HUMAN HEALTH
(SECTION I : DISEASE )
Health is a state of complete physical , mental and social wellbeing
Health is considered to be the state of perfect functioning of body
and mind.
Term Disease means Dis – ease i.e. without ease or comfort.
Disease is the malfunctioning of the organism or a part of it due to
infection,inherent weakness or
environmental
stress that upsets the normal physiological functioning of the organism.
A disease can be caused by intrinsic or extrinsic factors.
Intrinsic factors include improper functioning of organs, hormonal
imbalance, genetic disorders, allergies etc.
Ex t r in s i c f a c to rs in c lu d e d ie ta r y d e f i c i e n
c ie s , p o l lu ta n t s , p a th o g e n s (
d
i se a se ca u s in g o rg a n i sms l i ke b a c te r ia a n d v i r u se s )
, to b a c co , a l co h o l e t c .
Disease is a
condition of disturbed or deranged functioning of the body caused by infection,
defective diet, heredity, environment or deprived condition of brain.
Health is a state of complete
physical, mental and social well being.
TYPES OF DISEASE
1.
Congential disease
Diseases
contracted before birth due to defective heredity ( chromosomal abnormalities
and gene mutations), physiological disturbance or transplacemental
transmission, e.g. haemophilia colour blindness, sickle cell anaemia, Down’s
syndrome, klinefelter’s syndrome.
2.
Acquired disease
Diseases
contracted after birth due to infection, defective diet, hypersensitivity,
injury, addiction, degeneration, cancer, depression etc.Acquired diseases are
broadly differentiated into two types, communicable or infectious and
non-communicable or non-infectious. Communicable diseases are of several type
like deficiency disease, degenerative or organic disease, allergies, mechanical
psychological, cancer, metabolic disorders, physical disorder.
3.
Infectious disease ( communicable disease )
They are
diseases due to pathogens that can be transferred from one individual to
another e.g. Viral, bacterial, protozoans, fungal, helmintic other organisms,
sexually transmitted etc.
4.
Deficiency disease
Disease caused
by absence or deficiency of an essential element e.g. anemia, goiters,
kwashiorkor, beri-beri
5.
Degenerative disease
Diseases caused
by ageing resulting in malfunctioning or decreased efficiency e.g.
hypertension, atherosclerosis
CAUSES OF DISEASE / DISEASE AGENTS
Disease agent is an organism,
substances force or disturbance which causes disease due to excessive presence,
deficiency or absence
1.
Pathogens / Biological agents
They are
biological entities which causes infectious disease. Example virus (mumps,
chicken pox, small pox), mycoplasma ( acute leukemia, bronchitis), Chlamydia (
trachoma) rickettsia ( typhus, trench fever ), bacteria ( cholera, tetanus),
spirochaetes ( syphilis) ,fungi ( ringworm, thrush, moniliasis, pulmonary
aspergillosis), protozoa (giardiasis, sleeping sickness), helminths (
filariasis, ascariasis,
taeniasis), other organisms (scabies).
2.
Nutrient agents
Deficiency of
vitamins ( beri-beri, scurvy, night blindness), minerals ( anemia, rickets),
carbohydrates, fats and protein ( maramus, kwashiorkor) or excess of food (
obesity)
3.
Chemical agents
(i) Endogenous:
Excess presence of urea and uric acid, reduced secretion of ADH ( diabetes
insipidus) or insulin ( diabetes mellitus)
(ii) Exogenous :
Pollutants( pneumoconiosis) allergens ( allergy)
4.
Physical agents
Heat ( e.g.
stroke), cold (frost bite), radiations, sound ( impaired hearing ,electricity,
pressure, humidity etc.
5.
Mechanical Agents
Fractures,
sprains, dislocations, injury, chronic friction
6.
Genetic agents
Excess or
deficiency of chromosomes, mutations harmful alleles e.g. colour blindness,
albinism. Haemophilia, Turner’s syndrome
7.
Degeneration
They include old
age change like peptic ulcers, hypertension, atherosclerosis
8.
Social and personal inconsistencies: They lead to mental disorder.
INFECTION
Infection is
invasion, establishment and growth of pathogens in a host contamination is
occurrence of harmful organism or their products in articles of use. E.g. milk,
food, water, garments. Infestation is occurrence of animal parasites or
ectoparasites like lice on or inside the body of an individual.
KOCH’S POSTULATES
Robert Koch
studied diseases and pathogens of anthrax ( Bacillus anthracis) in 1876, tuberculosis
( mycobacterium tuberculosis ) in 18982 and cholera ( vibrio choleras ) in
1883. He gave forth germ theory of disease and proposed four criteria for establishing
an agent of infectious disease. They are called Koch’s postulates
1.
Pathogenic organism occurs in abundance in patients suffering from diseases.
2.
Pathogen can be separated and cultured.
3.
Healthy persons injected and cultured pathogen contracts disease.
4.
Pathogenic organism is recoverable from the newly diseased individual.
However, viruses cannot be grown
in pure artificial cultures.
RESERVOIR OF INFECTION
It is the place or organism where
a pathogen resides without causing any infection e.g. air, soil, water, animals
( reservoir hosts ) and some human beings called carrier. Carrier is an animal
or healthy human host which harbor the pathogen without being harmed and passes
the same to another susceptible individual. Many cook passed typhoid to several
thousand individuals. She has been appropriately called typhoid Mary.
TRANSMITION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE
1.
Direct Transmission
An intermediate agent is absent
i) Direct contact with infected
persons. The diseases are called contagious e.g. ringworm, syphilis
ii) Droplet Infection:
Transmission is from an infected person to healthy person in mist emitted from
nose, lungs and mouth while sneezing, splitting, talking and coughing. E.g.
influenza, common cold and diphtheria.
iii) Contact with soil: Soil born
pathogens enter the host through injured or exposed part. E.g tetanus
iv) Animal bite: Rabies is spread
through bite of dog / cat
v) Transplacemental Transmission:
Mother transfer virus of German measles and bacterium of syphilis through
placenta.
2.
Indirect Transmission:
An intermediate agent is required
i) Vectors : Vectors are living
agent for transferring pathogens e.g. housefly, mosquito, tse-tse fly, sandfly.
Mosquitoes are vectors of malaria, encephalities, filarial, yellow fever,
dengue etc. Housefly is vector of cholera, dysentery, typhoid, diarrhea,
conjunctivitis.
ii) Vehicle born: An article of
food, water ice carries the pathogen for transmission e.g. cholera, typhoid,
dysentery.
iii) Air borne: Dust and air
current spreads disease.
iv) Tomite borne: Articles
handled or coming in contact with patients are cause of disease transmission, e.g. door handles, taps,
crockery, currency, garments.
v) Unclean hands: They transfer
germs to healthy person, food, utensils etc.
RESISTANCE TO INFECTION
Every pathogen
has a specific portal of entry into the body. Invasiveness of a pathogen is its
ability to gain entry into host and grow. Virulence is the ability of pathogen
to produce disease.
Toxigenicity is power of a
pathogen to form toxins capable of damaging host cells.
Degree of virulence depends upon
invasiveness and toxigencity. Infective dose is the maximum number of
pathogenic organism that can result in the production of disease. Infection
depends upon the presence of infective dose, virulence of pathogen, natural
resistance and immunity. Host has three line of defense against invasion by
pathogens. They are nonspecific and specific defense mechanism
VIRAL DISEASES
VIRAL HEPATITIS
Viral hepatitis is commonly
called jaundice viral hepatitis is common in Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia.
In early stage the liver is enlarged and congested. In later stage the liver
becomes small, yellowish or green
The symptoms in early phase
includes-fever, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, epigasric discomfort pains in
muscles and joints
The urine is dark and stool is
pale. Leukopenia is followed by lymphocytosis. Splenic enlargement is sometimes
present. Jaundice increases for 1-2 weeks
There are six varieties of
hepatitis. These are Hepatitis A, known as infectious hepatitis is a benign.
Usually it is not fatal but in rare case its fatal rate is 0.1%. It is spread
by ingestion of contaminated water and food
Hepatitis B, called as serum
hepatitis is versatile one. Blood and body secretions such as saliva, sweat,
semen, tears, breast milk are vehicle of transmission
Hepatitis C has been known to
cause 90 to 95% of cases of transfusion associated hepatitis.
Hepatitis D, called delta
hepatitis. HDV is defective virus for which NBV is the helper. Thus, hepatitis
D develops when there is concomitant hepatitis B infection
Hepatitis E, is an enterically
transmitted and is water born infection. A characteristic feature of hepatitis
E infection is the high mortality rate among pregnant women
Hepatitis G is caused by
hepatitis GB virus
Preventive
measures
The control measures for
infectious hepatitis are
Sanitary disposal of excreta
Prevention of contamination of
water, food and milk
Control of flies
Screening of kitchens and
latrines
Personal cleanliness and also
that of food handlers
During epidemic,, boiled or
chlorinated water should be taken
To control semen hepatitis,
person having hepatitis should not be accepted as blood donors pregnant women
having serum hepatitis can transmit the disease to infants.
DENGUE FEVER
Dengue fever is caused by an
RNA containing arbo virus of feavi virus group which also causes yellow fever.
Thus, the virus which causes dengue fever is a mosquito born flavi-ribo virus
The virus of dengue fever is transmitted
by the bite of tiger mosquito, Ades aegypti during day time. Aedes aegypti is
primarily a day time feeder and mainly bites in the morning or late in the
afternoon in covered areas. The Aedes aegypti female prefers to lay its eggs in
artificial, rather than natural containers, that have fairly clean water and
are located around human habitation
Incubation period is 3-8 days
Classical
dengue fever
It is an acute viral infection
caused by at least 4 stereotypes of dengue virus.
The reservoir of infection is
both man and mosquito. The transmission cycle is man-mosquito-man. Aedes agypti
is the main vector. The illness is characterized by an incubation period of 3
to 10 days
Symptoms
(i) Abrupt onset of high fever
(ii) Several frontal headache
(iii) Pain behind the eyes which
worsens with eye movement
(iv) Muscle and joint pains
(v) Loss of sense of taste and
appetite
(vi) Measeles like rash over
chest and upper limbs
(vii) Nausea and vomiting
Dengue
haemorrhagic fever
Dengue haemorrhagic fever (
DHF) is a severe form of dengue fever, caused by infection with more than one
dengue virus. The severe illness is thought to be due to double infection with
dengue viruses – the first infection probably sensitizes the patient, which the
second appear to produce an immunological catastrophe
Symptoms
(i) Bleeding from the nose,
mouth, gums and skin bruising
(ii) Sever and continuous stomach
pains
(iii) Frequent vomiting with or
without blood
(iv) Pale cold or clammy skin
(v) Excessive thirst ( dry mouth)
(vi) Rapid weak pulse
(vii) Difficulty in breathing
(viii) Restlessness and constant
crying
Prevention
No vaccine for dengue fever is
available. Eliminate mosquito breeding places by covering small water
containers, water tanks, changing the water of cooler every week and where
Aedes mosquito breed. Wear cloths which cover arms and legs. Use mosquito
repellents, repellent cream and sleep in mosquito –net
YELLOW FEVER
Yellow fever is a zoonotic
disease caused by an arbovirus. It is a haemorrhagic disease transmitted by an
infected Aedes aegypti. It affects principally monkeys and other vertebrates in
tropical America and Africa.
Yellow fever is characterized
by headache, fever, vomiting, rupture of veins in kidney, spleen, liver, etc.
In severe cases, the skin of the sufferer becomes yellow from jaundice, hence
the name yellow fever
Max Theilder in 1951 got Nobel
Prize for the development of vaccine for yellow fever
CHIKUNGUNYA
It is a temporarily
debilitating disease caused by Alpha virus and spread through mosquitoes, Aedes
aqypti and Aedes albopictus
Symptoms
The patient has maculopapular (
strain and eruptions) rash of limbs and trunk and arthritis of multiple joints
There is fever which lasts for
about two days which is accompanied by conjunctivitis and photophobia. Even
after disappearance of fever, headache, insomnia and arthritis continue for 5-7
days
Treatment
Chloroquine phosphate has been
found to reduce the impact of the disease. Prophylaxis
Protection against Aedes
mosquitoes by use of long sleeves, full pants, socks, windows and doors with
wire gauze screens and mosquito repellents are
preventive measures. There should be no stagnant water nearby
COMMON COLD
Common cold is caused by 100
types of Rhino virus and small bacterium Dialister pneumosintes
Symptoms
Virus infects nose and upper
respiratory passage causing inflammation of mucous membranes
There is irritation of nasal
tract, nasal congestion, flow of mucus, sneezing, sore throat, hoarseness,
cough, tiredness, head ache and slight fever Treatment : It cures automatically
after 3-7 days
MUMPS
Mumps is caused by Parmyxovirus
( RNA virus) or myxovirus parotiditis. Virus generally affects the children
between the age of 5 and 12 years
It is highly infectious and spreads
through droplet infection or direct contact with the mucus membranes of mouth.
Incubation period is about
12-26 days
Symptoms
Mumps causes inflammation of
the parotid glands behind ears. It also affects testes and ovaries in adults
leading to sterility.
Treatment
One attack gives a lifelong
immunity
There is no specific medicine
for mumps
MMR vaccine is used against
measles, mumps and German measles ( rubella)
MEASLES ( Rubeola disease)
Measles is highly infectious
childhood disease occurring between 3-6 years of age
It is caused by Rubeola virus
which is passed out in the secretions of nose and throat of the infected person
as droplets or in articles soiled by these secretions. The incubation period is
of 10days
Symptoms
Eruptions of small spots in the
form of rash all over on face and body along with itching
Inflammation of respiratory
passage from mouth to bronchi, sometimes may effect conjunctiva
Treatment
Single attack gives a lifelong
immunity
Edmonston B vaccination is also
available to provide active immunity
Antibiotics and sulpha drugs
are effective in measles
CHICKEN POX
Chicken pox is caused by
Varicella zoster virus a DNA virus, which is passed out in the discharges of
the respiratory tract of the infected person directly as droplets or through
contaminated articles used by the patient.
Incubation period is of 14-21
days
Symptoms
Dew-drop like rash ( pox) at
stomach and chest, spreading later on face and the whole body characterize it.
