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Concepts of Disease

This document defines key concepts related to disease, including definitions of disease, illness, and sickness. It also outlines modern and old theories of disease causation, as well as concepts of disease control, prevention, and levels of prevention (primordial, primary, secondary, tertiary). Disease control aims to reduce the incidence, duration, and effects of disease. Prevention levels include primordial (prevention of risk factors), primary (prior to disease onset), secondary (early disease stages), and tertiary (treatment of existing disease).

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Laiba Khalid
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26 views4 pages

Concepts of Disease

This document defines key concepts related to disease, including definitions of disease, illness, and sickness. It also outlines modern and old theories of disease causation, as well as concepts of disease control, prevention, and levels of prevention (primordial, primary, secondary, tertiary). Disease control aims to reduce the incidence, duration, and effects of disease. Prevention levels include primordial (prevention of risk factors), primary (prior to disease onset), secondary (early disease stages), and tertiary (treatment of existing disease).

Uploaded by

Laiba Khalid
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CONCEPTS OF DISEASE

DEFINITIONS
“A condition in which body function is impaired, departure from a state of health,
an alteration of the human body interrupting the performance of the vital
functions.”
“The condition of body or some part of organ of body in which its functions are
disrupted or deranged.”
“Disease is considered a social phenomenon, occurring in all societies and defined
and fought in terms of the particular ‘cultural forces prevalent in the society.”
Maladjustment of human organism to the environment’.
DISEASE: is a physiological/ psychological dysfunction.
ILLNESS:
It is a subjective state of the person who feels aware of not being well.
SICKNESS:
It is a state of social dysfunction ie. A role that the individual assumes when ill
(sickness role).
Theories of causation:
They are categorized as:

• Old theories and


• Modern theories

Old theories
The supernatural theory of disease. e.g. curse of God, an evils eye). The theory of
humors. Miasmatic theory of disease, the theory of spontaneous generation. etc.
The Ayurveda, chinese medicine etc means empirical causes.
Modern theories:
• Germ theory
• Multifactorial causation - socioeconomic, cultural, genetic, psychological
• Epidemiological triad (tetrad)/ecological triad
• Advanced epidemiological triad
• Web of causation.

CONCEPTS OF CONTROL
The term disease control refers ongoing operation aimed at reducing:
• The incidence of disease.
• The duration of disease and the consequently the risk of transmission.
• The effect of infection including physical and psychological complication.
• The financial burden to the community.

Steps to control disease:


Four Steps included:
1. Control
2. Elimination
3. Eradication
4. Extinction
Control:
Public policy intervention that restricts circulation of an infectious agent
beyond the level that would result from spontaneous, individual behaviors to
protect against infection.

Elimination:
Reduction to zero of incidence of a specific disease in a defined geographical
area as a result of deliberate efforts.

Eradication:
Termination of all transmission of infections by extermination of infectious
agents.

Extinction:
The specific infectious agents no longer exist in nature or in laboratory.
CONCEPTS OF PREVENTION
The goals of medicine are to:
• Promote health,
• To preserve health,
• To restore health when it is impaired
• And to minimize suffering and distress.

Actions aimed at eradicating, eliminating or minimizing the impact of disease and


disability or if none of these are feasible, retarding the progress of disease &
disability.
The concept of prevention is best defined in the context of levels, traditionally
called primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. A fourth level, called primordial
prevention was later added.

PRIMORDIAL PREVENTION

“It is the prevention of the emergence or development of risk factors in countries


or population groups in which they have not yet appeared.”
INTERVENTION:
The main intervention in primordial prevention is through individual and mass
health education.

PRIMARY PREVENTION:
Primary prevention can be defined as the action taken prior to the onset of disease,
which removes the possibility that the disease will ever occur.
Target population:
• Those who are most likely to be exposed &/or could increase their
resistance.
Typical activities:
• Remove or reduce source of risk.
• Educate and make aware of aware of disease risk, Include behavioral
changes to reduce exposure.
• Improve general health.
Outcome measure:
• Incidence of exposure; incidence of disease
SECONDARY PREVENTION
Secondary prevention can be defined as the action which halts the progress of a
disease at its incipient stage and prevents complications:
By reducing number of exposures & early disease that progress to more severe
disease, mortality & morbidity can be reduced.

Target population:
• Those who have been exposed to the disease causing agent or have early
symptoms of diseases.

Typical activities:
• Screening for exposure and or disease
• Post exposure prophylaxis
• Early treatment to reduce impact of disease/reverse course.
Outcome measure:
• Incidence of disease.

TERTIARY PREVENTION
Tertiary prevention can be defined as all measures available to reduce or limit
impairments and disabilities, minimize suffering caused by existing departures
from good health and to promote the patients adjustment to irremediable
conditions.

Target population:
• Those who have disease & need treatment.

Typical activities:
• Treatment tailored to the patient.
• Rehabilitation to promote recovery.

Outcome measure:
Incidence of death and long- term disability

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