseases like dementia.
Understanding Cancer
Cancer includes several diseases that share a common characteristic: the abnormal proliferation of cells, leading to a tumor or neoplasia. A tumor is a mass of cells caused by uncontrolled cell division.
Types of Tumors:
- Benign: A tumor that is located in a specific tissue and does not reach blood vessels.
- Malignant: A tumor that can invade other organs.
Risk Factors for Breast Cancer
Primary prevention is…