Also high fever, itching, aches and uneasiness occurs
Treatment
Boric acid, calamine and benzyl
benzoate reduces itching and tendency to scratch.
One attack give a lifelong
immunity
No vaccine available so far
SMALL POX
It is an eruptive viral disease
which has been completely eradicated through widespread compulsory vaccination.
The last case was reported in Somalia in 1977.
WHO declared the planet free
from small pox in 1980. The disease is caused by brick shaped DNA virus called
Variola Virus
Infection starts from oral,
nasal, vesicular discharges, pustules and scabs. Incubation period is 12 days
Symptoms
The disease begins with
headache, backache, chill, high fever, rashes appearing on third day of illness
as reddish spots which change in to papules and finally scabs in third week
The spots appear first on the
hair line, then face and over rest of the body but fewer on the trunk. The scab
fall down leaving permanent pox mark,
complications include blindness
Death could occur
Treatment
Vaccine for small pox was
developed by Edward Jenner and gives active immunity
TRACHOMA
Trachoma is caused by chlamydia
trachomatis.
It is spread through direct
contact with the discharge from infected eyes.
It causes ulceration of cornea
and conjunctiva of the eye.
In acute case it lead to
blindness.
Symptoms
It is caused by development of
granules.
There is inflammation pain and
watering of the eye.
Treatment
Sulpha drug and specific
antibiotics help to cure the disease
POLIMYELITIES
Poliomyelities is caused by
enterovirus, polio virus ( RNA virus ) who is 10μm in diameter
It enters the body through food
and water and multiplies in the ells of the intestinal wall and spreads in
nervous system through blood
Incubation period is 7-14 days
Symptoms
It produces inflammation of the
nervous system
There is inability of bending
the head forward stiffness of neck, paralysis of skeletal muscles, fever,
headache, chilliness and pain all over the body
Treatment
Oral polio drops on 6th , 10th and 14th week of the
child.
Booster shots before the age of
3 and 4 years give immunity
A person who recovers from
polio has a life time immunity
Vaccine for polio are killed
Salk’s vaccine and live Sabin’s oral vaccine
INFLUENZA ( FLU)
Orthomyxo virus, a spherical
RNA virus having a lipid envelope causes influenza
Influenza is epidemic, endemic
and pandemic
Endemic influenza is caused by
Haemophilus, influenza, a gram ( - )ve bacteria
Avian flu is a viral disease
caused by H5N1 virus, first reported in China
Incubation period is 18 hours
to 72 hours
Symptoms
It is characterized by discharge
from the nose, sneezing, sore through, cough, muscle pain, headache, chill and
fever fro 4-5 days.
Treatment
Vaccination is available but a
high risk
RABIES ( Hydrophobia )
Rabies is primarily a disease
of carnivores like dogs, cats etc. It is caused by Rabies Virus
( Rhabo virus or Lyssa Virus )
It enters human body with
saliva of an infected animal generally by bit or
scratch of dog or a cat
The virus destroys the brain
and spinal cord
Symptoms
It is characterized by scare of
water in victim and biting behaviors.
Other symptoms are anxiety,
irritability, fatigue, loss of appetite, sensitivity to light and sound, saliva
from the mouth, headache, fever and inability to swallow fluids due to chocking
throat
Treatment
Treatment of rabies was
discovered by Louis Pasture. It involves a series of 14 injections given after
the bite of dog. It is antirabies serum.
July 6 is marked as world Rabies
Day
BACTERIAL DISEASES
TUBERCULOSIS OR T.B.
T.B. is caused by mycobacterium
tuberculosis and infects any part of the body.
It could be bones, brain or
lunges and lymph nodes. Lung T.B. is most common. The bacterium releases a
toxin tuberculin which destroy tissues it infects
It spreads through sneezing,
coughing, contaminated food water or cloths
Incubation period is 3 to 6
weeks or may be years
Symptoms
Constant cough and in severe
cases sputum wille blood, pain in chest. While coughing, loss of body weight
and gradual weakening of the body, low grade fever throughout the day are the
symptoms of lungs T.B.
Treatment
Sputum, tuberculin, X-rays and
gastric analysis are carried out to diagnose tuberculosis
Direct observation treatment (
DOT) is a programme under WHO for treatment of T.B. across the world
Some of the antituberculosis
drugs are streptomycin, rifampicin, isoniazid, thiatozone, PAS
( Paraamino salicylic acid) etc.
BCG ( Bacillus Clamette Guerin)
vaccine for T.B. was obtained from bovine bacillus by Calmette and Guerin in
1921
DIPHTHERIA
It is an acute infectious
disease produced by gram (+) rod-shaped bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheria
Diphtheria has three
forms-gravis, intermedius and mitis. Infection occurs mostly in children of 2-5
years
It is spread through droplets
method by kissing, coughing, sneezing and contaminated articles
Incubation period is 2-5 days
Portal of entry is upper
respiratory tract through implantation may occur
anywhere.
Exotoxin produced by pathogen
causes epithelial necrosis of nose ( nasal diphtheria ), throat tonsils (
pharyngeal diphtheria) and laryngotrachea ( laryngotracheal diphtheria)
Symptoms
Fever, sore throat, epithelial
necrosis by endotoxin and oozing of semi-solid material in the throat which
develops into a grey false but tough membrane
The membrane chocks the air
passage sometimes, bacterium infects the heart leading to fatal heart blockage
Treatment
Schick test the presence of
antitoxin and the sate of hypersensitivity to diphtheria toxin
Diphtheria antitoxin can
neutralize the toxins produced only if given within 24 hours of appearance of
symptoms.
DPT- vaccine: Diptheria,
pertussis and tetanus vaccine is given as
immunization within six weeks of
birth.
WHOOPING COUGH OR PERTUSIS
Whooping cough is caused by
Gram (-) non motile coccus Bordetella pertussis is a common childhood disease
affecting the respiratory system
It spreads by droplet infection
or by direct contact.
It has an incubation period of
1-16 days
Symptoms
It causes constant cough
leaving the child breathless, tired and red in face
Later the voice becomes hoarse
and the cough gives a whoop or loud crowing sound while inhaling
The child usually vomits and
there is frothy discharge from his mouth and nose
Treatment
Immunization of disease is done
by DPT vaccination within six weeks of birth.
Three doses at one month interval
at the age of 3 to 4 month
CHOLERA
Cholera is water borne disease
This is caused by the bacterium
vibrio cholerae or comma infecting intestines and digestive tract
It is spread through
contaminated food and drinks
The causative bacterium
secretes cholera toxin enterotoxin which induces excessive secretion of an
isotonic electrolyte solution by the intestinal mucosa
Incubation period varies from a
few hours to 2-3 days
Symptoms
Cholera is mainly characterized
by sudden onset of profuse, effortless, ricewater like stools, vomiting and
rapid dehydration, loss of minerals and muscular cramps
Treatment
Fluid and slat lost is restored
by Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS). It is water with a small amount of sugar
and salt
Cholera vaccine is effective
for six months only .
Proper sanitation and hygienic
conditions are the best methods of prevention
DIARRHOEAL DISEASES
Diarrhoeal diseases are a group
of diseases caused by different bacteria e.g. E.coli, shigella, campylobacter,
salmonella, clostridium.
This is spread through food
poisoning, contaminated food, water or drinks, clothes, utensils and bed
sheets.
Incubation period is variable.
Symptoms
This is characterized by mild
diarrhea. i.e loose stools if infected by E.coli, frequent stool with blood and
mucus and abdominal cramps if infected by shigella, dehydration, diminished
appetite, fever, lower B.P., increase in pulse rate, etc
Treatment
ORS is given repeatedly to
check dehydration and loss of minerals.
Proper sanitation and hygiene
are needed for prevention
LEPROSY ( HANSEN’S DISEASE)
Mycobaterium leprac causes this
dreaded disease.
Presence of lepronain in skin
test, can indicate the appearance of leprosy. It spreads through contact with
infected person
Its incubation period is up to
five years
It is of two types
(i) Tuberculoid leprosy involving
tuberculoid granuloses formed by aggregation of macrophages
(ii) Lepromatous leprosy
characterized by modular aggregates of lipis laden macrophages, lepra cells.
Lepromatous leprosy gives
positive test with lepromin while lepromatous leprosy is negative lepromin
test.
Symptoms
It is characterized by the
chronic infection of skin and other tissues including nerves and wasting of
body parts, formation of ulcers, nodules, scales, deformities of fingers, toes
making the infected parts senseless or numb and hypopigmentation of skin
Treatment
Surgery along with drugs
diaminodiphenyl sulphone or dapsone, ofloxacin, chaulmoogra oil can cure the
disease
TEATNUS ( LOCK JAW )
It is an incurable bacterial
disease ( Clostridium tetani ) characterized by painful muscular contraction of
jaw. The incidence its occurrence is quite common in India with high mortality
in infants and mothers
The bacterium occurs in
intestine of horse and other animals from where they pass out as spores in
their excreta that mixes in street dust and contaminates various articles including
rusted iron. Wounds and cuts, surgical instruments coming in contact with road
dust may caused the entry of spores into body
The bacteria are released
inside the body. They multiply and begins to secrete a toxin named
tetanospasmin
Incubation period is 3-28 days.
Symptoms
Disease is caused by
tetanospasmin reaching the CNS. It begins with headache, chill irritability
followed by back pain, stiff neck and spasm of jaw, ultimately there is lock
jaw, spasm of chest, abdomen and spine leading to death due heart failure
suffocation and exhaustion
TYPHOID
Salmonella typhi, a rod like
bacterium causes this contagious disease of intestines.
The organisms of the disease
are present in stools and urine, therefore, carried by contaminated water and food
Incubation period of the
bacterium is 1-3 weeks
Symptoms
This disease is characterized
by the inflammation of ileum and colon, liver and spleen also becomes enlarged,
abdominal pain, constant fever, extreme weakness, vomiting, rash of rose
coloured spots called rose spot on the upper abdomen and sore throat.
Treatment
Typhoid is diagnosed by Widal
test.
Typhoid vaccines ( TAB vaccine)
provide immunity for about three years
Antibiotic like ampicillin and
chlor amphenicol.
Resistant cases are treated
with quinoline derivative e.g. ofloxacin, ciproflaxacin.
Surgical removal of gall
bladder ( cholecystectomy) is carried out on the carriers in order to remove
source of infection because the bacterium remain concentrated in gall bladder
in carriers.
PNEUMONIA
Pneumonia is a serious disease
of lungs characterized by accumulation of mucus / fluid in alveoli and
bronchioles to that extent the breathing becomes difficult
It is caused by strepto coccus
pneumonia or Diplococcus pneumoniae, have an incubation period of 1-3 days.
It is spread through sputum of
the patient.
It is of two types
i)
Bronchopenumonia in young children and elderly persons
ii)
Lobarpneumonia in 10 -15 year old
Symptoms
The onset of pneumonia is
usually sudden with a single shaking chill, followed by fever pain with
breathing on the side of lung involved, increased pulse and respiratory rates
and cough. Sputum is bloody or rusty
Treatment
Drugs against pneumonia are
tetracycline, erythromycin and sulphonamide. If untreated pneumonia leads to
death
PLAGUE ( BLACK DEATH )
Plague is caused by a rod
shaped non-motile bacterium called Pasteurella / Yersinea pestis trismitted by
the bite of infected rat flea Xenopsylla cheopis.
This disease kills the rats. Rat
flea leave the dead rats and attack humans. The death of rats is an indication
of outbreak of plague
It is of three types
i)
Bubonic plague ( black death) having an incubation period of 2-6
days. Pathogen multiplies in lymph nodes, especially armpit and groin which swell
up into painful buboes. Other symptoms are high fever, chill, delirium,
exhaustion and haemorrhages which turn black. The patient dies
there after. Hence, plague is
also called black death
ii)
Septicemic plague –
In this, buboes do not occur. It is characterised by sepsis, sever headache,
rapid pulse, fever, chill, nausea, vomiting and rapid pulse, fever, chill,
nausea, vomiting and delirium leading to death within two days
iii)
Peneumatic or Pneumonic plague – It infects lungs causing pulmonary edema,
fever, anoxia, delirium and death within twenty four hours.
Treatment
and prevention
Streptomycin or oral
tetracycline is effective against plaque. Anti-plague vaccine, spray of
insecticides, killing of rats, nose caps and high cots are some preventive
measure
PROTOZOAN DISEASES
AMOEBIASIS OR AMOEBIC DYSENTERY
Amoebiasis disease is protozoan
infection of upper part of large intestine which is caused by monogenic
protozoan known as Entamoeba histolytica
The infection is by the cysts
of Entamoeba present in the stool of infected person, cat, dog, monkey, rat,
rabbit etc. through the agency of house flies, manure, air currents, number of
other physical contacts and unsafe drinking water.
Inside the intestine, the cyst
germinates and releases 4-8 entamolbae. The parasites secrete an enzyme called
cytolysin that partially dissolves the wall of large intestine
The parasites reach blood
capillaries and feed on red blood corpuscles.
When the infection is sever,
the parasites pass into blood stream and enter various body organs. The most
commonly affected organs are liver, lungs, spleen and brain. These organs comes
to have pus filled absecesses
The feeding stage of a parasite
is called trophozite or magna form ( 30μ ). It stops feeding per-cystive stage
is called minuta form ( 7-20μ ).
Symptoms
Amoebiasis disease is
characterized by abdominal pain, mild diarrhea alternating with constipation,
passing out of mucus, pieces of necrotic mucous membrane and blood in faeces,
and faeces with cysts and charcot –Leydon white crystals.
Treatment
This can be cured by
administering drugs like, emetine, stremetine, carbosome, metronidazole and
tinidazole.
Prophylaxis
- Disease can be prevented by
proper sanitation with proper kitchen, protection of food from flies, proper
washing of vegetables, heath education etc.
