LIFE ORIENTATION Life style diseases

Obesity

An obese person has accumulated so much body fat that

it might have a negative effect on their health. If a

person's bodyweight is at least 20% higher than it should

be, he or she is considered obese. If your Body Mass Index

(BMI) is between 25 and 29.9 you are considered

overweight. If your BMI is 30 or over you are considered

obese.

Hypertension

Hypertension, also referred to as high blood

pressure, is a condition in which the arteries have

persistently elevated blood pressure. Every time

the human heart beats, it pumps blood to the

whole body through the arter

Cancer

Cancer is a class of diseases characterized by out-of-control cell

growth. There are over 100 different types of cancer, and each is

classified by the type of cell that is initially affected.

Cancer harms the body when damaged cells divide

uncontrollably to form lumps or masses of tissue called tumors

(except in the case of leukemia where cancer prohibits normal

blood function by abnormal cell division in the blood stream).

Tumors can grow and interfere with the digestive, nervous, and

circulatory systems, and they can release hormones that alter

body function. Tumors that stay in one spot and demonstrate

limited growth are generally considered to be benign.

Stroke

stroke occurs when blood flow is interrupted to a part of

the brain, either when an artery bursts or becomes closed

when a blood clot lodges in it. Blood circulation to the

area of the brain served by that artery stops at the point

of disturbance, and the brain tissue beyond that is

damaged or dies. (Brain cells need blood to supply oxygen

and nutrients and to remove waste products.) Depending

on the region of the brain affected, a stroke can cause

paralysis, loss of vision, speech impairment, memory loss

and reasoning ability, coma, or death.

Hiv/aids

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a viral disease

that enters the body and infects the white blood cells of

the immune system. If the immune system is infected, the

body cannot protect itself from other viruses and

infections. When infected by HIV, the body is vulnerable

to diseases that would not be a problem if the infected

person were healthy. The diseases that would not affect a

healthy person could cause a person infected with HIV to

become very ill or could even cause death.

Heart disease

There are many kinds of heart disease, and they can

affect the heart in several ways. But the ultimate problem

with all varieties of heart disease is that, in one way or

another, they can disrupt the vital pumping action of the

heart.

Arthritis

Arthritis affects the musculoskeletal system, specifically

the joints. It is the main cause of disability among people

over fifty-five years of age in industrialized countries.