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6.2 identify causes of non-infectious disease using an example from each of the following categories: inherited diseases nutritional deficiencies environmental diseases
identify causes of non-infectious disease using an example from each of the following categories:
- inherited diseases
- nutritional deficiencies
- environmental diseases
Inherited diseases
- Inherited diseases result from mutations that lead to the production of different or faulty enzymes, resulting in impaired body function.
Examples
Examples of inherited diseases are Down syndrome, colour blindness, haemophilia, phenylketonuria, thalassaemia and sickle cell anaemia.
- Down syndrome is an inherited disease that is caused by the non-disjunction of chromosome 21. This results in three chromosomes and not the usual two (trisomy 21). People with Down syndrome have a characteristic appearance and may have a shortened life span. Mothers who have children later in life are more prone to produce Down syndrome children.
Down syndrome
Dr. Len Leshin, pediatrician, Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
Nutritional deficiencies
- The effect of nutritional deficiencies depends on the kind of deficiency. In some parts of the world diets may be deficient in certain elements, such as iodine, copper, iron or zinc.
Examples
Examples of nutritional diseases are scurvy, rickets, goitre, kwashiorkor and beri beri.
- Scurvy is caused by a deficiency in vitamin C. Symptoms include bleeding gums and tooth loss. It is treated by increasing the intake of food and drinks containing vitamin C, such as citrus fruit.
Scurvy
Wikipedia, The free encyclopedia
- Rickets is a metabolic bone disease resulting from a deficiency of Vitamin D. This can be due to a lack of sufficient vitamin D in the diet or due to insufficient exposure to sunlight. The disease is called osteomalacia when it occurs in adults.
Rickets
Wikipedia, The free encyclopedia
Environmental diseases
- Environmentally caused diseases include those due to lifestyle, such as smoking-related diseases, as well as those caused by something in the environment, such as lead or substances that cause allergies.
Examples
Examples of environmental diseases include smoking-related diseases, Minamata disease, lead or asbestos related diseases and melanoma.
- Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos and patients don’t get any symptoms until 20 to 30 years after exposure. There is no cure and treatment can only slow down the progression of the disease.
Mesothelioma
Better Health Channel, Department of Human Services, Victorian Government
- Minamata disease causes deformity and mental retardation in a foetus. It is a result of high levels of methyl mercury in the food chain.
Minamata disease
University of Pittsburgh, USA