MALARIA
Malaria is caused by a
digenetic ( have two hosts to complete its life cycle) and triphasic ( having
three phases of life cycle) protozoan parasites known as plasmodium
There are four species of
Plasmodium which causes four main types of malaria in human they are:
i) Plasmodium vivax – Benign
tertian malaria in which fever recurs after every 48 hours
ii) P. malarie – Ouartan malaria
in which fever appears after 72 hours and often produces persistent subclinical
malaria
iii) P. falciparum – Cerebral
malaria or malignant tertian malaria where fever recurs in every 48 hours
The parasite has two hosts:
(i) Primary host or definitive
host – female Anopheles mosquito
(ii) Secondary or intermediate
host – man
The infective stage of parasite
in human begins is sporozoite
The incubation period of
Plasmodium ovale and P.Vivaz is 10-15 days, 6-12 days for Plamodic falciparum
and 28-30 days for P.malariae
Sporozoites are introduced in
human being by the bite of female anopheles mosquito and then the sporozoites
undergo multiplication in different stages
– pre-erythrocytic schizogony,
exoerythrocytic schizogony, erythrocytic schizogony and post –erythrocytic
schizogony. Only erythrocytic schizogony occurs in case of P.falciparum
Erythrocytic schizogony occurs
inside red blood corpuscles or erythrocytes, It occurs in repeated cycles.
Infected red blood corpuscles are destroyed and melanin or haemozoin particles
are released. They are toxic and cause rigor.
The parasites present in red
blood corpuscles ultimately form gametocytes.
The ganetocytes are sucked by
female Anopheles. Inside the mosquito the fertilization and development takes
place to form sporozoites.
Symptoms
Malaria is characterized by
fever at intervals, sudden acute chillaess ( cold or rigor state) accompanied
by shivering followed by rise in temperature. Peak fever is 41.1OC or 106oF which persists
for 3-6 hours. After 2-4 hours of fever there is profuse sweating which lowers
the body temperature to near normal.
Malaria is also accompanied by
nausea headache, laziness and muscular pain. It also results in anemia and
splenomegaly.
Clinical fever in malaria is
due to erythrocytic schizogony
Treatment
Drugs like chloroquine and
primaquine are administered to treat malaria. Other drugs like quinine obtained
from the bark of cinchona plant,
Camaquine, daraprix and
artemesenin obtained from Artemesia annua.
Prophylaxis
Fitting doors and windows with
wire nets, using mosquito nets while sleeping, applying mosquito repellents and
night, taking smaller prophylactic dose of ant malarial drugs at weekly
intervals during malarial season can prevent effectively from infection of
malaria
Spreading areas with DDT, BHC
and other insecticides. Introducing utricularia, ducks and larva eating fishes
call Gambusia, stickle back and trout in larger water reservoirs for blocking
the respiration of the larvae, covering all drains, introducing larvicidal
Bacillus sphaericus, blue green algae like Aulosira and Anabaena in water
bodies can help to protect against the breeding of
mosquitoes
National Malaria Eradication
[Control] Programme was launched by the Ministry of Heath of the Government of
India with the assistance of World Health Organization 9 WHO ) in 1962 and
almost controlled it by destroying the mosquitoes with DDT and other
insecticide
AFRICAN SLEEPING SICKNESS OR
TRYPANOSOMIASIS
African sleeping sickness is of
two types:
(i) Gambian ( W. African )
sleeping sickness caused by Trypanosoma gambiense by the bite of the blood
sucking tse-tse fly. Glossina palpalis.
(ii) Rhodesian ( E. African )
sleeping sickness caused by Trypansoma rhodesiense by the bite of tse-tse fly.
Trypansoma is a protozoan which
is digenetic laving two hosts
(i)
Primary host man
(ii)
Antelope as reservoir host
(iii)
Secondary host tse-tse fly Glossina palpalis
The parasite lives in the blood
stream and in the lymph, it invades the cerebrospinal fluid of the CNS causing
fever, anemia, lethargy and death
Chaga’ disease ( American
sleeping Sickness) is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi spread by the bite of blood
sucking bug Triatoma Sp.
Mode
of infection
The infection is initiated by
the bite of tse-tse fly which harbours the infective metacyclic forms in the
lumen of its salivary glands
Then the parasite undergoes
multiplication extracellular on sucked up to tsetse fly along with the blood
meal
In human beings, the parasite
live in the blood plasma
Later the parasite enters cerebrospinal
fluid and damages the brain
Symptoms
This disease is characterized
by swelling of lymphatic glands, irregular recurrent fever followed by
weakness, loss of weight, anemia, increase in pulse rate and severe headache
In due course the patient fall
asleep, first at regular intervals and then lies prostate in coma. Ultimately
lead to death
Treatment
Trypanosomiasis can be treated
in early stages by the drugs suramin sodium, atoxyl, tryparsamide, germanin
etc. But it is very hard to control it once the parasites have entered the
cerebrospinal fluid. Orsamine is fairly effective treatment when the CNS is
involved
Prophylaxis
Prevention depends on the
eradication of tse-tse fly by insecticides like DDT
KALA – AZAR OR DUMDUM FEVER OR VISCERAL LEISHMANIASIS
Kala – azar known as Black
fever or Dumdum fever is a serious oriental disease of man. This disease is
caused by the protozoan Leishmania donovani through the bite of the sand fly
Phlebotomus.
Primary host –man
Secondary host –sand fly
Reservoir host – dog
In man , L. donovani lives as
an intercellular parasite in leucocytes or cells of liver, spleen bone marrow,
lymphatic glands etc.
Incubation period is long from
3 to 4 months and symptoms may appear even after 2 years
Symptoms
Early symptoms of kala-azar
include swelling, high fever and enlargement of spleen and liver, followed by
general weakness, emaciation, anemia due to reduction in number of blood cells
and a peculiar darkening of skin
In advanced stage hair becomes
brittle and falls out. The body immune system becomes so weak that secondary
infection by bacteria or viruses lead to death
Treatment
Pentavalent antimony compound
like sodium antimony tartrate and glyconate urea stibamine, aminostiburea,
neostibosan etc. are used for treatment of kala-azar
Prophylaxis
Eradication of the insect
vector sandfly by insecticides, eliminating the reservoir host and avoiding the
bite of sandfly ate prophylactic measures against kala-azar
Other Leshmanial diseases of
man
oriental sores – Leishmania
tropica
Naso –pharyngeal leishmaniasis
– Leishmania.
South – America kala azar –
Leishmania chagasi
CILIARY DYSENTERY ( BALANTIDIASIS)
Ciliary dysentery is caused by
ciliated protozoan named Balantidium coli. The protozoan inhabits the human
large intestine and reproduces there asexually by transverse binary fission and
sexually by conjugation. This is followed by cyst formation and cysts pass out
in the hosts faeces
Infection occurs by ingesting
cysts in food and drinks
Symptoms
The protozoan causes ulcers in
the colon and invades hyaluronidase. This generally results in vomiting
abdominal pain, weight loss diarrhoea
Treatment
Tetracycline and iodoquinol are
effective treatments against the disease
Prophylaxis
Protection of food articles
from dust and flies that may carry cysts in the best prevention from infection
GIARDIASIS
Giardiasis, is a protozoan
disease caused by Giardia intestinalis. It inhabits upper part of small
intestine ( duodenum and jejunum )
It is the first human parasitic
protozoan known
It does not infect the
intestinal wall but increases its number in the lumen and interferes with food
absorption. A large number of cysts are formed which are released with faeces
Infection is by contamination of
food and drink with cyst
Symptoms
Characterized by epigatric
pain, abdominal discomfort, headache and mild diarrhea involving passage of
pale, bulky, foul smelling and greasy stool
Prophylaxis
Clean water supply, infection
free food, proper washing hands, fruits and vegetables before eating etc.
FUNGAL DISEASES [ DERMATOPHYTOUS]
They are ringworm or round red
or silvery type of superficial fungal infections of skin caused by species of
Trichophyton, microsporeum and
Epidermophyton. There are dry scaly
lesions on skin, nails and scalp that causes intense itching. Heat and moisture
promotes growth of these fungi especially in skin folds. Common source of
infection are soil and towels,cloths, combs etc of infected persons
(i) Trichophyton rubrum : Dermatophytoses
of foot ( like foot ringworm,athlete’s foot, tinea pedis), onychomycosis (
fungal infection of nails), ringworm of groin ( tinea cruris, dhobi itch,
jockey itch)
(ii) T. mentagrophytes:
Oxeychomycosis, ringworm of body ( tinea corporis, tinea circinata ), ringworm
of beard ( tinea barbac or barber’s itch.)
(iii) T. tonsurans, T. violaceum, Microsporum
andoninii Ringworm of scalp (tinea capitis )
(iv) Microsporum canis : Cats and
dogs and from there to children – tinea capitis, tinea corporis
(v) Epidermophyton floccosum, E.
cruris, Tinea cruris, tinea pedis, tinea manum, tinea corporis, oxychomycosis
HELMINTHIC DISEASES
ASCARISIS
Common ascariasis is caused by
the common round worm Ascaris lumbricoides. It is a giant intestinal worm,
white in colour and female longer than in male. Females lay about 200,000 eggs
daily that pass out with human faeces and remain alive in soil for several days
There is no intermediate host
of the parasite so man acquired infection by directly ingesting Ascaris eggs,
containing the infective stage rhabditoid larvae, with contaminated food or
water
Symptoms
Since a large number of adult
Ascaris worm normally infect a single host, they obstruct the intestinal
passage and thereby cause abdominal discomfort like colic pains. The patient
may also suffer from impaired digestion, diarrhea and vomiting.
They sometimes bore the
intestinal epithelium and lead to some vital organs like kidneys spinal cord,
brain or muscles causing injuries to the organs.
They cause pneumonia with fatal
consequences, with inflammation of alveolar tissue followed by oedema. The
infection is followed by anaemia, leucocytosis and cosinophilia. Worms produces
toxins which cause irritation of mucous membranes, nervous system like
convulsions, nervousness, etc.
Treatment
Infection of Ascaris can be
treated with dose of hexylresorcinol crystals in a gelation capsule after about
12 hours of fasting. Some antihelminths drug like oil of chenopodium
tetrachlorethylene, piperazine, hetrazan etc are also followed effecting
against worms.
Prophylaxis
Soil pollution with faecal
matters should be prevented.
Vegetable and fruit should be
thoroughly washed.
Finger nails should be cut
regularly as eggs can accumulate below them.
Children are more prone so
abstaining children from sanitary habits.
FILARIASIS OR ELECPHANTIASIS
The disease is due to nemantode
Wuchereia bancrofti. Another species is Brugia malayi. This disease spread by
then are respectively called bancroftian filariasis and brugian filariasis
The pathogen is spread from one
human being to another through mosquitoes like Culex and to a less extent by
Amopheles and Aedes
The parasite resides in lymph
vessels, connective tissues and mesentery
The parasite is viviparous. The
young ones are called microfilariae . They are hardly 2.5 cm long
Microfilariae enter the blood
vessels and reach the skin area during night for being picked by female
mosquito for completion of life history and change into infective stages
The infective parasites are
deposited near the site of mosquito bite. They pass through the punctured skin
and reach the lymphatic system
Symptoms
i) In the first stage, the
patient has increased cosinophils, enlarged lymph nodes and positive
intradermal parasite test
ii) Second or carrier stage is
symptomless but right blood examination can reveal the parasite
iii) Third stage is characterized
by filarial fever, inflammation of lymph nodes and lymph vessel
iv) The final stage is manifested
by thickening of subcutaneous tissues and skin so that there is permanent
swelling mostly feet, legs, thighs, scrotal sac, breast etc. it is called
elephantiasis
Treatment
The disease can be cured by
drugs like hetrazan, MSE and diethyl carbamazine ( DEC )
Reconstruction of affected body
parts through surgery
The disease can be prevented by
prevented by taking precautions against mosquito bites
CANCER
Cancer is a group of diseases
characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of cells and ability of
proliferated cells to invade other tissues / parts body. It is more common in
old persons after 40 days and in tissues where cells undergo divisions
regularly
Neoplasm is a new abnormal
tissue that is capable of continued growth, formation of tumour, crowding and
disrupting of normal cells. Tumours grow or swelling are caused by abnormal
proliferation of cells
They are of two types, benign
and malignant. Benign tumour is a large localized mass of abnormal tissue which
pressures other tissues and cause pain but does not infiltrate adjacent tissue
because it is encapsulated inconnective tissue, malignant tumour is a large
mass of abnormal tissue which is not encapsulated, is capable of invading
adjacent tissue and distant sites
Metastasis is spread of
cancerous cells from one part of the body to other parts through blood, lymph
or formation of secondaries from a malignant tumour
Cancers are of three types
(i) Carcinoma : It is cancer of
epithelial / epidermal tissue and their derivatives like skin, mucous membrane,
glands, lungs, breast, pancreas, stomach etc
(ii) Sarcoma : It is the cancer
of primitive mesodermal tissue like connective tissue, bones, muscles, lymph
nodes, etc. Depending upon the tissue involved, sarcoma is of several types
e.g. lymphoma ( involving lymph vessels ), lipoma ( adipose tissue ) osteoma (
bone), malignant reticulosis etc
(iii) Leukemia : It is malignancy
where there is unwanted and uncontrolled increase in number of white blood
corpuscles ( 200,000 – 1000,000 mm3) and immature
or myeloid stem cells. In common type of Leukemia, the white blood corpuscles
infiltrate bone marrow, spleen, liver, lymph nodes
and other organs causing damage
and increasing their size. In myelcytic leukemia ( 9th and 22nd chromosomes
bring their jumping genes together) erythroblastic tissue of bone marrow
degenerates. There is bleeding at different places. Tonsils and cervical glands
enlarge. The most common
cancers in India are mouth throat
cancer in man and uterine cervical cancer in women.
Carcinogenic factors : Factors inducing cancer
(i)
Carcinogens / chemical carcinogens
These are substances /
environmental pollutants which causes cancer.
Example soot, coal tar (skin an
lungs), cigarette smoke ( Nitrosodimethylene – lungs), Cadmium oxide ( Prostate
gland), aflatoxin ( liver) 2-naphthylamine and 4-aminobiphenyl ( urinary
bladder), mustard gas ( lungs) nickel and chromium compounds ( lungs), asbestos
( lungs, pleural membrane), diethylstilbestrol ( vagina), vinyl chloride (
liver), artificial sweeteners, excessive coffins, diet rich in animal proteins
(digestive tract ), sex hormones ( breast cancer).
