Understanding Common Diseases: Prevention and Treatment

Common Diseases: An Overview

Antibiotics

Antibiotics: Penicillin, Aminoglycosides, Cephalosporins, Chloramphenicol.

Bacterial Resistance

Unnecessary use of antibiotics favors the development of bacterial resistance. Antibiotics will not kill bacteria caused by viruses. The appearance of antibiotic resistance is not just due to clinical administration to people but also the massive use of antibiotics in veterinary medicine and breeding. Bacterial resistance emerges because all organisms have slight genetic differences.

AIDS

AIDS is caused by a lethal virus with RNA. It destroys the immune system, which is supposed to protect the body. Transmission occurs through bodily fluids, such as through sexual contact or sharing syringes or blades. It is not transmitted by touch, kissing, or mosquito bites. There is no cure, but it can be treated with medicine, allowing individuals to live with it as a chronic illness.

Pandemics

Pandemics: Microbes do not respect borders; a new outbreak spreads infectious diseases easily. When an epidemic exceeds geographical barriers, it becomes a pandemic. Pandemics and epidemics can emerge suddenly, and these situations often reveal existing limitations in health systems.

Cancer

Cancer: Normal cells in the body are restored at a proper speed, producing new units from the mother cell at the right amount. Cancer cells start multiplying uncontrollably and are unable to specialize and perform their corresponding function in tissue or organs. When the cells spread through the organism (metastasize) through blood vessels and the lymphatic system, it progresses into a malignant tumor.

Cancer Treatment

• Surgery: Involves removing the tumor through surgical interventions. It remains the main approach for many cancers, such as those of the uterus and lung.
• Radiation: Involves applying concentrated doses of radiation to the tumor to destroy it.
• Chemotherapy: Uses drugs to attack cancer cells. It involves the specified and limited use of cytotoxic drugs able to inhibit the spread of cells, alter cell division, and destroy cells quickly. The cytotoxic effect is not limited to malignant tissue but also affects skin, mucous membranes, bone, etc.

Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular Disease: Largely caused by unbalanced diets, a sedentary lifestyle, excessive stress, and tobacco use. Cardiovascular diseases are a group of heart and blood vessel disorders. Infarctions and cerebrovascular accidents are the most severe, caused by a lack of blood flow to the heart or brain.

Surgery and pharmacology have made significant strides in treating cardiac valve diseases. Valves that control blood flow through the heart can be replaced with plastic, metal, or animal tissue. If there is an artery blockage, bypass surgery is used (creating a bridge over the damaged area by grafting a healthy artery fragment before and after the blockage). If the artery is narrowed, angioplasty is used (introducing a balloon catheter and inflating it where the artery is narrowed).

Mental Illness

Mental Illness: Alzheimer's causes memory loss and dementia in old age. Risk factors include genetic components and fetal abnormalities during pregnancy due to infections, malnutrition, or exposure to lead and drug consumption.

X-Rays

X-Rays: Can penetrate dense body tissue, such as skin, fat, and muscles. Combining them with the processing capacity of a PC led to the development of computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanners, generating sectional images of the body where anatomical abnormalities can be detected without penetrating tissue.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR): Capable of obtaining highly detailed images of any body part. In an NMR apparatus, the patient is subjected to a powerful magnetic field that interacts with the nuclei of hydrogen atoms in all tissues.

Thermographic Chamber

Thermographic Chamber: Useful for detecting tumors. It can recognize differences in body temperature, as tumors are areas where abnormal tissue growth produces more heat.

Bone Densitometry

Bone Densitometry: A medical technique using small doses of X-rays to determine bone density. The lower the density, the greater the risk of fracture.