Non- Communicable Diseases

- a non- communicable disease cannot be passed from one individual to another

- risk factors are aspects of a person's lifestyle, or substances present in a person's body or environment, that have been shown to be linked to an increased rate of disease

- for some non-communicable diseases, a casual mechanism for some risk factors has been proven, but not in others

- benign and malignant tumours result from abnormal, uncontrolled cell division

- benign tumours form in one place and do not spreadt other tissues

- malignant tumour cells are cancers, they invade neighbouring tissues and may spread to different parts of the body in the blood where they form secondary tumours

- lifestyle risk factors fro various types of cancer include smoking, obesity, common viruses and UV exposure, there are also genetic risk factors for some cancers

- smoking can cause cardiovascular disease including coronary heart disease, lung cancer and lung diseases such as bronchitis and COPD

- a fetus exposed to smoke has restricted oxygen, which can lead to premature birth, low birthweight and even stillbirth

- diet affects your risk of developing cardiovascular and other diseases directly through cholesterol levels and indirectly through obesity

- exercise levels affect the likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease

- obesity is a strong risk factor for type 2 diabetes

- alcohol can damage the liver and cause cirrhosis and liver cancer

- alcohol can cause brain damage and death

- alcohol taken in by a pregnant woman can affect the development of her unborn baby