CHRONIC DISEASES

                                    CHRONIC DISEASE

INTRODUCTION:                 

Chronic diseases have been the major cause of death in American, sub-Sahara African and other countries. These diseases last years in our body and require ongoing medical attentions. It is known that most of their common causes are lack of physical activity, poor nutrition, tobacco use, excessive alcohol consumption and over use of antibiotics. Chronic conditions include problems such as substance abuse, addiction disorder, mental illness, cognitive impairment disorder, dementia and developmental disabilities. Theses conditions falls under diseases such cancer, cardiovascular diseases,diabetes,depression,hypertension,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD),osteoporosis, neurodegenerative diseases such as parkinson’s,rheumatoidarthritis,ulcerativecolitis,stroke,chronichepatitis,HIV/AIDS etc. Prevention is effective in reducing the effect of chronic conditions in particular early detection, clinical preventive services which include screening for the existence of the disease and predisposition to its development thus enabling earlier intervention and management.

Studies have it that lung cancer is the leading cause of death cancer death, and cigarette smoking causes almost all the cases. Some kind of chronic disease like cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, hepatitis can be found before they cause symptoms. Early diagnosis may lead to higher rates of successful treatment and extended life. More and more research has been carried out on these diseases.

Lung cancer is most common cause of cancer in men and third most common cause of death in UK after stroke and coronary heart disease. It is caused by cells dividing repeatedly out of control. They seized to respond to the normal signal around them and formed unspecialized masses of cells called tumour. Smoking is number one caused of lung cancer. Cigarette smoke contains more than 400 different chemicals including tars. Many of these chemicals are carcinogens and many of theses chemicals affect the non smokers inhaling the smoke. Lung cancer takes many years to develop but changes in lung can begin as soon as the person is exposed to cancer causing substances. Lung cancer can be prevented by quitting smoking, taking notes of the kind of fumes you inhaled because some of these fumes from industries and from incinerator contain carcinogens and mutagens reducing excess intake of alcohol because both acute and chronic ethanol consumption increases serum estrogen and decreases serum androgen. Excess estrogen and androgen is associated with increased cancer risk, the effect of alcohol on sex hormone explains the increase in breast cancer. Acetaldehyde the first metabolic product of ethanol is toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic and it interfere with DNA repair by DNA- repair enzyme blockage by binding to DNA and proteins (alcohol and alcoholism; poschl, G; 39(3):155-16592004).nearly half of all cancer in the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx and esophagus have been attributed to alcohol. Reduced nutrients due to reduced absorption and reduced consumption of food nutrients associated with obtaining calories from alcohol, generation of free radicals, liver carcinogens metabolism can as well increase incidence of cancer.

CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES

The two most common causes of human death, myocardial infarction and stroke, are caused by the interruption of the blood oxygen supply to a portion of the heart or the brain respectively. In the absence of the oxygen, a cell which must then rely only on glycolysis for ATP production rapidly depletes it stores of phosphocreatinine (a source of rapid ATP production) and glycolysis. As the rate of ATPO production falls below the levels required by the membrane ion pump for the maintenance of proper intracellular ionic concentration, the osmotic balance of the system is disrupted so that the cells and its membrane- enveloped organelles begins to swell. Many studies of cardiovascular disease, have given mixed results. Use of alcohol has been associated with higher risk of mortality from hypertension hemorrhagic stroke and cardiomyopathy. Alcohol reacts with fatty acids to produce fatty acid ethyl esters which are toxic to mitochondria-leading to heart muscle cell damage.

a)     Ethanol impairment of protein synthesis affects both skeletal and heart muscle. In isolated heart cells ethanol reduces the number and uniformity of fibrils. Heart muscle in alcoholic shows loss of contractile element [the international journal of Biochemistry and cell biology 33:457-473(2001)]. Increasing physical activity, avoid strenuous exercise that can lead to prolong oxygen debt. Oxygen obstruction can lead to ischemic heart disease such as arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis, condition leading to the deposition of fatty material containing high proportion of cholesterol and that of calcium in the arteries. As the plagues increases in size, it protrudes into the rumen of the arteries and begin to block it and this condition lead to blood clothing which commonly occurs in aorta and coronary artery. Once the coronary artery is interfered angina and heart attack may result. Checking the temperature you exposed yourself to because when oxygen deficiency prevents oxidative phoshorylation from providing sufficient ATP from heart function, ischemia may result. When the artery supplying oxygen to the brain is blocked, the brain tissues becomes starved of oxygen and dies, this can lead to stroke. Excessive intake of alcohol should be reduced and quitting smoking is necessary. Smoking increases the concentration of blood cholesterol which is a risk factor .smokers increase the risk of having heart attack or stroke. Adopting a healthy diet is also a preventive measure. Eating of diet that is high in saturated fat, vitamins, and soluble fiber is encouraged. Cardiovascular disease is associated with affluence and is avoidable by change of life style. Different characteristics of aerobioc and anaerobic metabolism permit us to understand certain aspects of cardiovascular diseases.