Treatment & Diagnosis of Diseases: A Comprehensive Guide
Treatment of Infectious Diseases
Treatment Against Diseases Caused by Bacteria
Bacterial infections are treated with antibiotics. The first antibiotic to be discovered was penicillin, by Alexander Fleming in 1928. After a time, resistant bacteria emerged.
Treatment Against Diseases Caused by Protozoa and Fungi
Antiprotozoal and antifungal medications are used for the treatment of infections by protozoa and fungi, respectively.
Treatment for Diseases Caused by Viruses
Viral infections are the most difficult to treat. The body itself must overcome the infection. Antivirals are sometimes used to help manage symptoms.
Tumors and Cancer
What is a Tumor?
A tumor is a mass of disorganized tissue. Most tumors are benign.
Malignant Tumors: Cancer
Cancer is a malignant tumor whose cells can move from the initial tumor site to generate new tumors in other parts of the body. There are two key features:
- Invasive: The ability to penetrate and spread throughout the tissues.
- Metastasis: The ability to penetrate into the blood vessel walls and lymph, move through the blood and lymph, and deposit anywhere in the body to form a secondary tumor.
Treatment of Cancer
- Surgery: Removal of the tumor mass.
- Radiation Therapy: The use of radiation to kill cancer cells.
- Chemotherapy: Involves the administration of drugs that kill cancer cells. These drugs also affect normal cells but to a lesser extent.
- Hormone Treatments: Are effective in some cancers that require the presence of hormones to develop.
- Immunotherapy: Is the use of agents that enhance the immune system.
Endocrine, Nutritional, and Metabolic Diseases
Diabetes Mellitus
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease caused by a deficiency of all or part of insulin, a hormone that controls the concentration of glucose in the blood. Glucose is the carbohydrate used by cells as an energy source. Glucose is toxic to cells when found in high concentrations. The function of insulin is to make glucose be absorbed by cells, so its concentration in the blood doesn’t rise. The treatment of diabetes is based on a balanced diet, regular physical exercise, and using drugs, including insulin itself.
Obesity
Obesity is defined as excess body fat that can be caused by several factors: hereditary, endocrine, metabolic, or environmental. Its complications are significant and can jeopardize a person’s life, including hypertension and increased blood cholesterol.
Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular diseases are diseases of the heart and blood vessels.
Myocardial Infarction
Myocardial infarction (heart attack) occurs because a portion of heart muscle is left without blood supply, usually due to occlusion of the coronary arteries that supply it.
Stroke
Stroke occurs when blood supply is cut off to a part of the brain, usually because a blood clot blocks a brain artery.
Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease
Non-Modifiable Risk Factors:
- Advanced age
- Male gender
- History of cardiovascular disease in close relatives
Modifiable Risk Factors:
- Tobacco use
- Hypertension
- Obesity
- Stress
Respiratory Diseases
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Obstructive pulmonary disease is due to narrowing or blockage of the airways, which reduces the volume of exhaled air. The most common are asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.
Restrictive Lung Disease
Restrictive lung disease is due to loss of elasticity of the lungs, which reduces the total volume of air they contain. The most severe lung disease is lung cancer.
Mental Illness
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia typically starts between 15 and 25 years of age. It is a serious disease in which the patient experiences significant distortions in their reasoning powers and perceptions (hallucinations, delusions, etc.).
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety disorders are a group of disorders that share a common symptom of fear or intense anxiety.
Depression
Depression is the most common mental illness. Symptoms include excessive sadness and lack of interest in activities.
Eating Disorders
Eating disorders often begin in adolescence or young adulthood and primarily affect women. The two main types are anorexia and bulimia.
- Anorexia Nervosa: A person is very thin but thinks they are fat and refuses to eat. In some women, menstruation ceases.
- Bulimia: Individuals are often of normal weight or are overweight. Episodes of excessive eating are followed by feelings of guilt, so they try to eliminate what they have eaten by vomiting or using laxatives.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
ADHD is diagnosed in children with problems controlling their energy (unable to sit still) and attention. They forget what they have to do, are easily distracted, are very restless, and talk a lot.
Personality Disorders
Personality disorders are characterized by rigid and inappropriate patterns of behavior.
Dementia
Dementia is the progressive loss of mental abilities, mainly memory. It is more common in the elderly, and the most common type is Alzheimer’s disease.
Drugs
A drug is any substance that, upon entering the body, is capable of producing brain changes that involve alterations in behavior, lead to abuse and dependence processes, and cause an irrepressible urge to take the substance, either for its effect or to avoid the discomfort of withdrawal.
The Diagnosis of Diseases
Diagnosis is the process by which the disease afflicting a patient is identified.
- Clinical Interview or Anamnesis: Gathering information about the patient’s medical history and symptoms.
- Physical Examination: Assessing the patient’s physical condition.
- Complementary Investigations: Performing tests such as blood work, imaging scans, or biopsies to gather further information.
Treating Disease: Drugs and Medicines
Drugs are products that we use to cure, alleviate, prevent, or diagnose diseases. Medicines contain one or more drugs, which are the substances that have medicinal properties.
How Drugs Act
Drugs are capable of binding to certain molecules (receptors) that exist inside the body. These molecules are usually proteins, and their functions change when the drugs bind to them. From the time we take the medicine until it reaches the receptor, it must cross several barriers.
Pathways to Drug Administration
- Oral
- Sublingual (under the tongue)
- Rectal (suppository)
- Injection (subcutaneous, intramuscular, or intravenous)
- Intranasal (can be given with a nebulizer)
- Topical or skin (ointments)
Pharmaceutical Industry: Patent and Generic
- A new drug must pass a series of tests in experimental animals and healthy individuals.
- If good results are obtained, it moves to Phase I clinical trials, testing with patients.
- If the tests show the drug is effective and safe, marketing begins.
When a company creates a new drug, it is patented for between 10 and 20 years.