Health / Unit 7: Disease Prevention
7.4 Noncommunicable Diseases
Notes
A noncommunicable disease does not spread from person to person. These are often called chronic diseases because they last a long time.
- Heart disease: the heart or blood vessels are damaged, often by plaque buildup. High blood pressure and high cholesterol raise the risk.
- Type 2 diabetes: the body does not use insulin well, so blood sugar stays high. Risk is raised by family history, physical inactivity and other factors. Type 1 diabetes is a different, autoimmune condition that cannot be prevented by lifestyle.
- Cancer: cells grow out of control. Causes include tobacco, too much sun, some infections, genes and unknown factors.
- Asthma: the airways narrow and swell. Triggers include allergens, smoke and exercise.
- Many noncommunicable diseases develop slowly over years, so habits in the teen years matter.
- Treatment and management such as medicine and healthy routines can help people live well.
Practice
Which is a noncommunicable disease?
It does not spread from person to person.
What is a major cause of lung cancer?
Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer.
Why do health experts encourage healthy habits in the teen years?
Chronic diseases often develop slowly over years.
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