DISEASE

CAUSES

SYMPTOMS
detected as a hard

TREATMENT/CON
TROL

Testicular
cancer

(common in
young and
middle-aged
men)

Prostrate
cancer

(common in men prostrate gland tends removal of the

over the age of
to enlarge and
prostrate gland
60 years)
interrupt the flow removal of testes
and treatment
of urine, causing
(linked to
with oestrogen
frequent urination
obesity)
(since
testosterone may
promote the
growth of the
cancer)

(usually painless)
swelling on the
side of a testis

surgical removal of

the testis
radiotherapy or
chemotherapy

Men should check

their testes
regularly and men
aged over 60
should report any
symptoms of
urination to their
doctor.
Ovarian
cancer

(common in
older women
who have not
had children)

Many growths in the cancer may be

ovaries are cysts that
removed in an
are not harmful.
operation
drugs
Some growths are
(chemotherapy)
cancerous but there
are no symptoms
until the ovarian
cancer is large and
has spread to the
uterus, where it
causes pain.

Cervical
cancer

(common in

No symptoms until
cancer has spread

Asthma

younger women
who are sexually
active, have had
sexually
transmitted
infections or an
early pregnancy)
(linked to obesity)

smoke, e.g. from breathlessness

difficulty exhaling
cigarettes

detection by taking

cervical smears
and looking for
precancerous
cells
radiotherapy if the
cancer is not far
advanced
steroid drug, e.g.

the drug,

DISEASE
TRANSMISSION
Leptospirosi
bacterium passed from animals to humans
s (Weil's
The bacteria pass out in the urine and may come into contact
disease)
with breaks in the skin, the membranes of the eyes or into the
nose.
Drinking infected water or eating contaminated food
Rodents are vectors
Dengue
Virus DENV-1 to DENV-4
fever
Aedes aegypti mosquito bites and drinks the blood of an infected
person and passes the virus on in its saliva
Gastroenteri Bacterium of the Salmonella group
tis
Housefly picks up infected material from food or from faeces, and
then passes it on to human food as it feeds
The mouthparts of a housefly consist of a long, grooved tongue
with two channels, one which releases saliva and the other
channel sucks up digested foodstuffs. During feeding, the fly
squirts saliva containing digestive enzymes to partially digest
its food and the resulting liquid is sucked up into the fly's
intestine where digestion is completed. The decaying remains
of dead animals, dung and the remains of food on rubbish tips
on which the houseflies feed contain the microbes which cause
typhoid, typhus, cholera, dysentery, tuberculosis and
gastroenteritis, together with some tapeworm and threadworm
eggs. These microbes and eggs stick to the housefly's feet,
mouthparts and body and may be spread as the housefly settles
on human food and drinks.
infectious diseases, e.g. cholera and typhoid
non-infectious diseases, e.g. food intolerance
causes inflammation of the stomach and/or intestine and
diarrhoea
Prevention: good sanitation (keep human wastes from drinking
water), e.g. In many countries, sewage is carried by a drainage
system to a sewage works. The water supply is treated to kill
potential pathogens and is distributed in a network of pipes.
Most chronic diseases cannot be cured but can be treated to reduce symptoms. General
prevention includes:

balanced diet

exercise (improves circulatory, skeletal and muscular systems as well as improves

mental health)
not smoking
drinking in moderation or not at all

Response system:
1.

2.

3.

4.
5.

6.

7.
8.

The epidermis of the skin is a barrier against the entry of pathogens.

Sebum secreted by the sebaceous glands in the skin acts as an antiseptic.
Hydrochloric acid in the stomach and lactic acid in the vagina provide acidic
conditions which prevent the growth of bacteria.
Mucus is secreted by cells of the respiratory tract onto cilia which move it
away from the lungs.
Lysozyme in many body secretions, e.g. tears, is an enzyme which breaks
down the cell walls of bacteria.
When pathogens get through these defences, phagocytes in the blood may engulf
and destroy them. When viruses, e.g. common cold and flu, enter cells, the
infected cells secrete chemicals to warn other cells of the invasion. These are nonspecific defences.
The body has an immune system consisting of tissues, cells and molecules
dispersed throughout the body to produce specific defences if pathogens breach
the second line of defence. Then, the phagocytes 'cut them up' and 'show' them
to lymphocytes which recognise the antigens and multiply by mitosis. These Blymphocytes become filled with endoplasmic reticulum and ribosomes so that they
secrete protein molecules, called antibodies, into the lymph and blood.
The forked end of the antibody recognises and binds to the surface antigen to label
it. The other end acts as a signal to phagocytes or T-lymphocytes.
These labelled antigens stick together in clumps to be ingested by phagocytes, are
destroyed by T-lymphocytes which burst their membranes or are destroyed by the
antibodies themselves which destroy the pathogen's cell walls or membranes.
Antitoxins are antibodies that combine with the toxic waste products of bacteria
and neutralise them so that they have no effect, e.g. bacteria of tetanus and
diphtheria.
Other lymphocytes are activated to patrol the body looking for infected cells,
which they destroy to stop the production of pathogens.
Some lymphocytes remain as memory lymphocytes which can recognise a second
infection and destroy pathogens before symptoms even develop.

