CHRONIC DISEASES AND THEIR PREVENTIVE MEASURES

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 OVERVIEW

A chronic disease is a human health condition or disease that is persistent or otherwise long-lasting in its effects or a disease that comes with time. The term chronic is often applied when the course of the disease lasts for more than three months.

In Epidemiology, a risk factor is a variable associated with an increased risk of disease or infection for example tobacco smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer.

Preventive Measures consists of measures taken for disease prevention, as opposed to disease treatment.

Common chronic diseases include arthritis, asthma, cancer, COPD, diabetes and some viral diseases such as hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS. These diseases are generally preventable when risk factors are known and preventive measures are taken into proper consideration.

Chronic diseases constitute a major cause of mortality, and the World Health Organization (WHO) attributes 38 million deaths a year to chronic diseases (Ward and Black, 2016).

1.2 Types of Chronic Diseases

Chronic Disease have often been used to describe the various health related states of the human body such as syndromes, physical impairments, disabilities as well as diseases. Epidemiologists have found interest in chronic conditions due to the fact they contribute to disease, disability, and diminished physical and/or mental capacity. For example, high blood pressure or hypertension is considered to be not only a chronic condition itself but also correlated to diseases such as heart attack or stroke.

Additionally, some socioeconomic factors may be considered as a chronic condition as they lead to disability in daily life. An important one that public health officials in the social science setting have begun highlighting is chronic poverty (Hulme and Shepherd, 2003).

There are four major types of chronic disease classified by the World Health Organisation in 2015 and they are:

1. Cancers
2. Cardiovascular diseases, including cerebrovascular disease, heart failure, and ischemic cardiopathy
3. Chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
4. Diabetes mellitus

Other examples of chronic diseases and health conditions include:

· Addiction

· Alzheimer’s disease

· Atrial fibrillation

· Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

· Autoimmune diseases, such as ulcerative colitis, lupus erythematosus, Crohn’s disease, coeliac disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and relapsing polychondritis

· Bipolar disorder