A risk factor is a circumstance (external or internal) that adversely affects human he alth and creates a favorable environment for the emergence and development of diseases.
He alth definition
Human he alth is a normal state of the body, in which all organs are able to fully perform their functions to maintain and ensure life. Regarding the state of the human body, the concept of "norm" is used - the correspondence of the value of certain parameters in the range developed by medicine and science.
Any deviation is a sign and evidence of a deterioration in he alth, which is externally expressed as a measurable violation of the body's functions and a change in its adaptive capabilities. At the same time, he alth is a state of not only physical well-being, but also social and spiritual balance.
Risk factor: definition, classification
Human he alth is the normal state of the body, in which all organs are able to fully perform their functions.
The following risk factors for diseases are distinguished by the degree of impact on he alth:
1. Primary. Conditional:
- the wrong way of life. These are alcohol abuse, smoking, unbalanced nutrition, unfavorable material and living conditions, poor moral climate in the family, constant psycho-emotional stress, stressful situations, drug use, poor educational and cultural level;
- high blood cholesterol;
- burdened by heredity and genetic risk;
- polluted environment, increased background of radiation and magnetic radiation, a sharp change in atmospheric parameters;
- unsatisfactory work of he alth services, which consists in the low quality of medical care, the untimely provision of it.
2. Secondary major risk factors associated with diseases such as atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension and others.
External and internal risk factors
Risk factors for diseases vary:
• external (economic, environmental);
• personal (internal), depending on the person himself and the characteristics of his behavior (hereditary predisposition, high blood cholesterol, physical inactivity, smoking). The combination of two or more factors greatly enhances their effect.
Risk factors: manageable and unmanageable
In terms of the effectiveness of elimination, the main risk factors for diseases are distinguished by two criteria: manageable and unmanageable.
To uncontrollable or unremovable factors (withwhich have to be considered, but it is not possible to change them) refers to:
- age. People who have crossed the 60-year mark are more prone to the appearance of various diseases in comparison with the younger generation. It is during the period of conscious maturity that there is an almost simultaneous exacerbation of all diseases that a person managed to "accumulate" over the years of life;
- gender. Women are better able to tolerate pain, a state of prolonged limitation of movement and immobility in comparison with the male half of humanity;
- heredity. Each person has a certain predisposition to diseases depending on the inherited genes. Hemophilia, Down's disease, cystic fibrosis are inherited. Hereditary predisposition is present in such diseases as atherosclerosis, diabetes, peptic ulcer, eczema, hypertension. Their occurrence and flow occurs under the influence of a certain external factor.
Manageable risk factor definition
Controlled factor - one that, if a person desires, his determination, perseverance and willpower can be eliminated:
- Smoking. People who regularly breathe tobacco smoke are twice as likely to die from heart disease as non-smokers. A risk factor is one cigarette that can increase blood pressure for 15 minutes, and with constant smoking, vascular tone increases and the effectiveness of drugs decreases. Smoking 5 cigarettes a day increases the risk of death by 40%, packs by 400%.
- Abuse of alcohol. Minimal alcohol consumption significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. The likelihood of death is increased in people who abuse alcohol.
- Excessive weight. Not only increases the risk of disease, but also has an extremely negative effect on already present diseases. The danger is the so-called central obesity, when the deposition of fat occurs on the abdomen. The most common cause of overweight is a family risk factor. This is a habit of overeating, inactivity (lack of physical activity), a diet high in carbohydrates and fats.
- Constant heavy physical activity. This is considered hard work, performed for most of the day and associated with active movement, extreme fatigue, lifting or carrying weights. Professional sports associated with chronic excessive loads on the musculoskeletal system (bodybuilding, weightlifting) several times increase the risk of osteoporosis due to constant stress on the joints.
- Insufficient physical activity is also a manageable risk factor. This is a negative effect on the tone of the body, a decrease in the endurance of the body, a decrease in resistance to external factors.
- Wrong diet. May be due to:
- eating without feeling hungry,
- eating large amounts of s alt, sugar, fatty and fried foods,
- eating on the go, at night, in front of the TV or reading the newspaper,
- eating too much or too little food,
- deficiency in the diet of fruits and vegetables,
- the wrong breakfast or lack thereof,
- a hearty late dinner,
- lack of exemplary diet,
- not drinking enough water,
- exhausting the body with various diets and starvation.
- Stress. In this state, the body functions incompletely, thereby causing the development of various kinds of diseases, and acute stress can trigger a life-threatening heart attack.
