Non-infectious disease
what are non infectious diseases
Non-infectious disease are those diseases that are not caused by a pathogen and are not contagious.Diseases caused by these organisms are infectious diseases.There is a huge range of non-infectious diseases and theircauses are many and varied
A non-infectious disease is a disease that may be caused by the environment known as environmental disease e.g. skin cancer from radiation from the Sun), or lack of food (e.g. scurvy from lack of Vitamin C), genetic disorders, or any source other than an infection. They can also be caused by drugs and carcinogens (cancer-causing agents).
Non-infectious diseases cannot be spread from person to person as in infectious disease, but can be passed down genetically in some cases.
Historically, infectious diseases were the main cause of death in the world and, indeed, in some developing regions this may still be the case. With the development of antibiotics and vaccination programs, infectious disease is no longer the leading cause of death in western world.
Non-infectious disease is now responsible for the leading causes of death in both developed and some developing countries
causes of non infectious disease
Causes of non-infectious disease
Non-infectious disease includes inherited diseases caused by changes in genetic information, nutritional deficiencies caused by an inadequate diet, and environmental diseases that are the result of factors in the environment. Other disease such as those caused by some types of physiological malfunction, some mental illnesses and ageing will not fit into these categories.
Inherited diseases
These are disease that are genetically transmitted and are caused by errors in genetic information.
These errors may include:
- A change in the chromosome numbers
- A defect in a single gene caused by mutation.
Diseases caused by gene abnormalities include cystic fibrosis
One example of inherited disease
Cystic fibrosis is an example of an inherited disease that is caused by a mutation to the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene that is found on chromosome 7. This faulty gene changes the protein that regulates the normal movement of sodium chloride in and out of cells. This causes the mucus-secreting organs to produce abnormally thick mucus. The CFTR gene is recessive, meaning that a person must have two copies of the faulty gene for them to develop the disease
occurance
The occurrence of cystic fibrosis varies with ethnic qroups, and is 1 in 3300 in Caucasians and 1 in 9500 in Hispanics.
Cystic fibrosis affects the respiratory, digestive and reproductive systems, as well as the sweat glands. The mucus secreted is very thick and blocks passageways in the lungs and digestive tracts
This mucus causes problems with breathing and with the digestion and absorption of nutrients.
symtoms
Some of the symptoms of cystic fibrosis are:
- Recurrent and severe chest infections
- Malabsorption of nutrients and failure to thrive
- Passing of large, foul-smelling motions
- Diabetes
- Excess salt in sweat
- Liver failure
- Infertility
The average life expectancy of someone suffering from cystic fibrosis is 30-40 years.
treatment/management
The treatment of cystic fibrosis involves relieving the symptoms as there is at present no cure for the disease. This treatment allows suffers to better cope with cystic fibrosis in their daily lives. Treatment allows sufferers to beater cope with cystic fibrosis in their daily lives. Treatments include giving supplements to their diet to counter the effects of insufficient digestion and abortion of nutrients.
Suffers use daily physiotherapy and breathing exercises to help prevent the excessive build-up of mucus in their lungs. This also helps to prevent chest infections.
Antibiotics and other medications are given to treat and control the many infections that develop. If the lungs are badly damaged then lung transplantation could be an option.
Gene therapy is currently being reached in the hope that it will eventually be able to cure cystic fibrosis
Nutritional deficiencies
Examples of non-infectious diseases include:
- Cardiovascular disease
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Cystic fibrosis
- Hypertension
- Diabetes mellitus type 2
- Down syndrome
- Attention deficit disorder
- Anorexia nervosa
Further reading
- Lower GM, Kanarek MS (1982). "The mutation theory of chronic, noninfectious disease: relevance to epidemiologic theory". Am. J. Epidemiol. 115 (6). PMID 7046429.
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References
some websites you can get non-infectious diseases from are: