Health and Disease

What is Health?

Health is difficult to define.
Exam board definitionof health: > A person's physical, mental and social condition.

Good health has been classed as a fundamental Human Right b ythe World Health Organisation. To enjoy good health a person needs proper shelter, nutrition, exercise, sleep and rest.


Exam board definition of Disease: > A disease (or ilnness) is a disorder or malfunction of the mind or body which leads to a departure from good health.

Different Categories of Disease

What is a multifactorial disease? > A condition caused by the interpaly of more than one factor- eg coronary heart disease.

Disease may be classified as chronic: > Long term- sting months or years (eg TB) or they may be classified as acute > Having a sudden onset, changing rapidly, and lasting for a short time (eg a cold). .
Can you complete the table?

Category of Disease	Cause of disease	Examples
Physical	> permanent or temporary damage to any part of the body	> leprosy, multiple sclerosis
Infectious	> organisms which invade the body	> measles, malaria
Non-infectious	> any cause other than invasion by an organism	> stroke, sickle cell anaemia
Deficiency	> poor diet	> scurvy, night blindness
Inerited	> an inherited genetic fault	> cystic fibrosis, haemophilia
Degenerative	> gradual decline in function	> coronary heart disease, Huntingdon's disease
Mental	> changes to the mind, with or without a known physical cause	> schizophrenia, claustrophobia
Social	> social environment or behaviour, such as poor housing or drug misuse	> hypothermia, drug dependence
Self-inflicted	> wilful damage to the body by a person's own actions	> attempted suicide, lung cancer

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