(ii)
Radiations
Both UV and ionizing radiations
increase the incidence of cancer. Leukemia incidents are 10 time more in
radiologists. Skin cancers are more common in areas with high UV radiations.
(iii)
Heat
Reverse smoking causes mouth
cancer. Kangri ( heating devices) increases incidence of cancer in Kashmir.
(iv)
Tobacco
Tobacco chewing produces mouth
cancer. Smoking increases chances of throat and lung cancer.
(v)
Mechanical agents
Friction, trauma or continuous
irritation seems to produce cancer.
Cocarcinogens
They are chemicals or factors
which function as cancer / tumour promoters. Cocarcinogens or epigenetic
carcinogens promote neoplastic growth only after inhibition by carcinogen some
cocarcinogens are Polonium, Nickel, Nicotine, Saccharine, Menobarbitol
Mechanism / Carcinogenesis
It occurs through following
stages
(i)
Initiation:
Carcinogens produce DNA lesions Epidermiological studies indicate that initiation
of cancer occurs in childhood and youth
(ii)
Promotion
: Proto –oncogenes are changed to oncogenes. A cell with oncogene is called
latent tumour cell. Promotion is reversible common promoters are saccharine and
phenobarbitol
(iii) Loss of adhesion or loss of contact inhibition : Normal cells
do not divide because of contact inhibition. Latent tumour call losers contact
with other cells. This changes it into active tumour cell
(iv)
Progression
: The active tumour cell begine to divide and forms neoplasm or cell aggregate
which later turns into tumour. Progression is slow so that external symptoms do
not appear till the tumour is formed. It presses adjacent organs and tissue.
(v)
Metastasia
: Tumour cells are also called cancer cells. They become less adhesive. The
cancer cell do not undergo differentiation. They release angiogenic factors
which stimulate growth of blood vessels. Soon the cancer cells begin to migrate
with or without secondaries
Cancer cells have irregular,
hypertrophied nucleus, abundant nuclear granules, increased number of
lysosomes, reduced cristal in mitochondria, more melanin mucus fat droplets and
debris in cells. Further, genes llike ERCA1,
BRCA2, CDH1, MLH1, PTEN mutate.
This reduces the ability of DNA to repair
itself. Same of the mutated genes were previously working as tumour suppressor
genes
Symptoms
A lump or hard area, swelling
or sore that does not heal, unexpected loss of weight or hoarseness, change in
colour of mole / wart, a change in digestive / bowel habits, loss of blood
through a natural orifice or excessive loss of blood in women.
Diagnosis
Biopsy of tissues endoscopy (
gastroscope for stomach, laproscope for pelvic region), X-rays ultra –sound.
Anticarcinogens
They are substances which
prevent the action of carcinogens, Anticarcinogens occurs in green yellow
vegetables, fruits and milk. They are riboflavin ( milk), flavonoids ( green
yellow vegetables and fruits), vitamin C, indoles ( cabbage, cauliflower),
retinoids ( milk, carrot, butter), some synthetic oxidants in preserved foods (
butylated hydroxyl anisol and toluene ) etc. β- carotene
present in green – yellow
vegetables is promoter – inhibitor which weakens the action of cancer promoters
Treatment
Surgery, bone marrow grafting (
Leukemia), radiotherapy ( exposure to radioactive isotopes), hormonal therapy,
chemotherapy. Two drugs ( vincristin and vinblastin) from cantharantus roseus
are effective in controlling leukemia.
Taxol is anti –cancer drug
obtained from Texus baccata.
Prophylactic intake of
taxomifen and raloxifene keeps breast cancer under check . Recently a drug
tetrathiomolybdate has been tried with some cancer.
It arrests tumour growth by
starving cancer cells of copper PARP ( Poly ADP ribose poly merase) inhibitors
also kill tumour cells with no side effects.
Extract from Fagonia cretica has been found to cure
breast cancer.
HUMAN HEALTH (SECTION II : IMMUNE SYSTEM )
Immunity is the ability of an individual host to resists development of disease
and allergy even after having received infective dose of pathogen with complete
virulence and the various allergens.
Immune system is the system of
animal body which protects it from various pathogens / infectious agents /
allergens and cancer
Immunology is the science of
development of immunity against particular pathogen or allergen
The foundation of science of
immunology were laid by three workers:
(i)
Edward Jenner ( 1796)
A risky
inoculation of small pox pustule through a scratch on vein was performed in
Turkey and other eastern countries. Jenner noticed that milk– maids did not
suffer from small pox though they did develop similar scabs of cowpox. He
transferred the material from the scab of milkmaid
sarah Nelmes to a young boy of
eight years James Phipps. Later he inoculated the boy with live small pox
material. The disease did not appear. The procedure was tried on other with
equal success. Jenner also coined the term vaccine. He is regarded as father of
immunology
(ii)
Louis Pasteur ( 1879)
Developed the
technique of weakening or attenuation of pathogen as heat, cold or starvation
for preparation of vaccine
(iii)
Von Behring ( 1891)
He discovered
the technique of passive immunization by injecting of diphtheria pathogen into
sheep and preparing serum from its blood after some time
The agents which invite action
of immune system are micro organism, their products certain food items,
chemicals, drugs, pollen and pollutants. Body defense system or immunity is of
two basic types, non-specific or innate and specific / acquired
NONSPECIFIC
BODY DEFENCE
It is natural defense system of
the body with an individual is born and which is always available to protect
the body against various types of discomfort causing environmental agents. This
is done by having barriers to prevent entry of foreign agents and dispose of
them as soon as they enter the body. Non specific body defense does not involve
antigenic recognition. It is also called
innate inborn, familial or
natural immunity.
There are number of components
of innate immunity anatomic, physiological, phagocytic, inflammatory, natural
killer cells and complement system. The anatomic and physiological barriers
constitute the first line of body defense.
Phagocytic barriers, inflammatory
barriers, natural killer cells and complement system constitute second line of
body defense
Innate immunity or non-specific
body defense is only defense for most animals and plants.
(1)
Anatomic / physical barrier : These don not allow foreign agents and pathogens
to enter the body
(i) Skin : Keratinised dead outer
cells of horny layer, do not allow entry of pathogen in body. Oil from
sebaceous glands and sweat from sudoriferous glands make the skin acidic with
pH 3-5, and possess bactericidal as well as fungicidal properties
(ii) Nostril hair: They filter
out dust and micro –organism from inhaled air
(iii) External friendly
microorganisms/ friendly bacteria : Many friendly bacteria live on skin,
produce acids and secrete chemicals harmful to pathogens
(iv) Mucous membrane: They line
digestive, respiratory and urinogenital tracts so as to prevent of entry of
germs into body tissues.
(v) Mucus and cilia : Mucous
membrane of the nasal tract possesses cilia for pushing back dust and germs. It
also secretes mucus for trapping and killing them
(vi) Internal Friendly
microorganism: They occur in intestine and vagina. Intestinal microorganisms
secrete chemicals harmful to other microbes. Bacteria present in vagina secrete
lactic acid for keeping it free from other microbes
(2)
Physiological Barriers : They are barriers related to body temperature, pH and chemical
of body secretions which inhibits growth of pathogens.
(i) Fever : Thee is rising of
body temperature due to toxins released by pathogens and pyrogens produced by
leucocytes. Fever stimulates phagocytosis and inhibits growth of many pathogens
(ii) External secretions: Sweat,
oil and secretions of external friendly bacteria are acidic to prevent growth
of many pathogens.
(iii) Lysozyme: It is a
bacteriolytic enzyme present in sweat, tears, saliva and mucus lysozymes bring
about hydrolysis / break down of bacterial cell walls
(iv) Activity of stomach : HCl of
gastric juice kills most of microorganism ingested with food and drinks.
(v) Bile : It does not allow
growth of micro-organisms
(vi) Cerumen ( ear wax) : It is secretion of
ceruminous glands present in external auditory canal cerumen traps dust
particles, kills bacteria and repels insects.
(vii) Interferons : They are
glycoproteins which are produced in small amount of certain kinds of cells (
wbc, NKC, fibroblasts, epithelial ) when infected with virus. Interferons make
the surrounding cells resistant to viral infection. Interferons were discovered
by Isaac and Lindemann
( 1957). They are used in
treatment of certain cancers, hepatitis, multiple sclerosis, oscteoporsis,
influenza etc
(3)
Phagocytic Barriers
Phagoctosis is carried out by
leucocytes and macrophages. The act as soldiers of defense and scavengers of
the body. Phagocytic leucocytes are neutropils and monocytes. They come out of
blood capillaries through diapedesis, engulf and digest most of the
microorganisms.
Macrophages are modified
monocytes. They are large phagocytic cells of two types –
fixed ( inside
lymph nodes, spleen, liver, bone marrow)
wandering (
connective tissue).
They constitute
reticulo-endothelial system macrophages of liver are present along sinusoids
and called Kupffer’s cells. Macrophages attack germ and inorganic substances
that happen to enter tissues and engulf then. Pus may collect. Puss is a thick
liquid formed in the region of wound and
is composed of tissue fluid,
damaged body cells, dead phagocytes, some leucocytes and microorganisms
(4)
Inflammatory Barrier
Inflammation is
reaction of living tissues to injury, irritation or infection which is
characterized by pain, swelling, redness or heat. Inflammatory response can be
localized ( area of injury or infection) or systemic ( whole body).
The injured region
attack mast cell ( histamocytes) of connective tissue and basophils of blood.
They release prostaglandins and histamine. Histamine dilates blood capillaries
and other small blood vessels. Therefore, more blood flows into the area of
injury making it red and warm.
Histamine also
makes fine blood vessel permeable, lowers blood pressure and allows greater
leakage of phagocytes allows destruction of microorganism. Plasma contains
serum proteins with
antimicrobial activity.
Accumulation of
tissue fluid causes swelling and dilution of toxins produced by pathogens.
(5)
Natural killer cells (NKC)-
They are small
lymphocytes / cells of immune system which are specialized to kill virus
infected and tumor cells. Killer cells produce perforins.
The latter produce
pores in the plasma membrane of the target cells. Water enters the
perforated cells. They swell up
and burst. Cellular remains are then cleared by \phagocytes.
(6)
Complement system-
It is a system
of thirty proteins which participate in both innate and acquired immunities in
cascade fission for protecting the individual from pathogens.
Many of the
proteins of complement system function as enzyme precursors. In acquired
immunity the system becomes active in response to antigen –antibody complex. It
is also called classical pathway.
In innate
immunity, the complement system is activated directly in response to bacterial
endotoxins, microbial polysaccharides, cell wall and other components of
invading the
microorganisms. It is called
alternate pathway as well as properdin system.
The pathway
helps in dealing with invading microorganisms even before a person becomes
sensitized against them, certain proteins of this system cleave and form two
components, membrane attack complex and biologically active fragments. Membrane
attack complex functions as lytic complex which produces trans membrane pores
in the microbes.
The latter burst
and die.
Biologically
active fragments produce opsonins, anaphylotoxins and chemotactic factors. They
form a coat over the invading microbes and attract phagocytes ( neutrophils and
macrophages) for engulfing them. Complement system also causes agglutination of
microbes, neutralization of viruses, activation of mast cells and basophils and
has some direct inflammatory effect.
SPECIFIC
BODY DEFENSE / ACQUIRED IMMUNITY
It is immunity obtained during
the life of an individual against a particular microorganisms due to previous
infection vaccination or inoculation of antiserum. Specific body defense is
also called acquired adaptive or specific immunity. This type of immunity
occurs only in vertebrates. It supplements protection provided by innate or
inborn immunity. However it takes a few to
several days to become effective.
Acquired immunity is also called third line of body defense.
It has four unique
characteristics:
(i) Specificity – It is a
specific for each type of pathogen.
(ii) Diversity – Acquired or
adaptive immunity can develop against all the diverse type of pathogens their
toxins and other molecules
(iii) Discrimination between self
and nonself – It can differentiate foreign ( non self) and body ( self) cells
and molecules. Only the foreign or nonself materials are attacked
(iv) Memory – The first encounter between the
specific foreign agent or microbe and the body’s immune response but also
memory of this encounter. Because of it a second encounter with the same
microbe brings about quicker and heightened response.
Acquired immunity or specific
body defense is of two type
i)
Active (acquired) immunity
This involves
the active functioning of the person’s own immune system leading to the
synthesis of antibodies and / or production of immunologically active cells
Active immunity
is produced by clonal selection and expansion. This occurs because interaction
of an antigen with its receptors on the lymphocytes surface stimulates cell
division, so that more lymphocytes are available to combat subsequent exposures
to the same antigen
Clonal selection
lead to the eventual production of :
(i) A pool of antibody –
secreting plasma cells plasma cells are B-cells that have booled up ( forming a
large endoplasmic reticulum) for massive synthesis and secretion of an
antibody. The antibody is the secreted version of the BCB ( B-cell receptors
for antigen)
(ii) A pool of ‘ memory ‘ cell –
These are B lymphocytes with receptors of the same specificity as those on the
original activated B cell
ii)
Passive ( acquired ) immunity
Immunity is said
to be passive when antibodies produced in other organisms are injected into a
person who already has potential antigen in his body.
Passive immunity
is developed to counteract snake venom, rabies, tetanus toxin and salmonella
infection
An antigen or immunogen is any
foreign substances like protein or polysaccharide present in the external
coating of pathogen, toxin of pathogen, white egg, feathers, constituent of
vegetable, fruit, meat, drug chemical, tissue or organ transplant which induces
the immune system to produce
antibodies. Sites over the
antigens that are recognized by antibodies and receptors found on B and T cells
are called antigen determinants ( epitope).
An antigen may
have one to several types of antigen determinants
Antibodies are glycoproteins
which are of innumerable types, each specific to specific antigen. They occur
in blood plasma as gamma-globulins or immunoglobulines (Ig).
About 20% of plasma proteins are antibodies,
each antibody consists of four polypeptides, two long heavy or H chains and two
short, light or L-chains. They are held together in a Y-shaped configurations. Long
H-chains are present throughout while short L-chains are restricted to the two
arms.
