You and Your Health

What Do You Know About Disease?

Just what is disease? Disease is a change from the condition of good health. In disease, the normal structure or function of the body is harmed or weakened. Disease is often called sickness or illness.

A disease may last a brief time or a long time. It may be mild or severe. Some diseases such as the common cold may go away after a few days without any treatment. Other diseases require medical treatment to cure them. Still other diseases may require a lifetime of medical supervision to manage them.

Favorable standards of living help promote health. Also the body itself has defenses against disease. But now and then the defenses give way and illness occurs. Disease germs may break through the defenses. Parts of the body may begin to function poorly. Tissues in the body may grow in uncontrolled ways. Something may go wrong with certain chemical reactions in the body.

Symptoms of Illness

How do people know they are ill? Often they have symptoms such as pain, nausea, sore- throat, lack of appetite, fatigue, or fever. However, a disease may be present without a person knowing it. Sometimes a disease is discovered during a routine health examination.

Illnesses, that can be passed along by an infected person to a well person either directly or indirectly are called infectious or communicable diseases.

In early 1900s infectious diseases were still a serious public health problem. Today as a result of improved hygiene and living conditions, new drugs, new kinds of medical treatment, and the widespread use of vaccines, the picture has changed. Many diseases such as malaria, yellow fever, scarlet fever, smallpox, and diphtheria have been almost wiped out. However, some of these diseases — and others — pose problems in certain areas of the world.

The cold is the most common communicable disease. So far, scientists have identified more than 100 different viruses capable of causing cold symptoms. For this reason, no vaccine exists to immunize against colds.

Some diseases are not caused by disease-producing microorganisms. These diseases cannot be passed from person to person. No immunity can be produced for these diseases. They are called noncommunicable. Among them are most diseases of the heart, allergy and a lot of others.