Degenerative Diseases

Table of Contents

Degenerative Diseases

Degenerative Diseases are caused by the malfunctioning of some organs of the human body, and these may be of various types:

Heart Attack

Heart Attack is caused by a wide variety of coronary ailments from arterial blockages to uncontrolled heartbeats to congestive heart failure. This impedes the heart’s ability to deliver blood (oxygen and other vital substances) to the rest of the body. Such ailments can often result in death.

Technically a Heart Attack commonly refers to myocardial infarction. This occurs when the coronary arteries which deliver fresh oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart muscles become narrow or completely blocked. If the blood has no alternative route to the myocardium ( heart muscle), a section of the muscle dies ( the death of tissue resulting from blocked vessels is called the infraction ). Hence, due to obstruction in the blood flow, it may lead to death because of various causes like shock, inadequate circulation, weakened pumping action, hemorrhaging in the blocked area, or the heart wall ruptures, etc.

Allergy

Allergy is a specific condition in which a person reacts in a hypersensitive manner to any substance taken or eaten, and the abnormal activities begin in the human body. In allergic individuals, mainly skin and mucous membranes are severely affected due to their immune system response to a foreign substance. The allergic substances which generate allergy may be foodstuff, drugs, fabrics, dust, pollen, plants, animals, heat, cold, etc.

The main type of Allergy is Hay fever ( seasonal or perennial) asthma and eczema or allergic dermatitis ( inflammation of the skin by an allergy). Hay fever directly affects the mucous membrane of the nose, eye, and upper respiratory tracts, while asthma affects the lower portion of the respiratory system.

Diabetes

Diabetes is caused by the carbohydrate’s abnormal metabolic activities in which the sugar glucose can not enter the body’s cells and remains in the blood in high concentration. The excess sugar in the blood leads to the excretion of sugar in the urine, one of the cardinal diagnostic signs of Diabetes. This why most diabetic persons complain about the excretion of large amounts of urine due to the excretion of excess urine; it causes dehydration and intense thirst. Even if the blood glucose is high in a diabetic person, the excess glucose cannot enter the hypothalamus’ appetite-regulating cells. Thus increased appetite, so that the diabetic person tends to eat regularly. But as the glucose cannot enter and nourish the cells, body tissues are subjected to starvation and a rapid occurrence of weight loss. Thus dietary management has always been a part of diabetic therapy, including weight reduction and carbohydrate restriction. Usually, insulin is used as a temporary mode of treatment. Diabetes is basically a pancreas related disease.

Arthritis

In Arthritis, there exists severe pain in various joints of the body. The word Arthritis means joint inflammation. The painful swollen joints are among the significant characteristics of different arthritis-related conditions, including Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis may develop as a result of one-time or repeated trauma or injury. Football players commonly have arthritic knees. Unlike other Arthritis types, which affect the skin tissue, the lungs, the eyes, or the blood vessels, Osteoarthritis mostly affects only Joint function.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis is systemic, affecting the entire body, which sometimes causes fatigue and weight loss, and it is a chronic disease. The treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis is complicated and tedious. The use of drugs like painkillers and anti-inflammatory agents and the rest and physical exercises are involved.

Gout

Gout is a type of arthritis caused due to metabolic disorders associated with acute attacks of pain and swelling in the joints. Gout patients have too much uric acid in their blood, and it can be crystallized out. During an acute attack of gout, the uric acid crystals become free from the joint and where the big toe joins a favourite target.

Cancer

Cancer is an abnormal multiplication of cells. Their uncontrolled divisions may lead to malignant tumors. The common symptoms include wounds that do not deal, unusual bleeding or discharge, a lump or thickening in the breast or elsewhere, hoarseness or cough, indigestion or difficulty in swallowing, etc. It is vitally essential to root out Cancer completely at its starting point before it invades nearby tissues.

Malignant tumors are treated with various kinds of radiotherapy or radiative treatment. For it, X-rays or radioactive substances are employed to use in various cases to supplement the other treatments.

Physicians classify the cancers according to their tissues from where they originate. The carcinomas arise from the skin cells, the lining membranes from the internal organs, and glandular organs. Whereas Sarcomas, type of tumor which develops in the muscles, bones cartilages, and connective tissues. The cancers originating in the network of supporting connecting tissues in the brain and the central nervous system are called gliomas. Simultaneously, the most dangerous type of cancerous growth is called melanoma, which is a rapidly growing pigmented tumor. Thus it originates from a specific kind of pigmented moles found on the skin. If these pigmented moles are irritated, they can become malignant, and the resulting cancers metastasize rapidly. The lymph nodes and other tissues of the lymphatic system give rise to cancerous growth called lymphomas. This condition is called Hodgkin’s disease, which is now known as lymphoma.

At the present state of our knowledge, it is still not clear just what causes Cancer. However, certain well-established contributing factors include environmental agents ( chemical, radiation), the individual’s genetic background, gross chromosomal abnormalities, hormonal dysfunctions, viruses, etc. The close association between skin cancer and sunlight has been known since the early1900’s. Ultraviolet radiation in the sunlight is absorbed mainly by the skin, causes skin cancer, especially in white people. The substance believed to produce Cancer is called carcinogens. Benzene, a ubiquitous organic compound, is believed to be the cause of leukaemia.

Inorganic arsenic compounds used in the pesticide industry have been linked to cancer-caused death among industrial workers. The Cancer of the eye is a hereditary tumor called retinoblastoma, which is most common in children.