Types of diseases

Health has traditionally been defined as the freedom from disease. Disease is a disordered state of a tissue, organ, system or organism during which this part can’t function normally. In many cases, the terms disease, disorder, morbidity and illness are used interchangeably.

Humans have suffered from illnesses since they first appeared on the earth about 2, 5 million years ago. In those times treatment was based largely on superstition and guesswork. Medicine has made tremendous progress in the last several hundred years. Today, it is possible to cure, control or prevent hundreds of diseases.

Nowadays there are about sixty thousand diseases. It is quite clear that if we want to put an end to at least a small part of them it is necessary to organize a process of training doctors and pharmacists at a high level. These specialists must have good knowledge in order to avoid mistakes in the process of diagnosing and treatment.

There are different types of diseases. Such as inherited, infectious, allergic, nutritional, toxic, neoplastic, degenerative diseases that make patients suffer. Diseases can strike almost any part of the body. Besides diseases can be classified as contagious and non-contagious, inherited and non-inherited, and as diseases, which have different causes, such as poisoning, or immunologic. We can also speak of geriatric diseases, which occur in aging people. Many diseases are tightly connected with our lifestyle or profession (e.g. illnesses caused by the lack of movement as most office workers have). And of course we can also speak of illnesses, which occur chiefly in certain climates and geographical regions (e.g. tropical disease – malaria).

Each type of diseases should be treated by specially trained specialists.

Medical specialists, psychologists, social workers help patients and their families cope with chronic, acute or terminal illnesses and handle problems that may stand in the way of recovery or rehabilitation. They may organize support groups for families of patients suffering from cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, or other illnesses. They also advise family caregivers, counsel patients, and help plan for their needs after discharge by arranging for at-home services – from meals-on-wheels to oxygen equipment.

But we can help our body to fight and prevent many diseases ourselves. Organism itself is a complicated machine and has barriers against infections. And as the best treatment is prevention we should carefully look after ourselves, keep a healthy lifestyle: «Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise”.

Exercise 7 Answer the questions:

1. What is health?

2. What is disease?

3. What other terms have the meaning “disease”?

4. How many diseases exist?

5. What are the main types of diseases?

6. What diseases are connected with our lifestyle? Can you give your own examples?

7. How can psychologists and social workers help patients and their families?

8. What is the English equivalent of the Russian proverb “Хто рано лягає і рано встає, здоров'я, багатство і розум наживе»?

Exercise 8. Translate into English:

Порушення стану тканин та систем організму, страждати від захворювань, базуватись на забобонах і здогадках, лікувати та попереджувати хвороби, уникнути помилок у діагностиці та лікуванні, заразні і незаразні хвороби, спадкові та неспадкові хвороби, пухлинні хвороби, літні люди, вікові хвороби (хвороби літнього віку), справлятися з хронічними та гострими хворобами, одужання та реабілітація, організувати послуги на дому, кисневе обладнання, підтримувати здоровий спосіб життя

Exercise 9. What types of the diseases are defined below? Use the terms from the box:

1) … - a disease transmissible by direct or indirect contact; communicable.

2) … - a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and that is reasonably expected to result in the death of the patient.

3) … - a disease characterized by tumours due to the excessive division of cells

4) … - a long-lasting condition that can be controlled but not cured.

5) … - a hypersensitivity disorder of the immune system.

6) … - a disease which is directly or indirectly caused by a lack of essential in the diet.

Exercise 10. Refresh in memory the names of medical specialists. Tell what the specialists deal with using the information given in the right column:

Model: a) Dentist is a specialist in oral diseases.

b) Dentist deals with oral diseases.

Exercise 11. Put questions to the underlined words:

1. Death due to disease is called death by natural causes.

2. Muslim rulers built large hospitals in Delhi in 1719.

3. The term chronic is usually applied when the course of disease lasts more the three month.

4. Nowadays there are about sixty thousand diseases.

5. People who eat a mediterranean diet have a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD).

6. Some studies have shown an increased risk of developing AD with environmental factors such as intake of metals, particularly aluminium.

7. Meals on Wheels originated in the United Kingdom during the Second World War.

8. Many diseases are tightly connected with our lifestyle or profession.

Exercise 12. Open the brackets using Perfect Active or Passive. Translate them:

1. This medicine (to cure) him.

2. He (to give) the intravenous injection before the ambulance came.

3. The ophthalmologist (to examine) me eyes before he gave me glasses.

4. A new substance (to test) for antimicrobial activity.

5. The epidemic of flu (to stop) by March.

6. He (to make) his report at the Congress.

7. In recent years isotopic ultrasound (to use) to reveal pathologic process in the liver.

8. The physician just (to palpate) the patient with suspected appendicitis.

Exercise 13. Discuss the situation with your partner:

You go to the doctor for a routine check-up and the doctor finds you have a problem and suggests that you see a specialist. Your friend had a similar problem and his doctor told him to go to a physiotherapist for the treatment. He felt much better. Would you follow your doctor’s advice, tell your doctor about your friend, ask your friend for the name of his physiotherapist, say nothing to your doctor, or get another opinion?

Exercise 14. Arrange the following sentences in a correct order to describe the following term «хвороба»:

1. There are different types of diseases. Such as inherited, infectious, allergic, nutritional, toxic, neoplastic, degenerative diseases that make patients suffer.

2. Disease is a disordered state of a tissue, organ, system or organism during which this part can’t function normally.

3. Medical specialists, psychologists, social workers may help the patients and their families organize support groups in order to cope with chronic, acute or terminal illnesses and handle problems that may stand in the way of recovery or rehabilitation.

4. Health has traditionally been defined as the freedom from disease.

5. Such diseases as lung diseases, skin diseases and some infectious disease may be tightly connected with our lifestyle.

Завдання для самостійної роботи студентів (СРС)

Test

1. Health … as the freedom from disease.

a) had traditionally been defined

b) has traditionally been define

c) to have traditionally been defined

d) having traditionally been defined

e) have traditionally been defined

2. Disease is a …. state of a tissue, organ, system or organism during which this part can’t function normally.

a) disordered

b) healthy

c) diseased

d) normal

e) usual