The tips of the
two arms posses a specific architecture that fits over the antigen determinant
in a lock and key fashion to form antigenantibody complex. The antigen binding
fragment (Fab) of arms is called variable or V-region while the stem and basal
parts of arms of antibody form constant or crystalline fragment (Fc). The
latter determines diffusivity and adherence of the antibody
IMMUNOGLOBULIN
CLASSES AND THEIR FUNCTIONS
IgA:
Called secretory immunoglobulin because it is present in all body secretions
including colostrum and mother’s milk. Functions as first line of defense
against inhaled and ingested pathogens by activating alternate pathway of
complement system.
IgD:
Along with IgM occurs over B-lymphocytes as antigen receptors activation of
B-cells, also present in serum tissue and effective against the toxins and allergens.
IgE :
Present in mucous membranes, skin and lungs. Attaches to mast cells and basophils
for releasing histamine and other substances that mediate hypersensitive response
to allergens.
IgG :
Constitue 75% of total Ig, present in call body parts including milk and can
pass through placenta providing passive immunity to neonates, stimulates complement
system and phagocytes against toxins, fungi, viruses and bacteria
IgM :
Largest Ig with 10 binding sites, activates B-cells over which it is present along
with IgD, also first to reach the site of infection and activate classical pathway
of complement system.
COMPONENTS
OF IMMUNITY SYSTEM
Immunity
system contains antibodies, specific cells, tissues and lymphoid organs. It
takes part in recognition of foreign antigens, eliminates them and keeps a
memory of the same. It has also a role in allergies, autoimmunity and organ
transplantation.
Immune system
has two components humoral and cell mediated.
Humoral Immune System or antibody mediated immune
response ( AMIR)
Antibody – mediated immunity is associated
with the appearance of antibodies, secreted by cells of the B-lymphocyte
series, in extra cellular fluids such as plasma, lymph and external secretions.
- The AMIR
defends the body against
a)
Some viruses.
b)
Bacteria with polysaccharide capsule.
c)
Toxins that enter the body fluids ( blood and lymph).
- When
antibodies on a B cell’s surface bind antigens, the B cell is activated and divides
producing a clone of daughter B Cells. The daughter cell specialize into plasma
B cells and memory B cells
- The plasma B
cells are antibody factories. The antibodies pass into and circulate in three
lymph to dispose of the antigens. For this, the antibodies selectively bind to
the antigens forming antigen – antibody complexes to destroy the antigen.
Each person can
make 107
to
108 different kinds
of antibody molecules so that there is an antibody molecules, so that there is
an antibody on a B cells to fit any antigen
- The plasma
cells do not migrate to the site of infection and act through a fluid ( lymph).
Hence they are said to form humoral immune system ( L. humor = liquid). The B –
lymphocytes are short lived and are replaced every few days from the bone
marrow
-
The memory B cells live for a long time and serve to quickly dispose off the antigens
in case re-infection of the same virus or bacterium occurs.
- The
antibiotics bind to their specific antigens an inactivate the invading microorganism
or foreign molecules so that these are conveniently disposed of by the
pathogen.
- The antibodies
fight the antigens in five different ways
(i) Neutralization – some antibodies
neutralize the antigens termed toxins and make them ineffective. They are
called antitoxins. The phagocytes dispose off the neutralized antigen –
antibody complexes
(ii) Agglutination – Certain
antibodies causes the particulate antigen to stick together in clumps, thus
immobilizing then for easy disposal by the phagocytes through ingestion. They
are termed agglcutinins.
(iii) Opsonziation – Other
antibodies coat the surface of the microbes and make them more susceptible to
phagocytosis. Such antibodies are known as opsonin
(iv) Precipitation – other antibodies
combine with the antigens to form precipitates that are easily ingested by
phagocytes
(v) Complement activation –
Antibody antigen complexes activate complement protein which may
a)
Lyse cell walls of bacteria, causing their disintegration.
b)
Incite inflammatory response.
c)
Opsonize antigen.
d)
Attract phagocytes to area of infection.
Cell
mediated immunity / Action of T cells
T cells are long – lived cells which have upto
100,000 receptors sites on their surface for binding antigens. The cells
develop antigen specificity through previous contact. They are often called
competent lymphocytes. The latter respond to specific antigen by forming a
clone of cells. The cells then differentiate into following types
1.
Cytotoxic or killer T-cells : The cells reach the site of infection
or agglutination and get attached to antigen containing microorganisms. They
secreteperforins that produce holes in the attached cells. The killer T cells
then pass toxic chemicals into attached cell for killing the same. Afterwards
they move away for attacking new antigen containing cells. Killer T cells
attack virus, invaded cells, cancer cells and cells of transplanted organs.
They also destroy helper T cells when the latter are invaded by HIV. AIDS is
due to deficiency of helper T cells. The killed cells are removed by phagocytes
2.
Helper T cells :
They constitute more than 75% of total T- cells. They regulate immune functions
by secreting lymphokines. Interleukin-2 has positive feedback system for helper
T cells, stimulates growth and proliferation of other T cells. Interleukin-4,5
and 6 stimulate B lymphocytes macrophages
are attracted to the site of infection and stimulated to phagocytosis by lymphokines.
3.
Suppressor T cells :
The cells act as negative feedback and keep the activity of other T-cells under
check. This protects the body tissues and chemicals from attack of phagocytes
and their antibodies
4.
Memory T cells :
They are sensitized T Cells which retain memory of antigen specificity for
future. Sometimes lifelong. Other T Cells are amplifier T cells, killer, helper
and suppressive T-cells are also called effectors cells.
CELLS
OF IMMUNE SYSTEM
They are
lymphocytes and antigen presenting cells like macrophages. A healthy human has
about a trillion lymphocytes. Lymphocytes are of two types, T-layphocytes (
T-cells) and B-lymphocytes ( B-cells). Both of them develop in bone marrow from
lymphatic system cells by the process called haematopoiesis, some of the young
lymphocytes migrate into thymus for preprocessing.
They are called T-lymphocytes. Afterwards they
pass on to all the lumphoid tissues of the body and get lodged there. The other
types of lymphocytes remain in the bone marrow and get preprocessed there.
They are called
B lymphocytes because in birds they are preprocessed in lymphoid diverticulum
of cloaca called bursa of Fabricius. After being preprocessed B lymphocytes
also migrate to all the lymphoid tissue of the body where they reside near but
separate from T-lymphocytes
MHC / HLA molecules ( HLA antigen )
Polymorphic
molecules call MHC class I are present on most body cells, Another group of
molecules, , MHC class II, occur over professional antigen presenting cells.
They bind to peptide antigen producing MHC antigen complex. The same is present
to CD4 and CD8 T-cells respectively
Activation of adaptive / acquired immunity
An antigen is
processed by antigen presenting cells like macrophages and Blymphocytes.
A type of T-cells ( T-helper
cells) interacts with presented antigen and becomes activated. The activated
T-cells not only form a clone of T-cells but also B-lymphocytes.
CLONAL
SELECTION
Formation of a clone of cells by each
activated T-lymphocyte and antibody producing plasma cells by activated
B-lymphocyte, each exhibiting the specificity for the same antigen is called
clonal selection.
The cells are of
course of more than one type and perform different functions. One type of
cloned lymphocyte do not function
as effector cells but instead develop into long lived memory cells.
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY IMMUNE RESPONSES
Primary immune response is the
first immune response developed during the first encounter with the antigen. It
is feeble but relatively longer
Secondary immune response is
quick heightened immune response against a subsequent encounter with some
antigen. It is due to the presence of memory cells against that antigen. A
person having caught chicken pox or measles only becomes immune to subsequent
attack of the pathogen due to it.
LYMPHOID ORGANS
They are those organs having
lymphatic tissues where maturation and proliferation of lymphocytes occur. The
sites where T-lymphocytes and Blymphocytes mature and develop antigen specific
receptors are called primary lymphoid organs viz. thymus for T-lymphocytes. And
bone marrow for Blymphocytes
Secondary lymphoid organs are
those organs having lymphatic tissues where B and T-cells are settled after
maturation and where they undergo proliferation / differentiation on being
activated by specific antigens e.g. lymph nodes, spleen and tonsils, MALT is
mucosal lymphoid associated tissue. It constitutes more than 50% of the total
lymphoid tissue.
VACCINATION AND IMMUNISATION
Immunization is phenomenon of increasing
specific antibody production and development of memory B and T cells against
the potential attack of a pathogen. It is carried out through vaccination and
injection of antiserum.
When an
immunized person is attacked by the pathogen, the existing antibodies
immediately attack the antigen while the memory T and B cells give rise to a
massive crop of lymphocytes and antibodies.
Vaccination is a
process of inoculation of harmless antigenic material into healthy person for
providing active acquired immunity against the disease. A single vaccination
against the disease. A single vaccination may not give adequate immunity.
Therefore 2-3
booster doses of vaccine are administered later on at specific intervals.
Vaccine is suspension / extract of weakened attenuated dead germs or antigen
containing compound of pathogens which when injected into healthy person
provides active acquired immunity to the disease.
Now vaccines are
also available for diphtheria, cholera, typhoid, whooping cough, tetanus,
tuberculosis, plague, measles, mumps and polio. The cells infected with cancer
causing viruses usually show on their surface to the virus.
This has led to
the first successful immunization against cancer in cats and chickens.
Unfortunately, efforts to produce antibodies to cancers not caused by virus
have had very little success
Many serious
infectious diseases also have no effective vaccines. These include malaria,
trypanosomiasis and AIDS
In India, vaccines are generally produced at
Hoffkins Institute at Mumbai and Virus Institute at Pune
National Institute of Immunology ( NII), New
Delhi is involved in the production of antifertility vaccine kits to detect
pregnancy and infectious disease etc.
DISORDERS OF IMMUNE SYSTEM
AUTOIMMUNITY ( Auto immune diseases)
Auto immunity is an abnormal
immune response against self antigens. When the cell acts as antigens in the
same body then they are called autoantigens.
The nature of auto immune
diseases depends on the autoantigens involved. For example, if the autoantigens
are RBC then the body destroys its own RBCs, resulting in chromic anemic, if
the autoantigens are muscle cells then it results in the destruction of its own
muscles resulting in severe weakness (myasthenia gravis); if the autoantigens
are liver cells, then it results in chronic hepatitis, etc.
Other autoimmune diseases are insulin
dependent diabetes, Addison’s disease, ulcerative colitis and rheumatoid
arthritis
ALLERGY ( Hypersensitivity)
Allergy is the inappropriate
immune response of person to harmless substances coming in contact with the
body or entering the body from the environment or in food or in medicine
The substances which causes
allergic reaction are called allergens. They are generally weak antigens. The
common allergens are dust, dust mites, cat, pollen, feathers, fur, venom etc.
Allergic reaction depends on
the nature of the allergen. The common allergic reactions are inflammation of
mucous membrane, sneezing, gasping, running of eyes, irritation of upper
respiratory tract, itching, skin rash
Allergy involves mainly IgE
antibodies and histamine. It causes marked dilation of all the peripheral blood
vessels and the capillaries becomes highly permeable so that large amounts of
fluid leak out from the blood into tissues.
The blood
pressure decreases drastically often resulting in the death of the individual
within a short time
Hay fever : In this allergic
form, there is swollen, reddened, running eyes and nose. The drugs called
antihistamines are of major importance in treatment.
Asthma: The tissue surrounding
the respiratory tubes in the lungs swell up and compress the tubes. Hence there
is difficulty in breathing. Antihistamine drugs are also given in this disease
IMMUNODEFICIENCY
Severe combined immune deficiency (
SCID)
Severe combined
immunodeficiency ( SCID) represents a group of rare, sometimes fatal congential
disorders characterized by little or no immune response
It is a defect in the
specialized white blood cells ( B and T-lymphocytes)
Without a functional immune
system, SCID patients are susceptible to recurrent infections such as pneumonia,
meningitis and chicken pox. Though invasive, new treatment such as bone marrow
and stem cells transplantation save as many as 80% of SCID patients.
Sometimes new born children are
without T-cells and B-cells. These children are susceptible to various
infections
SCID is caused by a defect in
the gene that codes for the enzyme adenosine deaminase on chromosome number 20.
Lack of the enzyme adenosine deaminase (ADA). Means that the substrate for this
enzyme accumulate in the cells. Immature lymphoid cells of the immune system
are particularly sensitive to the toxic effects of these unused substrates, so
fail to reach maturity.
As a result, the immune system
of the afflicted individual is severely compromised or completely lacking. Lack
of this enzyme makes the body defenseless against infections.
SCID is the first genetic
disorder to be combated with gene therapy.
Acquired
immune deficiency syndrome ( AIDS)
AIDS is a disorder of cell
mediated immune system of the body. There is a reduction in the number of
helper T-cells which stimulate antibody production of B-cells. This results in
loss of natural defense against viral infection
AIDS infection were detected in
India for the first time in prostitutes of Chennai in 1986.
Virus responsible for AIDS was
identified and named HIV
AIDS
virus – HIV
- HIV virus belong to the
retrovirus family, a family of single stand RNA viruses distinguished by
possession of viral reverse transcriptase that transcribes viral RNA into
provirus DNA which is integrated into the host cell genome.
- HIV is 100 to 140 nm in
diameter, has a cylindrical core, single-stranded linear RNA and reverse
transcriptase enzyme surrounded by glycoprotein coat, double lipid membrane and
two protein coats
- Virus of AIDS was isolated and
identified in green monkey by Prof. Luc Montagnier in France in 1983 and almost
the same time by Prof Robert Gallo in USA ( 1984 )
- HIV is subdivided into two
distantly related types, HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is the predominant world wide
isolated from individuals with AIDS or at high risks for the development of
AIDS.
HIV-2 is endemic among people in west Africa.
- HIV -1 and HIV-2 differ in
their ability to cause disease and their geographical distribution
- Both, HIV-1 and HIV-2, cause
the body to produce antibodies with three to six months, although the period
between initial infection and illness may be longer in case of HIV-2
- The incubation period of HIV is
15 -57 months. Average incubation period is 28 months
Transmission
- AIDS is transmitted only by a
constant of infected cells containing blood of a patient with the blood of a
healthy person as in:
(i)
Unprotected sexual intercourse with an infected person
(ii)
Use of contaminated needles and syringes to inject drugs or vaccines.
