Brainlag PlusWhat health means and how diseases interact, how smoking, alcohol, diet and exercise raise the risk of non-communicable diseases, BMI and waist-to-hip ratio (Edexcel), and reading health data without mixing up correlation and cause.
Health and how diseases interact
Health is a state of physical and mental well-being, not just being free of disease.
Diseases are a major cause of ill health, but diet, stress and a person's life situation all affect it too.
Diseases can interact:
- A defect in the immune system makes a person more likely to suffer from infectious diseases. HIV destroys white blood cells, so people with HIV are more likely to develop tuberculosis.
- Viruses living in cells can trigger changes that lead to cancer (for example, some types of HPV).
- An immune reaction first caused by a pathogen can trigger allergies, such as skin rashes and asthma.
- Severe physical ill health can lead to depression and other mental illness.
The rest of this lesson and its 12 practice questions are in Plus.
Screen 1 of 5, free to read.
- 12 exam-style questions, marked as you go, each with a worked solution
- Anything you get wrong is saved to your flashcards