Chapter 7: Non-communicable diseases

Knowledge organiser

Coronary heart disease Health issues Risk factors and non-communicable diseases
Coronary heart disease (CHD) Health is the state of physical and mental well-being. A risk factor is any aspect of your lifestyle or substance in your body that can increase the risk of a disease developing.
occurs when the coronary arteries The following factors can affect health: Some risk factors cause specific diseases. Other diseases are caused by factors interacting.
become narrowed by the build-up
of layers of fatty material within ● communicable and ● stress
Risk factor Disease Effects of risk factor
them. non-communicable diseases ● exercise
● diet body does not respond properly to the production of
This reduces the flow of blood, ● life situations. Type 2 diabetes
diet (obesity) and amount of insulin, so blood glucose levels cannot be controlled
resulting in less oxygen for the Different types of disease may interact, for example: exercise
heart muscle, which can lead to cardiovascular diseases increased blood cholesterol can lead to CHD
● defects in the immune system ● immune reactions initially caused
heart attacks. long-term alcohol use causes liver cirrhosis
make an individual more by a pathogen can trigger allergies,
fatty deposit impaired liver function (scarring), meaning the liver cannot remove toxins
blocking the artery
likely to suffer from infectious for example skin rashes and asthma
from the body or produce sufficient bile
diseases ● severe physical ill health can lead
● viral infection can trigger to depression and other mental alcohol damages the brain and can cause anxiety and
blood flow
impaired brain function
cancers illnesses. depression
blood flow stops

affected development of unborn alcohol can pass through the placenta, risking
babies miscarriages, premature births, and birth defects
Treating cardiovascular diseases cigarettes contain carcinogens, which can
lung disease and cancers
cause cancers
Treatment Description Advantages Disadvantages smoking
affected development of unborn chemicals can pass through the placenta, risking
● can involve major surgery – risk of
● widens the artery – allows babies premature births and birth defects
inserted into blocked infection, blood loss, blood clots,
more blood to flow, so more for example, tar in cigarettes and ultraviolet rays
stent coronary arteries to keep and damage to blood vessels carcinogens, such as ionising
oxygen is supplied to the heart from the Sun can cause cancers
them open ● risks from anaesthetic used
● less serious surgery radiation, and genetic risk cancers
during surgery factors some genetic factors make an individual more likely
●
to develop certain cancers
possible side effects such as
drugs that reduce blood ● effective muscle pain, headaches, and
cholesterol levels, slowing ● no need for surgery sickness
statins
down the deposit of fatty ● can prevent CHD from ● cannot cure CHD, so patient will
material in the arteries developing have to take tablets for many
years Cancer Treatment
heart valves that leak or do Cancer is the result of changes in cells that lead to uncontrolled Treatment of non-communicable diseases
● can involve major surgery – risk of
not open fully, preventing ● allows control of blood flow growth and division by mitosis. linked to lifestyle risk factors – such as poor
replace infection, blood loss, blood clots,
control of blood flow through the heart diet, drinking alcohol, and smoking – can
faulty heart and damage to blood vessels Rapid division of abnormal cells can form a tumour.
through the heart, can be ● long-term cure for faulty be very costly, both to individuals and to
valves ● risks from anaesthetic used
replaced with biological or heart valves Malignant tumours are cancerous tumours that invade the Government.
during surgery neighbouring tissues and spread to other parts of the body in the
mechanical valves A high incidence of these lifestyle risk
blood, forming secondary tumours.
if the heart fails a donor ●
factors can cause high rates of non-
transplant may be rejected if
Benign tumours are non-cancerous tumours that do not spread communicable diseases in a population.
heart, or heart and lungs, there is not a match between
in the body.
can be transplanted donor and patient
● long-term cure for the most
● lengthy process
artificial hearts can be serious heart conditions
transplants used to keep patients alive ● major surgery – risk of infection,
● treats problems that cannot
whilst waiting for a heart blood loss, blood clots, and Key terms
be treated in other ways Make sure you can write a definition for these key terms.
transplant, or to allow damage to blood vessels
the heart to rest during ● risks from anaesthetic used artificial heart benign carcinogen cholesterol coronary heart disease
recovery during surgery health malignant risk factor statin stent transplant tumour
Chapter 7: Non-communicable
diseases
Retrieval questions
Learn the answers to the questions below then cover the answers column
with a piece of paper and write as many as you can. Check and repeat.

B7 questions Answers
layers of fatty material that build up inside the coronary
1 What is coronary heart disease? arteries, narrowing them – resulting in a lack of oxygen for

Put paper here Put paper here Put paper here Put paper here Put paper here Put paper here Put paper here Put paper here
the heart

2 a device inserted into a blocked artery to keep it open,

What is a stent?
allowing more blood and oxygen to the heart

3 drugs that reduce blood cholesterol levels, slowing the

What are statins?
rate of fatty material deposit
4 What is a faulty heart valve? heart valve that doesn’t open properly or leaks
5 How can a faulty heart valve be treated? replace with a biological or mechanical valve
6 When do heart transplants take place? in cases of heart failure

7 keep patients alive whilst waiting for a transplant, or

hat are artificial hearts used for
allow the heart to rest for recovery
8 Define health. state of physical and mental well-being
9 hat factors can affect health disease, diet, stress, exercise, life situations

10 What is a risk factor? aspect of lifestyle or substance in the body that can
increase the risk of a disease developing

11 poor diet, smoking, lack of exercise, alcohol,

ive five risk factors.
carcinogens

12 What is cancer? a result of changes in cells that lead to uncontrolled

growth and cell division by mitosis
cancerous tumours that can spread to neighbouring
13 What are malignant tumours? tissues and other parts of the body in the blood, forming
secondary tumours
14 What are benign tumours? non-cancerous tumours that do not spread in the body

15 hat two types of risk factor affect the development

lifestyle and genetic risk factors
of cancers?
16 What is a carcinogen? a substance that can cause cancers to develop