(iii)
Use of contaminated razors for shaving
(iv)
Use of infected blood or blood product for transfusion
(v)
Organ transplant
(vi)
Parturition from mother to baby due to rupturing of blood vessels
- The sexual rout of transmission
accounts for over 75% of infections
- AIDS can not be acquired by
i)
Insect bites
ii)
Crowded transport
iii)
Shaking hands
iv)
Sharing towels
v)
Coughing and sneezing
vi)
Kissing and embracing
vii)
Sharing utilities
Signs
and symptoms of AIDS
- People infected with AIDS virus
remain apparently well even after infection. They may not show any physical
symptoms of illness for a long time
- When the AIDS virus enters the
blood stream it begins to attack certain white blood vessels and antibodies.
These antibodies can be detected by a specific blood test usually two weeks to
three months after infection.
- In some people, the protective
immune system may be destroyed by the virus and then other germs that
ordinarily do not attack cause opportunistic disease to infect and destroy the
body.
- Opportunistic infections occur
during the last phase of HIV, which can occur up to 10 to 11 years after the
infection. These infections are described as AIDS related complex (ARC)
- AIDS virus may attack nervous
system causing damage to the brain resulting in memory loss and other
neurological disorders.
- Some early signs may be
persistent cough and fever associated with difficulty in breathing.
- Certain cancers
- Tuberculosis
- A typical pneumonia by fungus
pneumocystis carinii
- Brain damage
- Night sweats and tiredness
- Swollen lymph nodes and fever
- Weight loss, chronic diarrhea
that last for more than one week, loss of appetite and lack of resistance to
infection.
Diagnostic
test
- HIV is diagnosed by testing the
blood for the presence of antibodies to the virus.
- ELISA ( Enzyme -linked
immunosorbent assay) screening test is the initial one. The test works by
detecting antibodies, substances, proteins which are produced in the blood,
when the virus is present.
- Western blot test will confirm
the result of repeated test through detection of HIV proteins.
- Viral load test measures the
amount of virus in the blood which will help in determining the probable
progression of the disease .
Treatment
- However, no specific treatment
has been found so far, and the mortality from AIDS is virtually 100%
- A combination of three and more
antiretroviral agents, called triple therapy or highly active anti-retroviral
theory ( HAART ), has been highly effective in reducing the number of HIV
particles in blood stream though HAART is not cure for HIV.
Prevention
- The following steps may help in
controlling this dreaded disease:
i)
People should be educated about AIDS transmission, advantage of condoms.
ii)
Disposable needles and syringes should be used
iii)
High risk group should be refrain from donating blood
iv)
Sexual habits should be changed
v)
Before receiving blood, ensure that it has been screened for HIV
vi)
While getting dental treatment, insist on the use of thoroughly sterilized
equipment.
- December 1
is celebrated every year as the world AIDS Day.
HUMAN HEALTH (SECTION III : DRUG
ADDICTION )
Mental health is a
state of balanced development of individual’s personality and emotional
attitude towards family members, society, social institutions, leisure and
balanced satisfaction of potentially conflicting instinctive drives.
In 1950, a WHO
experts committee on mental health reviewed the various definitions of metal
health and observed that mental health is influenced by biological and social
factors and is not static condition but subject to variation and fluctuation
A mentally healthy
person has:
- Self respect.
- Knowledge of one’s possibilities and limits.
- Independent personality but comfortably placed in hierarchy in
work, family and society.
- Feeling for friendship and trust for other
- A purposeful life with reasonable goals to achieve
- Potential to perform all the daily chores not dependent on any
other person.
- Ability to meet all the demands of live solving problems as they
arise.
A mentally sick
person has:
- Inability to concentrate.
- Absence of sound sleep.
- Worrisome behavior.
- Short temper.
- Unhappiness.
- Mood fluctuations from depression to elation.
- Tendency to get upset by a change in routine.
- Apprehensive nature.
- Bitterness.
- Dislike of others.
- Considering others to be wrong.
- Feeling of pains/aches in different body parts without any
actual ones
10th of October is observed as the “world
mental Health Day”.
TYPES OF MENTAL ILLNESS / MENTAL
DISORDERS
It is of three
types:
- Psychosis / Insanity / Madness
- Mental disability
- Neurosis / psychoneurosis
PSYCHOSIS / INSANITY /
MADNESS
It is a severe type
of mental illness or disorientation in which the patient no longer remains in touch
with realities of life.
These patients are
usually associated with other defects such as diabetes, high blood pressure,
tuberculosis and other diseases of central nervous system.
The patient is not
aware of illness and refuses to take the treatment.
MENTAL DISABILITY
Mental disability
are caused by physical, physiological and psychological defects like
a) Injury
b) Nutritional deficiency during development of infant.
c) Radiation damage during neutral development.
d) Toxicity of lead and mercury.
e) Degeneration due to ageing.
f) Tumors.
g) Poor availability of oxygen , blood supply.
h) Excessive intake of alcohol.
Excessive use of psychotropic drugs.
Epilepsy is a
mental illness characterized by abnormal electrical discharge in a part of
brain often leading to warning cry, fits of convulsions like jerking, stiffness,
tongue biting, sensory changes, loss of bladder and bowel control, ending in
loss of consciousness falling down and sleep.
Parkinson’s disease
is a sporadic disorder of middle and late life which is characterized by
stooped posture, stiffness and slowness of movements, fixity of facial
expression and rhythmic tremor of limbs which subsides on relaxation or
activity willed movement
Alzheimer’s disease
is a progressive degenerative disease of brain which is caused by senile
plaques and neuro –fibrillary tangles resulting in loss of choline
acetyetransferase activity.
First signs are
subtle changes in personality, memory disturbance and trembling of hands. It is
followed by progressive increase in dementia over 5-10 years. This disease
commonly appears after the age of 40, though it can occur in any age group.
NEUROSIS / PSYCHONEUROSIS
i) Anxiety disorder : It is a group of mental
disorder in which the patient shows anxiety to stressful event, panic disorder,
associate with a range of unpleasant symptoms like palpitation, sweating,
nausea, trembling, diarrhea, muscular tension etc.
School
phobia, social phobia, agoraphobia and separation anxiety disorder are some
common anxiety disorders found in children and adolescents.
ii) Obsessive – compulsive disorder : That are
psychological disorders characterized by recurrent obsessions or compulsions,
severe enough to interfere with person’s working house, personal or social functioning.
Performing
the compulsive ritual releases tension temporarily but resisting the same
increases tension. The common obsessions are constant doubts, violence,
contamination of dirt and germs.
iii) Attention deficient disorder : The
disorder is more common in young boys and is characterized by restlessness,
nervousness, difficulty in remaining seated, easy distractibility, inability to
follow instructions, under achievement, behavioral problems and tendency to be
disliked by other children.
iv) Mood disorder: They are mental disorders
characterized by disturbance of mood (depression disorders), bipolar disorder
with alternate bouts of low (depression) and high (elation, manic) moods.
Depression
is a mood disorder characterized by feeling of sadness, despair /hopelessness,
low self esteem, uncontrolled weeping, decline in interest, energy,
concentration, changes in sleep pattern and appetite
In
bipolar mood disorders, depression alternates with manic mood or mood of exaggerated
arousal over – activity and taking of several task simultaneously
v) Schizophrenia – It is a mental illness or
disorder which is characterized by
a)
Distorted thoughts, auditory hallucinations, delusion, sense of being influenced
by other, feeling of being controlled by outside forces
b) Shallowness of emotional life, often shifting from one response
to another
c) Progressive deterioration of personality.
d)
Laughing and crying at inappropriate occasion.
e)
Incoherent / bizarre behavior lasting for few days.
- As the schizophrenias
suffer from hallucination and delusions, they are unable to perform even simple
jobs.
- Schizophrenia can
be due to excessive dopamine production, alterations in neuropeptides,
increased ventricular brain ratio and decrease in frontal lobe activity. Recovery
is possible with regular use of chloropromazine along with psychosocial
therapy.
vi) Borderline personality disorder ( BPD) : It
is an emotionally unstable personality disorder where the patient suffers from
impulsively unpredictable moods, outburst of emotions, uncontrolled anger,
impulsive and self damaging acts and repeated conflicts with other.
BPD
is characterized by a specific patterns. BPD is characterized by a specific pattern
of behavioral, emotional, cognitive instability and dysregulation.
- The individual
over-react with problem of anger and anger expression. There are episodes of
depression, anxiety and irritability. The patients have fear of abandonment.
Therefore, besides having chaotic relationship with others, they are always
tense and hard to give up. Patient feels boredom or emptiness. They have a
recurrent tendency of self mutilation, injury and suicidal tendency.
ADOLESCENE
It is a period of
extreme turbulence (9 -18 yrs in girls and 10-19 years in boys.) which begins
with the appearance of first signs of puberty and terminates with cessation of
some somatic growth.
A healthy
adolescence is essential for healthy adulthood because adolescence is a
preparatory phase for adult life when physiological and physical developments occur
in the body. It is accompanied by mental development and behavioral
adjustments. The adolescence comes out of the familial environment and begins
to find out self identity and position in the outer
world.
COMMON PROBLEMS OF
ADOLSCENCE
1. Acne
It
is a skin disorder of adolescents of both sexes where eruptions / pustules develop
over face, chest and back caused by over activity of sebaceous glands and
clogging of skin pores in response to influx androgen.
Acne appearing on face makes oneself conscious
because of their unsightliness. A proper
understanding of
their being natural and requiring proper medical treatmenthelps the aldoscent
to come out of the stress.
2. Hypochondria
It
is a mental disorder in which the patient is preoccupied with body functions and
normal sensations finding faults and seeking medical attention. Negative diagnostic
evaluations and guarantee of good health by physicians increase the patient’s
concern.
Hypochondria
usually occur in late developer adolescents due to anxiety syndrome.
3. Moods
Socially
and emotionally, adolescents feel alternate moods for loneliness and gregariousness.
Most of it depends upon their friends and social circle. There are periods of
social awkwardness, exhibitionism and aggressive self assertion
4. Craze
There
is a tendency to attract attention and appear different from others. Some
adolescence become conscious of their weight and tend to eat little resulting
in development of various type of deficiencies. Some adolescents develop
excessive craving for food, resulting in overeating and obesity
5. Physiological Aberrations
Some
adolescents may suffer from perceptual disturbances or physiological aberrations
like irregular/ absence of monthly periods in females. They must be got
attended to by experts.
6. Neurasthenia
It
is a chronic mental and physical weakness and fatigue which results inability to
concentrate and enjoy. There is development of insomnia, headache, depression
and irritability.
7. Phobias
They
are persistent, irrational, intense fears of specific objects, activity or situation.
Phobias are of various types like acrophobia ( fear of heights), agoraphobia (
fear of open space), arachnophobia ( fear of spiders) claustrophobia ( fear of
confined space, cynophobia ( fear of dogs),
scotophobia ( fear of
darkness), social phobia ( fear of embarrassment in social situations)
8. Post – traumatic stress
disorder
It
is a mental disorder in which is a result of traumatic event like rape,
assault, natural disaster, torture, etc in which the patient re-experiences the
traumatic event in recurrent intrusive recollection, nightmares or flash –
back. A treatment by psychiatrist is required.
9. Addiction
Addiction
is a state of being up to some habit forming articles like drug, alcohol,
tobacco smoking or chewing. It begins in adolescents due to curiosity, advertisement,
peer pressure, elders, frustrations, or depression, feeling of independence,
false belief in enhanced performance etc.
ADDICTION
Addiction is the
state of being given up to an habit , drug, alcohol, tobacco etc. due to
becoming physically, psychologically and physiologically dependent upon the
same is called addict.
Medically,
addiction is of three types
(i) Drug addiction / drug abuse
(ii) Tobacco addiction
(iii) Alcohol addiction
DRUG ADDICTION OR DRUG ABUSE
Drug abuse is
taking drugs for purpose other than clinical use, in amount, concentration or
frequency that impair physical, physiological and psychological functions of
the body
It is intake of
drug:
(i) Without valid medical prescription
(ii) For non medical purposes
(iii) In amount, strength, manner or frequency that damages the
physical and mental functioning of an individual
Psychotropic drugs
I) Sedatives and hypnotics
These are
antidepressant drugs or formulation which overcome mental irritability and
excitement, assuage pain and lower activity causing drowsiness or sleep. The
sleep inducing drugs are also called hypnotic. Examples Barbiturates,
benzodiazepines, furazepam, echinamate etc.
- Barbiturates are
derivatives of barbituric acid that bind GABA receptors or nervous system and
keep the chloride channels open for longer period
- This depresses
activity of excitable cells and induces sleep, hence used as sleeping pills
- Repeated use leads
to skin allergy and coma, while withdrawal may lead to epilepsy.
- Benzodiazepines are
antianxiety as well as sedative drugs.
II) Tranquilizers
They are
antidepressant drugs with calming and soothing effect
Major tranquilizers
are the one which is used to treat psychotic state, minor or common
tranquilizers are employed to treat anxiety
Common
tranquilizers are antianxiety drugs that reduce mental tension and fatigue
without inducing sleep. Most of them are bezodiazepins like diazepam ( valium,
calmose), chlordiazepoxide ( Librium ), lorazepan ( larpose), nitrazepam (
hypnotex) alprazolam ( alprax)
Reserpine (
alkaloid from Rauwolfia serpentina) is used as tranquilizer as well as
antihypertension drug. It is however known to be precipitate suicidal tendency,
mental depression and epileptic convulsions.
Tranquilizers bring
about relaxation of muscles, block reflexes, increase frequency of chloride
opening channels and reduce excitability of cells. Drug abuse leads to
behavioral changes, non-coordination of body movement, headache impairment of
memory and sexual functions
Some drugs have
both sedative and tranquilizer properties. They are called tranquilo-sedatives
Example : Diazepan (
valium)
III) Opiate / opioid narcotics
The opiate
narcotics are drugs that suppresses brain activity and relieve pain. They are
popularly called pain killers. They also have a sedative and astringent effect.