An antigen is a protein or carbohydrate on the surface of a pathogen which provokes the

immune system of the host. An antibody is a Y-shaped protein produced by lymphocytes
which are able to recognise, bind to and destroy pathogens. An antitoxin is an antibody
which neutralises toxic waste products of bacteria (toxins).

DRUG
EFFECT
Sedative or
slows down bodily functions to reduce anxiety
tranquiliser, e.g. induces sleep
Valium, Librium overdose of sedatives may be fatal especially if taken with
alcohol
Valium makes it more difficult for neurotransmitters to cross
synapses
Antidepressant, relieves depression
e.g. Prozac
may be taken for other conditions, e.g. pain relief
severe side effects even if taken within the prescribed dose,
e.g. untypical violent behaviour
Painkillers,
relieve pain by interfering with the production of chemicals
e.g.
that cause inflammation
Paracetamol, overdose of aspirin may cause bleeding of the stomach
Aspirin,
overdose of paracetamol may lead to liver failure and death
Ibuprofen
Antibiotics
used to control the spread of bacterial diseases in the body
kill bacteria or stop them from reproducing
target processes such as cell wall synthesis, protein synthesis
in ribosomes and movement of substances across membranes
Anti-fungal
controls the growth of fungi, e.g. thrush and ringworm
drugs
interfere with enzymes that are only found in fungi and not in
human cells
Antiviral drugs control the spread of viral diseases, e.g. genital herpes
prevent the production of viral genetic material
interfere with viral protease enzymes
Stimulant,
greater alertness and wakefulness
e.g. cocaine,
Stimulants speed up (promote) the action of the nervous
amphetamines
system
(such as
Cocaine is highly addictive.
Ecstasy:
ecstasy)
enables dehydration
may lead to death or disability, due to high body
temperatures or rapid dehydration
reduces the number of nerve cell connections in the brain in
the long-term, causing memory loss and inability to perform

Hallucinogen,
e.g. LSD,
marijuana

specific tasks
affects coordination
is especially dangerous for persons with high blood pressure,
heart problems or epilepsy, being a stimulant

causes changes in consciousness that users compare to

having dreams or going into trances by upsetting the normal
memory pathways in the association areas so that a normal
stimulus may connect to an unusual response and the user
may experience hallucinations (vivid waking dreams)
Depressant,
reduce feelings of anxiety
e.g. heroin
provides pain relief
(obtained from may induce sleep
opium poppies), lowers blood pressure, heart rate and breathing rate
Withdrawal symptoms of heroin from as little as four hours
alcohol
without the drug include:
vomiting
trembling
profuse sweating
severe abdominal pain
Alcohol:
affects emotional centres in the forebrain, acts as a
depressant, overruling normal social constraints
depresses the life-support centres in the medulla in high
concentrations, stopping breathing, causing brain damage
or even death
reduces the effect of ADH on the kidney, dehydrating the
body as water is not reabsorbed and causing a headache
can upset normal sleeping patterns by reducing the levels of
a 'calming agent' in the brain
slows down nerve impulses in peripheral nerves, causing
slower reactions; affects nerves that control blood flow to
the skin, dilating skin blood vessels, causing flushing of the
skin and hypothermia at low environmental temperatures
stimulates sex organs and cause them not to work well
has cardiovascular effects, e.g. anaemia (alcohol poisons
bone marrow) and increased deposits of fat in coronary
arteries
causes irritation of the intestines, causing indigestion,
nausea, diarrhoea and ulcers

has liver cells work harder to detoxify alcohol, damaging

cells lining blood vessels and causing cirrhosis of the liver
crosses the placenta in pregnant women, impairing the
development of the development of the child's nervous
system, called foetal alcohol syndrome
increases the risk of cancer of the tongue and oesophagus
causes delirium tremens: withdrawal symptoms, e.g.
tremors, high pulse rate, sweating and visual hallucination,
which is treated with sedatives and multivitamins