Disease In Society

It has traveled through history under different names; smallpox, tuberculosis, malaria, the

list goes on. But for many, it has caused years of suffering (whether it be large or small scale),

and money spent on medication or some other form of treatment. Disease can also come in

different forms; mental, physical, noninfectious, genetic, with a large amount of them being

curable. According to Jackie Leach Scully in What Is A Disease, What counts as a disease

also changes over historical time, partly as a result of increasing expectations of health, partly

due to changes in diagnostic ability, but mostly for a mixture of social and economic reasons. In

other words, societys definition of a disease has changed based on what we consider healthy.

The definition of healthy has definitely changed with the increased amount of fast food

consumption in the twentieth century. Many diseases associated with food or drink are

preventable, yet a large portion of society continues to overindulge in fatty foods and addicting

drinks that do no good to the human body, giving away to these diseases. These include

cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and alcoholism, both of which can be prevented easily for most

people.

According to the American College of Cardiology, cardiovascular diseases, such as high

blood pressure, accounted for 25% of deaths in the U.S. in 2008. Heart diseases plaguing the

human race dates back to ancient Egypt, with the discovery of a pharaoh whose death was

caused by atherosclerosis, which narrows the bodys arteries. The prevalence of heart diseases in

America is largely due to poor lifestyle habits, such as lack of exercise and drug abuse. Although

heart diseases lead to the death of thousands of Americans every year, other countries have it

worse; such as Europe, where cardiovascular diseases cause 3.9 million deaths a year. Most heart
diseases affect the circulatory system, and could stop blood from getting to the brain fast enough,

or constrict vessels in the heart. Personally I do not feel at risk of any heart diseases; I do not use

any drugs, and although I am not athletic, I walk to and around school on weekdays, and also

walk home.

Type 2 diabetes could also be caused by a lack of exercise, along with being overweight

or obese. According to the American Diabetes Association, 1.4 million Americans are diagnosed

with diabetes every year, and is the seventh leading cause of the death in the nation. 22.3% of

Mauritius (a country in East Africa) population aged 20-79 has diabetes, the most in the world.

Although it affects many, America is the 42nd most affected country, at 10.8%. Long term

effects of diabetes include major damage to large blood vessels of the heart and smaller vessels

that could cause problems in the eyes, kidneys, feet, and nerves. Genetics can also play a role in

getting diabetes, and combined with lifestyle, can ultimately lead to insulin resistance. In insulin

resistance, the body fails to use insulin correctly, resulting in an increase of blood sugar. Just like

heart disease, the chances of me getting diabetes is low. Although my grandpa and grandma have

diabetes, I am by no means obese or overweight, and neither of my parents have diabetes.

As easy as it might seem to simply put the bottle down, alcoholism is terrifyingly uneasy

to escape from once youre addicted. According to the CDC, excessive alcohol intake led to

88,000 deaths between the years of 2006 and 2010, along with 2.5 million years of potential life

loss. In terms of effects on the body over time, alcoholism can cause alcoholic hepatitis, possibly

leading to the development of jaundice. Alcohol not broken down by the liver because of

overconsumption can go to other places of the body, including the brain. Here alcohol can

interfere with communication pathways and generally how the brain works. In turn a persons
mood and behavior could change, and would have more difficulty thinking clearly or move with

coordination. Other clear signs of drunkenness are also caused because of alcohols presence in

the brain, including slurred speech, impulse behavior, and memory lapses. Alcohol can affect

organs such as the throat, heart, pancreas, and liver, where liver disease may develop. Although

genes may play a part, behavior of parents or relatives can also affect a persons alcoholism. My

parents drink, but not excessively, so I may not be at risk. I dont want to take any precautions,

though, as I feel I have an addictive personality. Once I am old enough to drink, I will seldom do

so, unless Im at a social event or something similar.