The presence of at least one of the mentioned risk factors increases mortality by 3 times, the combination of several - by 5-7 times.
Diseases of the joints
The most common joint diseases in humans are:
• osteoarthritis. The risk of developing the disease increases in proportion to age: after 65 years, 87% of people are affected by osteoarthritis, while up to 45 years - 2%;
• Osteoporosis is a systemic disease characterized by a decrease in bone strength, which increases the risk of fractures even with minimal trauma. Most common in women over 60;
• osteochondrosis is a disease of the spine, in which there is a degenerative-dystrophic lesion of the vertebral bodies, intervertebral discs, ligaments and muscles.
Main risk factorsjoint diseases
In addition to general risk factors (heredity, age, overweight), which are dangerous to the whole body, joint diseases can be caused by:
- irrational nutrition, provoking micronutrient deficiencies in the body;
- bacterial infection;
- injuries;
- excessive physical activity or, conversely, physical inactivity;
- operations performed on the joints;
- overweight.
Diseases of the nervous system
The most common diseases of the central nervous system are:
• Stress is a constant companion of the modern lifestyle, especially for residents of large cities. This condition is aggravated by an unsatisfactory financial situation, social decline, crisis phenomena, personal and family problems. About 80% of the adult population in developed countries lives with constant stress.
• Chronic fatigue syndrome. A familiar phenomenon of the modern world, especially relevant for the working population. The extreme degree of the syndrome is the burnout syndrome, which is expressed by fatigue, weakness, lethargy, lack of psychological tone, replaced by a feeling of indifference, hopelessness and a complete lack of desire to do anything.
• Neurosis. Conditioned by life in metropolitan areas, the competitive nature of modern society, the rapidity of production, trade and consumption, information overload.
Risk factors for diseases of the nervoussystems
The main risk factors for diseases of the nervous system are as follows:
- protracted illnesses and frequent relapses lead to disruption of the well-coordinated work of the immune system and depletion of vitality, thereby loading the activity of the nervous system;
- frequent depression, anxiety, gloomy thoughts that cause overwork and constant fatigue;
- lack of holidays and days off;
- improper lifestyle: persistent sleep deprivation, prolonged physical or mental strain, lack of fresh air and sunlight;
- viruses and infections. According to the existing theory, herpes viruses, cytomegaloviruses, enteroviruses, retroviruses enter the body, causing a feeling of chronic fatigue;
- impacts that cause weakening of the body, immune and neuropsychic resistance (surgical interventions, anesthesia, chemotherapy, non-ionizing radiation (computers);
- tense monotonous work;
- psycho-emotional chronic stress;
- lack of interest in life and life prospects;
- hypertension, vegetative-vascular dystonia, chronic diseases of the genital tract;
- climax.
Factors causing respiratory diseases
One of the most widespread diseases of the respiratory system, a terrible variety of which is lung cancer. Chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - the list is far from complete, but very dangerous.
Factorsrespiratory disease risk:
- smoking (active and passive). People who smoke have a 90% risk of developing chronic lung disease;
- air pollution: dust, smog, smoke, microparticles of various materials, cleaning products cause respiratory diseases and cause their severe course. The work of the respiratory system is negatively affected by the passion for household chemicals, the use of cheap materials, pollution in residential premises;
- obesity, overweight, causing shortness of breath and requiring increased work of the cardiovascular system;
- allergens;
- professional hazards present when working in production, namely in the engineering, mining, coal industries;
- poor immunity.
Risk factors for diseases of the hematopoietic and immune systems
A serious problem of the present time is the lack of immunity, determined largely by irrational and unbalanced nutrition, adverse environmental factors and bad habits. If the work of the immune system is clearly established, the road to viruses and microbes is ordered. Failure of the immune system causes the occurrence of diseases of various systems, including hematopoietic. These are leukemias, anemias, diseases associated with impaired blood clotting.
Main risk factors for diseases of the hematopoietic organs and the immune system:
- genetic predisposition;
- menstrual disorders;
- acute and chronicblood loss;
- surgical interventions;
- chronic infections of the genitourinary system and gastrointestinal tract;
- drug burdens;
- fungal and parasitic infections;
- ionizing radiation, ultraviolet radiation;
- professional hazards;
- carcinogenic chemicals in paints, varnishes;
- food additives;
- pregnancy, lactation;
- malnutrition;
- radioactive radiation.