The opiate narcotics are also used for cough relief and for the treatment of
vomiting and diarrhoea
The bad effects of
casual opiate users:
- Drowsiness
- Reduction in visual activity
- Constriction of pupil
- Impaired attentivity
- Apathy or loss of interest at work
- Nausea and vomiting
- Slow breathing
- Slow pulse
- Slurred speech
Its continued use
brings about:
- Impaired digestion and absorption.
- Loss of weight
- Sterility
- Chances of respiratory and cardiovascular arrest.
- Poor immunity with repeated infection
- Opiates taken intravenously may cause blocked veins, hepatitis
and HIV infection.
(i) Opium
- Opium is the
air-dried, milky latex obtained by incising the unripe ( fruits) of white poppy
plant, papaver somniferum or its varity P.album - It is the most effective pain
killer and also induces a state of euphoria, an exaggerated feeling of well
being, also called “high” opium is eaten or
smoked. Opium
contains some twenty alkaloids. Its main derivatives are morphine and codeine
(ii) Morphine
- It is the active
principle of opium morphine is the most valuable analgesic. It is also used as
sedative and an antianxiety agent.
- It is widely used
in small doses to relieve pain and induce sleep in case of serious injury,
burns, fractures and surgeries.
- Morphine reduces
heart beat, blood pressure and urine output, increases blood sugar and causes
constipation.
(iii) Codeine
- It may be obtained
from opium or morphine. It is in fact, methylmorphine
- It has mild
analgesic properties. It does not cause addiction. It is an ingredient of many
medicines and cough syrups. A notable side effect of codeine is constipation
(iv) Heroin
- Heroin is a white
or brown crystalline semi-synthetic compound prepared from morphine by
acetylation. It is the most dangerous apiate. It is thrice as potent as
morphine and about 200 times stronger than opium.
- It is highly addictive.
It is banned even for medical use except for research.
- Heroin may be
orally taken, inhaled or injected. It induces drowsiness and lethargy. It’s
after effect includes impaired digestion, decreased weight, reduced vision,
sterility and total loss of interest in work
- Withdrawal symptoms
of heroin include vomiting, diarrhea, shivering, running nose, muscular cramps
and epilepsy
(v) Smack
It is a crude
by-product of heroin synthesis and is commonly called ‘brown sugar’. The
addicts heat the smack powder and inhale its vapour. Smack is diacetylmorphine
hydrochloride. It is a stronger analgesic than morphine
(vi) Pethidine
Pethidine is a
widely used narcotic analgesic. It has sedative and euphoric effect also. It
has a local anesthetic action.
(vii) Methadone
Methadone is an
orally effective analgesic. Its action is slightly stronger and longer than
that of morphine. It causes psychic and physical dependence, but withdrawal
symptoms are mild.
IV) Stimulants
The stimulants
temporarily stimulate the nervous system, make a person more wakeful, alert and
active and cause excitement.
(i) Caffeine
Caffeine is a mild
stimulant. It is 1,3,7 trimethylxanthine. It is white, crystalline slightly
bitter alkaloid and is commonly taken as beverages – tea, coffee, cocoa and
cola drinks. It is also taken in chocolate bar and chocolate confectionary
Caffeine increases
the metabolic rate of neurons, thereby increasing alertness and thought. It
improves performance and removes freedom. Higher dose cause nervousness,
restlessness and insomnia. Excessive intake of caffeine causes addiction
A cup of tea
contains 30-75 mg of caffeine and 200 ml cola drinks has 25-60mg
Excessive use
causes anxiety, irritability diarrhea, irregular heart beat and decreases
concentration. It also causes indigestion and disturbs pancreatic and renal
functions
Withdrawal from
caffeine leads to headaches, disturbed sleep, lethargy etc.
(ii) Cocaine ( coca alkaloid)
It is an alkaloid
and is extracted from dried leaves and young twigs of the south American shrub
called erythroxylon coca. It is also synthesized from ecgonine or its
derivatives.
Cocaine is
vaso-constrictor and is, therefore, used as local anesthetic
Cocaine is CNS
stimulant. It increases mental alertness and physical strength.
It
gives a feeling of well being and delays fatigue.
It causes lack of sleep and loss of appetite.
It
is taken for excitement by addicts. Its use may ultimately lead to mental
disorder and insanity. Its overdose may cause severe headache, convulsions and
death due to respiratory or cardio-vascular failure
(iii) Carck
Crack is highly
potent smokable derivative of cocaine. When smoked, it results in a brief
intense ‘high’ and intense craving for the drug arises in the user
Crack may cause
complication such as heart and nasopharynix damage, seizures and mental problem
(iv) Betel nut
Kernel of the betel
nut palm. Areca catechu enclosed in betel leaves and mixed with an aromatic
paste is chewed extensively in India and Africa. It contains an alkaloid
arecoline and red tannin. It is mild CNS stimulant. It stains teeth and gum
red.
(v) Amphtamines
These are synthetic
drugs, commonly called antisleep drugs. The amphetamines are strong CNS
stimulants and produce increases selfconfidence and flow of ideas besides
causing excitement and alertness. They are thought to increase physical and
mental performances. They are taken by
truck driver,
students and night workers to keep awake. They impair judgment and vision. This
may result in road accidents. They do not remove fatigue.
They causes
addiction:-
Amphetamine is used
as spray or inhalant for relief of cold, asthma etc and are used among the
‘dope test’ drugs for athletes who use them to stimulate physical and psychological
strength. They suppress hunger and are used to reduce weight.
High does causes
sleeplessness which may lead to mental confusion. Their use may produce after
effect like nausea and vomiting.
PSYCHEDELIC DRUGS (
Psychotogenic drugs or hallucinogens)
These are the drugs
which induce behavioural abnormalities resembling psychosis by changing
thoughts, feelings and perceptions without any actual sensory stimulus e.g.
mescaline, psilocybine, LSD, phencyclidine, cannabis compounds.
They causes optical
or auditory hallucinations i.e. illusions, apparent perception of external
objects or sounds not actually present.
(i) Mescaline
It is a water
soluble white powder alkaloid which is obtained from the crowns of cactus
Lophophora williamsii
Mescaline cause
alteration in mood changes in perception, reveries, visual hallucinations,
delusions ( false belief), depersonalization ( to lose the feeling of one’s own
reality) etc mescaline also increases temperature and blood pressure
(ii) Psilocybine / Psilocybin
It is also called
indocybin and is obtained from the fruiting bodies of the Mexican mushroom (
fungus) Psilocybe Mexicana
Psilocybin is used
as a hallucinogenic agent. Mexican aborigines use psilocybin to induce trances
(iii) LSD
LSD or D-Lysergic
acid diethyamide-15 is crystalline amidated alkaloid derived from ergot, an
extract of fruiting body of fungus Claviceps purpurea
LSD is smoked by
the addicts and causes nightmares, hallucination, floating sensation, chronic
psychosis and severe damage to the central nervous system. It may cause
unconsciousness and even death. LSD also brings about chromosomal and foetal
abnormalities. Pathological condition caused by LSD abuse or by eating graxin
affected by ergot is called ergotism. An LSD
dependent person can
be readily identified by incoherence in writing.
LSD is used to
induce contraction of involuntary uterine muscle, for checking haemorrhage and
to alleviate migraine.
(iv) Hemp or cannabis compound or cannabinoid
Four drugs, namely
bhang, ganja, charas and marijuana, also called marihuana, are obtained from
the dried leaves and flower of the hemp plants, cannabis sativa, commonly
called bhang.
The most active
principle of hemp plant is tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC). Hemp products may lead
to heroin addiction
The receptors for
cannabinoids are mainly present in brain
There are four
types of hallucinogenic products.
- Bhang: It is fresh
/ dried leaves and flowering shoots of both male and female plant. Cannabis
indica used as ingredient of a drink or other food article.
- Ganja / marijuana:
It is dried unfertilized female inflorescence with stem of hemp plant cannabis
sativa. Usually smoked in cigarettes and pipe.
- Charas / Hashish :
It is resin collected from flowering tops of generally female plant cannabis
sativa which is usually smoked with tobacco.
- Hash oil : It is a
lipid soluble plant extract and highly concentrated. The active psychoactive
substance is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinoid or THC. Its concentration is
5mg/cigarette in case of marijuana, 0.5-6 in bhang, 8-12% by weight of hashish
and 25-60% in hash oil. It is quickly absorbed in lungs and converted to
psychedelic chemical, 11-hydrotetrahydro cannabinol in
liver. Excretion
occurs through faeces.
Use of bhang, ganja
or charas leads to light headiness, pleasure, anxiety, fearfulness,
suspiciousness, dry mouth, dilation of pupils, redness of eyes, increased
appetite, impaired depth perception, impaired driving ability, chest pain,
slowing of time sense, delayed response, increased urination and hallucination.
Regular use causes
addiction. It results in behavior changes, reduced secretion of testosterone,
loss of fertility, tachycardia, chronic cough and bronchitis.
(v) Datura and Belladona
Seeds of Datura
stramonium and aerial parts of Atropa belladona are misused for their
hallucinogenic properties because of the presence of anticholinergic alkaloids
atropine, hysocyamine and scopolamine. However, even in slight excess, they can
cause death.
(vi) PCP / Phencylidine
It is a veterinary
medicine used in immobilizing large animal. PCP is available to addict as angle
dust or white granular powder.
A dose of 5mg causes excitement, analgesia,
dysarthria ( disorder of impaired motor coordination, flushing distortion of body
image, feeing of estrangement, horizontal or vertical oscillation of eye ball,
vasospasm of cerebral arteries, insomnia and chronic scizoprenia
(vii) Methylenedioxy methamphetamine (MDMA)
MDMA has recently
becomes popular with students under the name ‘ecstasy’ drug. MDMA has
CNS-excitant and hallucinogenic properties. It seems to relax inhibitions and
enhance communication.
REASONS FOR DRUG ABUSE
- Curiosity : Reference to drugs, smoking and
alcohol in print media, electronic media, movies, internet and by addicts
creates curiosity for having a personal experiences.
- Experimentation. There is natural tendency
of every child to experiment
- Adventure and excitement : A child may go in for use
of drug, smoking and alcoholic drink for the sake of adventure and excitement.
- Family set up: In certain families, use
of alcohol, tobacco, sleeping pills and pain killers are common. It induces the
youngsters to taste the same
- Group or peer pressure: Friends and peer groups
often initiate some adolescents to drugs, alcohol and smoking as a defiance of
authority and feeing of independence.
- Feeling of independence: Non –adjustment to social
hierarchy may initiate some adolescents to drug, alcohol and smoking as
defiance of authority and feeling of independence.
- Progressiveness: There is a false
perception that taking of drugs, alcohol or smoking is assign of
progressiveness in society.
- Stress: Adolescents are often under stress due to pressure from
excelling in academic, sports hobbies and other activities. They fall in for
addictive substances in order to overcome stress.
- Overcoming frustration and depression:
Set back in academic, professional or family life may lead some person to use
alcohol drugs or tobacco for overcoming frustration and depression.
- Unsupportive family structure : An unstable or
unsupportive family structure often leads youngsters to drug, tobacco or
alcohol addiction.
EARLY WARNING SIGNS OF
ADDICTION
Adolescents,
hostelers, unemployed, failed and freshly employed persons are likely to start
drug abuse. Family members, parents and teachers must keep an eye over their
wards for
- Change in friend circle.
- Irregular completion of class-work.
- Poor performance in examination.
- Avoiding extracurricular activities.
- Avoiding families duties and responsibilities.
- Physical changes like poor appetite, frequent sore throat,
redness in eyes, weight loss, reduced physical activity.
- Behavioural changes like withdrawn nature mood alterations,
unexpected anger and violence, telling lies, etc.
- Arrest by police or other legal problem.
EFFECTS/SYMPTOMS OF DRUG
ABUSE
- Behavior : Addicts show reckless behavior.
Vandalism and violence. Interest in work, commitment to duty and self
confidence is lost.
- Body coordination : Neural and neuromuscular
junctions are affected. As a result, coordination of body parts, working of
nervous and muscular systems are influenced. Tremors become common.
- Impaired digestion: Addicts have not much
interest in eating proper food. Addiction disturbed peristalsis and secretion
of digestive enzymes. Therefore digestion is impaired.
- Nausea and vomiting : Disturbed digestive and
nervous system leads to frequent nausea and vomiting.
- Damage to liver and kidney : Drugs, alcohol and
tobacco affect liver and kidneys as they become involved in metabolism and
elimination of their products. This is not their normal function. They,
therefore, becomes damaged. The damaged liver undergoes cirrhosis.
- Disturbed respiratory system: There is
irregularity in breathing due to effect of addictive substances on the
respiratory centre of brain. The disturbance may lead to respiratory arrest.
- Sexual dysfunctions: Insufficiencies develop in
reproductive system leading to impotency.
- Abnormal babies: Drug alcohol and tobacco
addict mothers are liable to give birth to abnormal babies
- Infections: Taking of drugs intravenously may
spread the serious infections like AIDS and hepatitis B due to sharing of
infected needles and syringes. They also spread the infections to life partners
since the infections may be sexually transmitted.
WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS
- Depressed mood : Cheer disappears. There is
little interest in happening in the family or work place.
- Anxiety : An internal feeling of nervousness,
fear, agitation and uncertainty occurs.
- Nervousness: There is feeling of nervousness
courage and comfort are lacking.
- Restlessness: Inability to settle down due to
feeling of uneasiness.
- Irritability : The person becomes angry
over the slightest pretext.
- Insomnia : Sleeplessness or insomnia occurs.
- Increased appetite: Many persons develop a
tendency to eat more.
- Dryness of throat : A feeling of
dryness of thought occurs.
- Craving : There is a persistent
internal urge to start taking addictive substances.
The withdrawal
symptoms are at their peak after 1-2 days of stoppage. They slowly
begin to fade and
most of them disappear 3-4 weeks after abstinence.
DEADDICTION
It is treatment of
drug habituation and carving for the abused drug. The various steps in the treatment
of drug addiction are
- Pharmacotherapy
- Psychosocial therapy
- Health restoration.
- Psychological treatment.
- Prevention of relapse or re-addiction
Pharmacotherapy: It comprises replacement
of abusive drugs with less reinforcing and legally available ones.
