Defining Health, Illness Types, and Prevention Methods
Understanding Health and Illness
What is Health?
Health is often defined as the absence of illness. It represents a state of well-being where the body is healthy and carries out all its functions correctly. Health encompasses not only physical well-being but also mental and social aspects.
Healthy Habits for Well-being
Healthy habits help us stay healthy and prevent illnesses. One of the most crucial habits is maintaining a healthy diet. It’s also important to follow healthy behavioral patterns, such as reading and writing in good light, and avoiding tobacco consumption.
Defining Illness
An illness is an abnormal process that alters, modifies, or prevents the activity of part of our body or the complete organism.
Types of Illnesses
Illnesses can be categorized as follows:
- Infectious: Caused by the action of micro-organisms (e.g., flu).
- Congenital: Exist at birth.
- Hereditary: Passed from parents to their offspring (e.g., color blindness).
- Deficit: Resulting from the absence of essential vitamins, minerals, or other important substances (e.g., scurvy).
- Chronic: Prolonged over time with no possible cure, only manageable through medical treatment (e.g., chronic bronchitis).
Epidemics vs. Pandemics
- Epidemic: A disease affecting a community, such as a city, country, or continent.
- Pandemic: A disease affecting a very large territory, like one or more continents.
Combating Illnesses
Methods for fighting illnesses include:
- Treatment with drugs: Can cure the sick person or alleviate symptoms.
- Surgical operations: Used when drugs are ineffective or organs are injured.
- Vaccination: A key resource of preventive medicine.
Infectious Diseases Explained
Disease Microbes
Infectious diseases are caused by microbes, which include:
- Viruses
- Bacteria
- Fungi
- Protozoa
Preventing Infectious Diseases: Vaccination
Vaccination involves introducing a preparation into the body containing the micro-organisms (or their toxins) that cause a specific disease. When the vaccine components are treated and attenuated, they do not cause the disease but instead stimulate the body to learn how to fight against the actual pathogen.
Viral Illnesses
Viruses cause various illnesses. Importantly, there are generally no specific medicines against viruses, and antibiotics are not effective against them.
- Common Cold: A contagious illness causing slight discomfort. The virus passes from person to person through contact and is very resistant; it can sometimes be transmitted through the air.
- Flu (Influenza): Transmitted similarly to the common cold with similar symptoms, but often causes more significant discomfort, pain in the joints, and can be more serious, especially for children and older adults.
- AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome): Caused by the HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), which attacks the body’s defense system. It is transmitted through blood contact or sexual fluids. There is currently no vaccination for HIV.
Bacterial Illnesses
Bacteria can be more resistant than viruses. Some bacterial illnesses include:
- Salmonella: Caused by eating foods in a bad state contaminated by the Salmonella bacterium. Symptoms include fever and digestive disorders.
- Tetanus: Caused by Clostridium tetani, often found in soil or on rusted metals. It causes muscular rigidity and difficulty in movement. Vaccinations are available.
Fungal Illnesses
Fungal infections are often contagious and can occur more frequently in individuals with deficient hygiene. Examples include:
- Candidiasis
- Athlete’s foot
Protozoan Illnesses
These are caused by protozoa, often transmitted by vectors:
- Malaria: Transmitted by mosquitoes.
- Sleeping Sickness: Transmitted by the tsetse fly.
Common Illnesses by Body System
Digestive System Illnesses
- Cavities: Destruction of teeth.
- Ulcers: Small wounds on the wall of the stomach or duodenum.
- Gastritis: Inflammation of the stomach walls, causing a burning sensation and making digestion difficult.
- Gastroenteritis: Often caused by viruses, bacteria, or food poisoning. Symptoms include discomfort, fever, vomiting, and diarrhea.
Respiratory System Illnesses
- Bronchitis: Inflammation of the bronchi, often due to a bacterial infection. It can be cured with antibiotics, but supervision is important to prevent it from becoming a chronic condition.
- Asthma: Characterized by the sudden contraction of the muscles of the bronchioles, making breathing difficult.
Circulatory System Illnesses
Often related to the obstruction of blood vessels:
- Arteriosclerosis: Accumulation of fats (plaque) in the arteries, causing them to narrow and restricting blood flow.
- Thrombosis: Formation of blood clots within a blood vessel. If a clot travels and reaches a narrow blood vessel, it can get stuck, blocking flow.
- Heart Attacks or Angina Pectoris: Result from the obstruction of the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle.
- Angina: Caused by the narrowing or partial obstruction of coronary arteries, leading to chest pain.
- Heart Attack (Myocardial Infarction): Occurs when a part of the heart muscle dies due to the total obstruction of the arteries carrying blood to that area, causing severe chest pain.
Excretory System Illnesses
- Cystitis: Inflammation of the bladder, usually caused by a bacterial infection.
- Kidney Infection (Pyelonephritis): Can produce blood in the urine and backache.
- Kidney Stones: Painful condition caused by the accumulation and hardening of minerals (like calcium) in the kidney.