Everything about Diseases totally explained
A
disease is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions, associated with specific
symptoms and
signs.
In human beings,"disease" is often used more broadly to refer to any condition that causes extreme
pain,
dysfunction,
distress,
social problems, and/or
death to the person afflicted, or similar problems for those in contact with the person. In this broader sense, it sometimes includes
injuries,
disabilities,
disorders,
syndromes,
infections, isolated
symptoms, deviant
behaviors, and atypical
variations of structure and function, while in other contexts and for other purposes these may be considered distinguishable categories.
Transmission of disease
Some diseases such as
influenza are contagious and
infectious. Infectious diseases can be transmitted by any of a variety of mechanisms, including inhalation of
aerosols produced by
coughs and
sneezes, by hand to mouth contact with infectious material on surfaces, by bites of insects or other carriers of the disease, and from contaminated water or food (often via
faecal contamination), etc. In addition, there are
sexually transmitted diseases. In some cases,
micro-organisms that are not readily spread from person to person play a role, while other diseases can be prevented or ameliorated with appropriate
nutrition. Some diseases such as
cancer and
heart disease are, in most cases, not considered to be caused by infection, although there are important exceptions. The same is true of mental diseases.
Social significance of disease
Living with disease can be very difficult. The identification of a condition as a disease, rather than as simply a variation of human structure or function, can have significant social or economic implications. The controversial recognitions as diseases of
post-traumatic stress disorder, also known as "
Soldier's heart," "
shell shock," and "combat fatigue;"
repetitive motion injury or
repetitive stress injury (RSI); and
Gulf War syndrome has had a number of positive and negative effects on the financial and other responsibilities of governments, corporations and institutions towards individuals, as well as on the individuals themselves. The social implication of viewing
aging as a disease could be profound, though this classification isn't yet widespread.
A condition may be considered to be a disease in some cultures or eras but not in others.
Oppositional-defiant disorder,
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and, increasingly,
obesity, are conditions considered to be diseases in the United States and Canada today, but were not so-considered decades ago and are not so-considered in some other countries.
Lepers were a group of afflicted individuals who were historically shunned and the term "leper" still evokes social
stigma. Fear of disease can still be a widespread social phenomena, though not all diseases evoke extreme social stigma.
Sickness confers the social legitimization of certain benefits, such as illness benefits, work avoidance, and being looked after by others. In return, there's an obligation on the sick person to seek treatment and work to become well once more. As a comparison, consider
pregnancy, which isn't a state interpreted as disease or sickness by the individual. On the other hand, it's considered by the medical community as a condition requiring medical care and by society at large as a condition requiring one's staying at home from work.
Global burden of disease
This chart, compiled in 2002 from the
global burden of disease study performed by the
World Health Organization shows an overview of the impact of various classifications of disease, segregated by regions with low and high mortality:
Further Information
Get more info on 'Diseases'.
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