A disorder that impairs the functioning of the body and causes specific symptoms is called a disease. Diseases are categorized in different ways. The cause of the disease and how the symptoms begin or worsen are ways that diseases can be described.
Epidemiology is the study of disease causes and rates of occurrence. The purpose of epidemiology is to better understand disease in order to find better treatments and reduce the risk. By studying diseases, scientists develop vaccines and standard treatment and precautionary practices to diminish the spread of the disease.
A common way of differentiating disease types is whether the condition is acute or chronic. A chronic disease develops slowly over time and gradually worsens. An acute condition has symptoms that appear suddenly or the symptoms get worse very quickly.
Congenital diseases are disorders that have a genetic cause. A congenital disease is typically present at birth or symptoms develop during the newborn’s first month. The heart, brain, ears, bones or other body systems can be affected by congenital disease. Congenital diseases range from having no symptoms to being life-threatening.
Infectious diseases are spread through contact with others who have the disease. The carriers of infectious diseases can also be animals that transfer the disease to humans through bites such as the transmission of West Nile virus by mosquitoes.
Bacterial, viral and fungal infections are disease types. Bacteria can infect the body from touching surfaces or eating food contaminated with the bacteria. Listeria is a potentially fatal bacterial infection that can be caused by eating food that contains the listeriosis bacterium. MRSA is another deadly bacterial infection.
The common cold and flu are examples of viral infections. Herpes and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are viral infections that can be spread through sexual contact. Bacterial and viral infection types can range from causing no symptoms or mild symptoms to being life-threatening.
Fungal infections occur when the person’s skin comes in contact with a surface that contains the fungus. The typical symptom of a fungal disease is a rash. Athlete’s foot is a type of fungal infection.
Parasitic infections are diseases that are caused by an organism entering the human body or living on the surface of the human body. The parasite may attach itself to some part of the inside of the host’s body and feed on the host’s blood or nutrients in the host’s digestive tract.
Lice is an example of a parasite that lives on the human body and feeds from it. Tapeworms are parasites that enter the human body commonly from contaminated food. The tapeworms attach themselves to the digestive tract.
Cancer is another type of disease that causes the cells to mutate and multiply abnormally. This disease is potentially fatal. If the cancer is detected early, the success rate of the treatment is higher than if the cancer has progressed without treatment. Adults are encouraged to get proper cancer screenings periodically to check for cancer.
When someone experiences unexplained or new symptoms, a physician should be consulted. With many diseases, early treatment improves the patient’s prognosis. Information about diseases on the Internet is valuable for educational purposes, but people should avoid diagnosing and treating themselves instead of getting medical care.