Chapter 14: Health and Illness
Diseases that have a sudden onset, may be briefly incapacitating, and are either curable or fatal
acute disease
Sid feels horrible. He goes to his doctor, who tells Sid he's got a bad cold and he should be feeling better soon. How would Sid's illness be classified?
acute disease
_______________ come on suddenly and are often contagious.
acute diseases
Epidemiologists predict that __________ rates may dramatically increase when vector organisms and animals enter new ecosystems due to global climate change
1. Lyme disease 2. West Nile virus 3. yellow and dengue fevers 4. plague
What is good health?
Good health is historically and socially contingent. Defined by the World Health Organization, health is "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
What is the social meaning of aids?
Millions of people are condemned to suffering and early death even though proven medical treatments exists. AIDS is a direct reflection of healthcare and the conflict theory.
1. curative or crisis medicine 2. preventative medicine 3. palliative care
Solutions to problems of disease
Is medicine in the U.S. a social institution?
Yes, because organizations like the American Medical Association set policy and shape definitions of health and illness throughout the nation.
The study of controversial moral or ethical issues related to scientific and medical advancements
bioethics
What does one call the study of controversial, moral or ethical issues related to scientific and medical advancements?
bioethics
When we focus on making a person comfortable at the end of life, we are practicing ______________.
palliative care
Diseases that develop over a longer period of time and may not be detected until symptoms occur later in their progression
chronic disease
In the 1990s legal researcher Erin Brockovich helped win a lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric Company because they had been poisoning the water in the small town of Hinkley, California for 30 years. Toxic Chromium 6 leached into the water system and sickened many Hinkley residents with ailments like liver damage and cancer. How would the illnesses of the Hinkley residents be classified?
chronic disease
Whereas the top causes of death in the United States are ________________, those in the developing world are continually affected by the threat of _______________.
chronic/acute
More recently, epidemiologists are studying the role of ______________ in the spread of diseases globally.
climate change
When a particular disease is concentrated in and transmitted by a specific population within a confined geographic locale, this is referred to as a(n)
concentrated epidemic
A term used to describe the concept of acknowledging and incorporating a patient's cultural background as part of the treatment process; the recognition that patients' beliefs shape their approach to health care
cultural competence
Occurs when a significantly higher number of cases of a disease also spreads through an especially large geographical region spanning many countries or even continents
pandemic
When an epidemic spreads across national borders, continents, or around the world, it is referred to as a _____________________.
pandemic
the branch of zoology concerned with the study of insects
entomology
Occurs when a significantly higher number of cases of a particular disease occur during a particular time period than might otherwise be expected
epidemic
gather and analyze data on particular illnesses, how, where and to whom they are spread, as well as how to stop their spread.
epidemiologists
Health is one place where gender inequality tends to benefit women over men, as women are generally healthier and enjoy a longer life expectancy despite having a lower social economic status than men
gender and health
What do health and illness have in common?
health and illness are shaped by social factors
Type of health care that focuses on symptom and pain relief and providing a supportive environment for critically ill or dying patients, rather than fighting the illness or disease
palliative care
Research on HIV by Rowniak (2009) found that a social transformation has taken place since the inception of improved treatments for AIDS that make it more of a manageable disease than an imminent killer. Specifically, the research found that the response to this "less than a death sentence" diagnosis has caused what some researchers refer to as _______________ that can lead to a rise in infection rates
safe sex fatigue
Kea tries to take good care of herself. She works out regularly, gets plenty of rest and eats well. Her approach to health is more closely aligned with:
preventive medicine
type of healthcare that aims to avoid or forestall the onset of disease by taking preventive measures, often including lifestyle changes
preventive medicine
Studies show that while we may think that doctors automatically have more status (and hence more power) than patients, this actually has to be established in the interaction - it is not an inevitable feature o medical settings. Another study says that while you might think that what constitutes good or bad medical news is pretty obvious, doctors and patients do not always agree on whether a particular diagnosis is pleasant or unpleasant, trivial or serious.
studies on doctor-patient relations
Animals like mosquitoes, ticks, and birds that carry and spread pathogens (germs or other infectious agents) in a given area
vector organisms
More recently, epidemiologists are studying the role of temperature increases in the spread of diseases globally. Specifically they have found that increases in temperature can also increase pathogen-carrying agents called:
vector organisms
