Unfortunately, not always we are healthy. Sometimes we get to the moment when we suffer disease. Recognizing signs and symptoms can be of crucial meaning to early diagnosis of some conditions and diseases, which can lead to successful healing. There are many diseases, that can be of different types. Let's find out a little more about the diseases, types of diseases, as well as, prevention of diseases, which is also of big importance to the person's life.
A disease is an abnormal condition that negatively affects an organism. Diseases can cause pain, improper functioning of body parts, or death. A simple definition of disease is an “illness or sickness characterized by specific signs or symptoms”. That is why we say that diseases are medical conditions associated with specific symptoms and signs. Symptoms and signs refer to evidence that something is not right with your body or mind.
Symptoms are breaks in normal function, that are recognized by the person that experiences them, and they can only be described by that person. Example of a symptom is stomachache, dizziness, ringing in the ears, and many other unwell feelings.
On the other hand, signs can be identified by either a doctor or one who is experiencing them. Common signs are skin rash, cough and blood pressure. Vital signs are a group of the four to six most important medical signs that indicate the status of the body’s vital functions. They include breathing rate, heart rate (pulse), blood pressure, temperature.
Because we are often confused when using the words symptoms and signs, let's see their differences and learn how to distinguish them.
If someone has a headache, stomachache, dizziness, or nausea, we say it is a symptom. The headache can't be recognized by someone else. Only the person that has that feeling can describe that. On the other hand, signs are observed by health care professionals. Signs are measurable by monitoring pulse rate, temperature, laboratory test, X-ray, and so on. Also, we say for signs that are visible, and for symptoms that are not visible. That is why the sign is objective evidence of disease and symptom is subjective evidence of disease. But, both signs and symptoms provide clues to know better about the disease.
Example: A person has an itchy skin rash. What is the symptom and what is the sign? Only the person can feel the itching. Itching is not visible. So that is the symptom. But, skin rash is visible and can be monitored by a health care professional. That is the sign. Both itching and skin rash will give information about the disease.
Most medical conditions have both signs and symptoms that tell that something is wrong, physically, or mentally. They can help in identifying what is wrong. The disease can sometimes include injuries, syndromes, social problems, dysfunction, distress, or disabilities because it refers to any condition that causes pain, dysfunction, distress, social problems, or death.
The diseases may be caused by external factors or by internal dysfunctions.
The study of diseases is called pathology.
There are four main types of diseases:
An infectious disease is also known as transmissible disease or communicable disease. These illnesses are a result of an infection. The pathogens or infectious agents are responsible for infections. They include viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites, arthropods. Hosts can fight infections using the immune system. Infectious diseases are sometimes called contagious diseases when they are easily transmitted by contact with an ill person. Examples of infectious diseases include flu, chickenpox, hepatitis C, common cold, coronavirus disease 2019, meningitis, tuberculosis, and many more.
Deficiency diseases are caused by the lack of an element in the diet, usually a particular mineral or vitamin. These diseases are also called nutritional diseases. The deficiency of one or more nutrients can cause diseases or disorders in our bodies. Examples of deficiency diseases include:
Hereditary Diseases are passed on from one generation to another through defective genes. These diseases are transmitted in the same family. Hereditary diseases can be genetic and non-genetic. Examples of hereditary diseases include cystic fibrosis and hemophilia.
Physiological diseases are conditions caused by the malfunction of an organ in the body. Examples are asthma, glaucoma, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, heart diseases, etc.
Diseases can be classified in other ways. One classification of diseases is made depending on how long the disease lasts. A short-lived disease is called acute disease, and the disease that lasts for a long time is called chronic disease.
Diseases by body systems can be organic diseases and mental illnesses.
An organic disease is a disease that is caused by a physical or physiological change to some tissue or organ of the body.
Mental illnesses, also called mental health disorders, refer to a wide range of mental health conditions. Those are disorders that affect thinking, mood, and behavior, like depression, anxiety, and other more serious conditions.
Another classification of diseases is infectious and non-infectious diseases. Infectious diseases can be transmitted from one person to the other while non-infectious diseases cannot be transmitted.
Many diseases and disorders can be prevented through a variety of means.
Prevention mean actions taken to decrease the chance of getting a disease or condition.
There are known three levels of prevention:
Medical treatments can help to manage the disease. In medicine, therapy and treatment mean the same. Common treatments include surgery, medications, medical devices, and self-care.