Psychosocial therapy : This includes
rehabilitation of drug dependent in the form of counseling by relatives,
friends and physicians
Health restoration: Vitamin administration,
proper nutrition, restoration of electrolyte balance, proper hydration are the
measures aimed at restoring the health damaged by drugs.
Psychological treatment : Reasons of taking drugs
should be explored and sincere efforts should be made to eliminate them.
PREVENTATION AND CONTROL
Discipline : Good nurturance with consistent
discipline but without suffocating strictness reduces the risk of addictions
Communication: The child must be able to
communicate with the parents seeking clarification of all doubts and discussing
problems that arise in studies or develop the class, with friends, siblings and
others.
Independent working : Give responsibility to
the child for small task and allow him / her to perform independently
Avoid undue pressure : No child should be asked
to perform beyond threshold limits whether in studies, sports or
extracurricular activities
Education and counseling: Stresses, failures,
disappointments and problems are part of life. A child has to be trained,
educated and counseled to face them as and when they come.
June 26 is observed as
International Day Against Drug abuse and Illicit Trafficking
ALCOHOL ADDICTION
Regular consumption
of alcohol either in low concentration or in high concentration causes
dependency on alcohol which is called alcoholism.
Alcoholism is
addiction, chronic overindulgence and dependence on alcoholic drinks which is
often associated with defiant behavior.
A person addicted
to alcoholic drink is called alcoholic. Alcohol is chemically ethyl alcohol or
ethanol ( C2H5OH).
DEVELOPMENT OF DRINKING HABIT
- Gesture of defiance to elders, friends and life partners
- Feeling of independence
- Overcoming of frustration of failure
- Unhappy family life
- Curiosity
- Group pressure
- Pleasure or excitement
- Relief from pain
- Desire to do more work
METABOLISM OF ALCOHOL
Alcohol is absorbed
mainly in stomach and proximal part of intestine. Major metabolism occurs in
liver
2-10 % is excreted
through lungs, urine and sweat, 10% is metabolized over smooth endoplasmic
reticulum. Rest is converted into acetaldehyde with the help of alcohol
dehdrogenase.
Acetaldehyde is
oxidized in cytosol by acetyaldehyde dehydrogenase : It liberates heat. Hence
alcohol drinks give them a feeling of flushing.
BLOOD ALCOHOL CONCENTRATION ( BAC)
LOW BAC Flushed face,
feeling relaxed and high talkative, drunken behavior
RISING BAC Effect on
cerebellum resulting in clumsy gait, boisterous, loss of motor coordination so
that driving ability is impaired
HIGH BAC Blurred
tunnel vision, slurred speech, aggressive behavior. Severe intoxication
may result in
unconsciousness or even coma
EFFECTS OF ALCOHOLISM
1. Gastric disorder : Alcoholism causes gastric
ulcers and inflammations of gastric mucosa.
2. Depressant : Alcohol is generally depressant and
reduces efficiency of all organs
3. Arterial dilation : The arteries undergoes
dilation, becomes rigid and brittle.
4. Energy : Alcohol is oxidized to release energy
which is dissipated from skin making face flushy.
5. Blood sugar : Alcohol addiction reduces level of blood sugar so
that nutrient supply to different tissue become deficient.
6. Neuritis : There is inflammation of nerve axon.
7. Babies : Alcoholic mothers give birth to
unhealthy, under weight and abnormal babies.
8. Kidneys : Urine is hyper osmotic. This disturbs
kidney functions.
9. Breathing : Excess intake of alcohol slows down
breathing.
10. Blood: RBC size increases but there is reduced
number of erythrocytes, leucocytes and blood platelets.
PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS
1. Amnesia: continuous use of alcohol leads to
decreased mental functions. Forgetfulness increases.
2. Suspiciousness: Due to decreased vigour
and increased forgetfulness, an alcoholic develops suspiciousness.
3. Accidents: Alcoholics often cause industrial and
traffic accidents.
SOCIAL EFFECTS
1. Antisocial behavior: under the influence of
alcohol, inhibitions, conscience and morals are often shed leading to all type
of antisocial behavior.
2. Absenteeism: Addiction of alcohol leads to loss of
interest in work.
3. Neglect of family : An alcoholic is self
centered and stops bothering about other members of the family.
DEADDICTION
Alcohol dependence
becomes both psychological and physiological. Therefore, withdrawal symptoms
are quit apparent -insomnia, anxiety, tremor, irritability, gastric problems.
In some cases the symptoms are more sever-hallucinations, confusion and
seizures.
1. For deaddiction, psychotherapy or counseling is very important.
2. Patient is provided with thiamine rich diet and brain
depressants like benzodiazepines.
3. Patients are also given disulfiram or carbimide. It causes
violent reaction if alcohol is taken. The phenomenon is called aversion
treatment.
MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. The term
'Health' is defined in many ways. The most accurate definition of the health
would be:
a. health is the state of body and mind in a balanced condition
b. health is the reflection of a smiling face
c. health is a state of complete physical, mental and social
well-being
d. health is the symbol of economic prosperity.
2. The organisms
which cause diseases in plants and animals are called:
a. Pathogens
b. Vectors
c. Insects
d. Worms
3. The chemical
test that is used for diagnosis of typhoid is:
a. ELISA-Test
b. ESR - Test
c. PCR - Test
d. Widal-Test
4. Diseases are
broadly grouped into infectious and non-infectious diseases. In the list given
below, identify the infectious diseases.
i. Cancer ii. Influenza iii. Allergy iv.
Small pox
(a)
i and ii (b) ii and iii
(c)
iii and iv (d)ii and iv
5. The sporozoites
that cause infection when a female Anopheles mosquito bites a human
being are formed in:
a. Liver of human b.
RBCs of mosquito
c. salivary glands of mosquito d.
intestine of human
6. The disease chikunguniya
is transmitted by:
a. house flies b.
Aedes mosquitoes
c. cockroach d.
female Anopheles
7. Many diseases
can be diagnosed by observing the symptoms in the patient. Which group of
symptoms are indicative of pneumonia?
a. Difficulty in respiration, fever, chills, cough, headache
b. Constipation, abdominal pain, cramps, blood clots
c. Nasal congestion and discharge, cough, sorethroat, headache
d. High fever, weakness, stomach pain, loss of appetite and constipation
8. The genes
causing cancer are:
a. structural genes b.
expressor genes
c. oncogenes d.
regulatory genes
9. In malignant
tumors, the cells proliferate, grow rapidly and move to other parts of the body
to form new tumors. This stage of disease is called:
a. metagenesis b.
metastasis
c. teratogenesis d.
mitosis
10. When an
apparently healthy person is diagnosed as unhealthy by a psychiatrist, the
reason could be that:
a. the patient was not efficient at his work
b. the patient was not economically prosperous
c. the patient shows behavioural and social maladjustment
d. he does not take interest in sports
11. Which of the
following are the reason(s) for Rheumatoid arthritis? Choose the correct
option.
i. Lymphocytes
become more active
ii. Body attacks
self cells
iii. More
antibodies are produced in the body
iv. The ability to
differentiate pathogens or foreign molecules from self cells is lost
(a)
i and ii (b) ii and iv
(c)
iii and iv (d) i and iii
12. AIDS is caused
by HIV. Among the following, which one is not a mode of transmission of HIV?
a. Transfusion of contaminated blood b. Sharing the infected needles
c. Shaking hands with infected persons d. Sexual contact with infected persons
13. 'Smack' is a
drug obtained from the:
a. latex of Papaver somniferum b. leaves of Cannabis sativa
c. flowers of Dhatura d.
fruits of Erythroxyl coca
14. The substance
produced by a cell in viral infection that can protect other cells from further
infection is:
a. serotonin b.
colostrum
c. interferon d.
histamine
15. Transplantation
of tissues/organs to save certain patients often fails due to rejection of such
tissues/organs by the patient. Which type of immune response is responsible for
such rejections?
a. auto-immune response b.
humoral immune response
c. physiological immune response d.
cell-mediated immune response
16. Antibodies
present in colostrum which protect the new born from certain diseases is of
a. Ig G type b.
Ig A type
c. Ig D type d.
Ig E type
17. Tobacco
consumption is known to stimulate secretion of adrenaline and nor-adrenaline.
The component causing this could be:
a. Nicotine b.
Tannic acid
c. Curaimin d.
Catechin
18. Anti venom
against snake poison contains:
a. Antigens b.
Antigen-antibody complexes
c. Antibodies d.
Enzymes
19. Which of the
following is not a lymphoid tissue?
a. Spleen b.
Tonsils
c. Appendix d.
Thymus
20. Which of the
following glands is large sized at birth but reducies in size with aging?
a. Pineal b.
Pituitary
c. Thymus d.
Thyroid
21. Haemozoin is:
a. a precursor of hemoglobin b.
a toxin from Streptococcus
c. a toxin from Plasmodium species d. a toxin from Haemophilus species
22. One of the
following is not the causal organism for ringworm
a. Microsporum b.
Trichophyton
c. Epidermophyton d.
Macrosporum
23. A person with
sickle cell anemia is
a. more prone to malaria b.
more prone to typhoid
c. less prone to malaria d.
less prone to typhoid
VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. Certain pathogens are tissue/organ specific. Justify the
statement with suitable examples.
2. The immune system of a person is suppressed. In the ELISA
test, he was found positive to a pathogen.
a. Name the disease
the patient is suffering from.
b. What is the
causative organism?
c. Which cells of
body are affected by the pathogen?
3. Where are B-cells and T-cells formed? How do they differ from
each other?
4. Given below are the pairs of pathogens and the diseases
caused by them. Which out of these is not a matching pair and why?
(a) Virus common
cold
(b) Salmonella typhoid
(c) Microsporum filariasis
(d) Plasmodium malaria
5. What would happen to immune system, if thymus gland is
removed from the body of a person?
6. Many microbial pathogens enter the gut of humans along with
food. What are the preventive barriers to protect the body from such pathogens?
What type of immunity do you observe in this case?
7. Why is mother's milk considered the most appropriate food for
a new born infant?
8. What are interferons? How do interferons check infection of
new cells?
9. Draw the figure of structure of an antibody molecule?
10. If a regular dose of drug or alcohol is not provided to an
addicted person, he shows some withdrawal symptoms. List any four such
withdrawal symptoms.
11. Why is it that during changing weather, one is advised to
avoid closed, crowded and airconditioned places like cinema halls etc.?
12. The harmful allele of sickle cell anemia has not been
eliminated from human population. Such afflicted people derive some other
benefit. Discuss.
13. Lymph nodes are secondary lymphoid organs. Explain the role
of lymph nodes in our immune response.
14. Why is an antibody molecule represented as H2L2?
15. What does the term `memory' of the Immune system mean?
16. If a patient is advised Anti Retroviral Therapy, which
infection is he suffering from? Name the causative organism.
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. Differentiate between active immunity and passive immunity.
2. Differentiate between benign tumor and malignant tumor.
3. Do you consider passive smoking is more dangerous than active
smoking? Why?
4. “Prevention is better than cure”. Comment.
5. Explain any three preventive measures to control microbial
infections.
6. “Maintenance of personal and public hygiene is necessary for
prevention and control of many infectious diseases”. Justify the statement
giving suitable examples.
7. The following table shows certain diseases, their causative
organisms and symptoms. Fill the gaps.
Disease Name of Causative Symptoms
(i)
Ascariasis Ascaris
____
(ii)
____ Trichophyton Appearance of dry, scaly
lesions
(iii) Typhoid ____
High
fever, weakness, headache,
(iv) Pneumonia Streptococcus
pneumonia ____
(v) ____ Rhino
viruses Nasal
congestion and discharge,
(vi) Filariasis ____
Inflammation in lower limbs
9. The outline structure of a drug is given below.
a. Which group of
drugs does this represent?
b. What are the
modes of consumption of these drugs?
c. Name the organ
of the body which is affected by consumption of these drugs.
10. Give the full form of CT and MRI. How are they different
from each other? Where are they used?
11. Many secondary metabolites of plants have medicinal
properties. It is their misuse that creates problems. Justify the statement
with an example.
12. Why cannabinoids are banned in sports and games?
13. What is secondary metabolism?
14. Drugs and alcohol give short-term 'high' and long-term
‘damages’, Discuss.
15. Diseases like dysentery, cholera, typhoid etc., are more
common in over crowded human settlements. Why?
16. From which plant cannabiniods are obtained? Name any two cannabinoids.
Which part of the body is effected by consuming these substances?
17. In the metropolitan cities of India, many children are
suffering from allergy/asthma. What are the main causes of this problem. Give
some symptoms of allergic reactions.
18. What is the basic principle of vaccination? How do vaccines
prevent microbial infections? Name the organism from which hepatitis B Vaccine is
produced.
19. What is cancer? How is a cancer cell different from the
normal cell? How do normal cells attain cancerous nature?
20. A person shows strong unusual hypersensitive reactions when
exposed to certain substances present in the air. Identify the condition. Name
the cells responsible for such reactions. What precaution should be taken to
avoid such reactions.
21. For an organ transplant, it is an advantage to have an
identical twin. Why?
22. What are lifestyle diseases? How are they caused? Name any
two such diseases.
23. If there are two pathogenic viruses, one with DNA and other
with RNA, which would mutate faster? And Why?
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. Represent schematically the life cycle of a malarial
parasite.
2. Compare the life style of people living in the urban areas
with those of rural areas and briefly describe how the life style affects their
health.
3. Why do some adolescents start taking drugs. How can this be
avoided?
4. In your locality, if a person is addicted to alcohol, what
kind of behavioural changes do you observe in that person? Suggest measures to
over come the problem.
5. What are the methods of cancer detection? Describe the common
approaches for treatment of cancer.
6. Drugs like LSD, barbiturates, amphetamines, etc., are used as
medicines to help patients with mental illness. However, excessive doses and
abusive usage are harmful. Enumerate the major adverse effects of such drugs in
humans.
7. What is Pulse Polio Programme of Government of India? What is
OPV? Why is it that India is yet to eradicate Polio?
8. What are recombinant DNA vaccines? Give two examples of such
vaccines. Discuss their advantages.