Health and Deseases

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Health and Diseases

We've all experienced the significant shift from feeling well to feeling bad, feeling unwell, listless, and unable to get out of bed. This feeling occurs when we are affected by an illness.

An illness refers to a state of disruption in the body's normal functioning, causing physical, mental, or social distress.

It can be triggered by a variety of factors, such as microbial infections, genetic predisposition, metabolic disorders, hormonal imbalances, environmental influences, lifestyle choices, or a combination of these.

Illness manifests as a deterioration in the body's health. All illnesses involve a weakening of the body's natural defense system. Although we don't always know the exact cause, illnesses can be explained in terms of altered physiological or mental processes.

The subjective perspective refers to discomfort and the feeling of being ill, with varying degrees of intensity.

The objective perspective relates to the impact of illness on our functional capacity, limiting bodily functioning at different levels.

Symptoms

Symptoms are the subjective sensations a person experiences and describes. They are like internal voices of discomfort that communicate to us that something is not right. (Examples: diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, cough, etc.)

Symptoms can be misleading and changeable, as they are influenced by individual perception. However, they are crucial for diagnosis, as they are often the initial clue to uncovering a health problem.

Clinical Signs

Clinical signs are clues that physicians gather by observing and examining a patient. These clues are based on sensory information and are obtained through methods such as palpation, auscultation, and other specialized procedures. (Examples: fever, heart rate, swelling, edema, etc.)

Clinical signs are objective and measurable facts in concrete terms. They are useful for confirming or ruling out the presence of a disease.

Etiology of Diseases

Etiology is the study of the causes of diseases. In some cases, the causes are obvious, such as when the consumption of certain substances damages the liver. In others, identifying the causes can be a challenge.

Internal factors: These are those that come from within the body itself. These include:

1. Genetics: Our genes contain the instructions for building and maintaining the body. Genetic mutations can cause diseases such as cancer and hereditary disorders.

2. Personal constitution: Our constitution influences our susceptibility to disease. For example, overweight people have a higher risk of developing heart disease and diabetes.

1. Exposure to toxins: Exposure to toxins such as cigarette smoke, industrial chemicals, and heavy metals can increase your risk of developing certain diseases.

2. Diet: Diet influences your risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

3. Lifestyle: Physical activity, alcohol consumption, and stress also affect the risk of developing diseases.

Diseases often have multiple etiologies. For example, heart disease can be caused by a combination of genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors.

Classification of Diseases

Diseases can be classified according to their origin or the systems they affect.

Infectious diseases: Caused by microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Examples include influenza, HIV, and tuberculosis.

Inherited diseases: Caused by inherited mutations in genes. Examples include cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy.

Autoimmune diseases: The immune system mistakenly attacks the body itself. Examples include rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

Neurodegenerative diseases: The immune system mistakenly attacks the body itself. Examples include rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

Metabolic Diseases: These result from alterations in the body's metabolic processes, such as how nutrients and chemicals are processed and utilized.

Cardiovascular Diseases: These affect the heart and blood vessels, such as hypertension and coronary heart disease.

Respiratory Diseases: These relate to the respiratory system, such as asthma and chronic bronchitis.

Digestive Diseases: These involve the digestive system, such as inflammatory bowel disease and celiac disease.

Neurological Diseases: These impact the immune system. Nervous system disorders, such as migraines and multiple sclerosis.

Endocrine disorders: Related to glands and hormones, such as diabetes and hypothyroidism.

Dermatological disorders: Involve the skin, such as psoriasis and skin cancer.

Kidney disorders: Related to the renal system, such as chronic kidney failure and urinary tract infections.

Mental disorders: Affect emotional state and behavior, such as depression, Anxiety and schizophrenia.

Activity: Answer the following questions.

Remember to review the answers to the open-ended questions at the bottom of this page.

1. What are the symptoms?

2. Which of the following is a clinical sign?

3. An internal factor that influences the disease is:

4. Autoimmune diseases occur when:

5. What type of disease is muscular dystrophy?

Once you click this button, the The questions will be closed, and you will not be able to change your answer.

6. Explain the difference between symptoms and clinical signs.

7. Why are symptoms important in diagnosis?

8. Explain what is meant by multiple etiologies of a disease.

9. What is the difference between a metabolic disease and an endocrine disease?

10. What is the subjective and objective perspective of the disease?

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Answers to open-ended questions

6. A symptom is a subjective perception of discomfort described by the patient, while a clinical sign is an objective and measurable manifestation observed by the physician.

7. Because they are the first sign that guides the physician toward a possible illness, even if they are subjective.

8. This means that an illness can have more than one cause, such as genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors combined.

9. Metabolic symptoms affect the body's chemical processes, while endocrine symptoms relate to the malfunctioning of glands and hormones.

10. Subjective symptoms are the personal sensation of discomfort, while objective symptoms are the functional limitation that can be measured in the body.

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2. Rovesti, M., Fioranelli, M., Petrelli, P., Satolli, F., Roccia, M. G., Gianfaldoni, S., Tchernev, G., Wollina, U., Lotti, J., Feliciani, C., & Lotti, T. (2018). Health and Illness in History, Science and Society. Open Access Macedonian Journal Of Medical Sciences, 6(1), 163-165. https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2018.056 https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2018.056

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6. TED-Ed. (2023, 28 noviembre). The diseases that changed humanity forever - Dan Kwartler [Vídeo]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnln3C-Las4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rnln3C-Las4

7. Happy Learning English. (2024, 23 diciembre). WHAT IS DISEASE? Types of Illnesses Explained for Kids | @HappyLearningENG [Vídeo]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2muqPd3RfoE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2muqPd3RfoE