The Many Causes of Human diseases

Human diseases have always been an unfortunate reality to life they affect the poor
and rich regardless and can be caused by a number of things.
The first main cause of human disease is pathogens. These disease-causing
microorganisms can induce harmful effects if they manage to enter your body.
Pathogens can also be separated into different categories.
The first category is bacteria; while many bacteria are friendly and harmless, a
small proportion can be very hurtful to the human body. The bacteria can enter your
body in numerous ways, for example through a parenteral route in the skin. Once in
your body, the bacteria establish themselves and then begin to reproduce.
Bacteria divide by binary fission, meaning that they can quickly and exponentially
increase their population size, causing an infection. Bacteria also produce deadly
toxins, which destroy the bacterias hosts cells.
Toxins (particularly eco-toxins) can cause fatal outcomes in the host, such as
diarrhoea. Bacteria can induce disease when their rapid reproduction and toxins
overwhelm the host.
One example of this is cholera, which is caused by the bacteria Vibrio Cholerea and
usually enters the body in contaminated drinking water. The bacteria produce the
Vibrio Toxin, which affects the epithelial cells of the digestive system, causing severe
and possibly fatal diarrhoea.
The second category of pathogens are viruses, which enter the body the same way
as bacteria. Viruses are too small to reproduce themselves, so they cause disease by a
process called the lytic cycle. The virus identifies and then attaches itself to a host
cell using chemical receptors on the virus surface. Then, the virus uses the hosts
cells chemical machinery to reproduce itself by injecting its genetic material into the
cell. The enzymes within the cell then begin to make copies of the viral genetic
instructions and new viral proteins, which are assembled to make clone viruses. These
new viruses can then break out of the host cell (lysis), killing it and infect more and
more cells. In this way, a viral infection can spread rapidly through your body.
One example of a viral disease is Influenza: the flu. The flu virus can enter the
hosts body in many ways and once in the body, chemical receptors on the virus
surface can help it lock onto a host cell. Influenza virus transmission and replication
occurs in the nucleus and the virus can reproduce itself thousands of times before the
clones exit the host cell. The influenza flu attacks the respiratory system mostly,
causing symptoms such as a fever.
The third category of pathogens are fungi organisms that can grow in or on the
body, causing infections of internal organs or hair and skin. Only a few fungi can
cause disease. There are two types of fungi infection- systemic infections (which
infect the internal organs) and superficial infections (which affect the surface of the
body). Fungi are sometimes naturally present in the immune system. A problem arises
however, when the immune system weakens to an abnormal extent (due to
immunosuppressant, for example), which allows the fungi to grow out of control.
Systemic infections often develop slowly, with some symptoms akin to the common
cold and other more serious ones such as fever and chills. In some cases, fungi can
release harmful toxins and in others, your own inflammatory in response to their
presence can cause disease.
An example of a dangerous fungal disease is Aspergilloma (caused by the
Aspergillus mould). This fungus grows in the cavity of a lung, which has been
previously damaged due to an illness, such as Tuberculosis. The fungal spores

penetrate the cavity and germinate forming a fungal ball. The fungus then secretes
toxic products. At first, there may be no symptoms of this ailment, but further on; the
affected person may acquire symptoms such as weight loss and a chronic cough.
Haemoptysis also affects a large proportion of those affected.
In addition to pathogens, parasites are also a cause of human disease. A parasite is
an organism that lives in/on another organism and benefits by taking nutrients from
the host. Parasitic diseases are illnesses caused by the infestation of parasites, such as
worms or insects. The plasmodium infecting cells in the body commonly cause a
parasitic disease. Similarly to viruses, the plasmodium infects cells and causes them to
burst before going on to infect more cells.
One of the most common parasitic diseases is malaria. Transmission of malaria is
done by bites from female mosquitoes, which inject spores of the parasite into the
hosts bloodstream. The parasite infects the liver and then red blood cells, eventually
causing them to explode open. When red blood cells burst, large amounts of toxins
enter the bloodstream, which produce chills and fever.
As well as the causes of disease mentioned above, human diseases can also be
caused by more manmade issues, such as pollution in the environment and lifestyle
choices.
Smoking is a lifestyle choice, which is infamous for its association to lung cancer
(around 87% of lung cancer deaths will be caused by smoking). Tobacco smoke
contains more than 70 different carcinogens, which are inhaled into the respiratory
system. Smoking destroys the cilia lining the upper airways that protect against
infection. The loss of these cilia means that dirt, pollution and the carcinogens remain
in your lungs, increasing the risk of lung cancer.
Air pollution due to traffic fumes also has a similar effect on the lungs as smoking.
Studies in The Lancet have shown that increased concentration of particulate
matter was associated with risk of lung cancer. The breathing in of ultrafine
particles is also a cause of great tissue damage. The lungs provide a rapid transport
system for these particles into the circulating blood, which in turn increases the risk of
ischemic heart disease.
Finally, the last major cause of human disease is genetics. Researchers have
identified more than four thousand diseases that are caused by gene mutation. A gene
mutation is a permanent change in the DNA arrangement that makes up a gene. Gene
mutations can be hereditary (germline) mutations that are inherited or they can be
acquired during the course of a persons life.
An example of a recessive genetic disorder is cystic fibrosis, which is where thick
mucus builds up, affecting many organs such as the reproductive system. Recessive
disorders mean that a sufferer must inherit two homozygous cystic fibrosis genes (one
from each parent).
A mutation in the CFTR gene causes cystic fibrosis, which means that the functions
of the chloride channels are disrupted. As a result, the cells that line the passageway to
the lungs, pancreas and other organs produce mucus that is unusually sticky, clogging
airways and various ducts. The common symptoms of cystic fibrosis include
wheezing and reoccurring chest and lung infections.
To conclude, as the information shows above, there are many causes of human
diseases, from natural diseases to ones that have been associated by various
manmade issues, such as obesity and drinking. Disease-causing actions or organisms
are constantly evolving as humans develop new habits and advance technologically but majority of the pathogens and parasites that affect us today have affected humans
since the beginning. Fortunately now, however, a competent health system, a rigorous

vaccine system and raised awareness has helped to reduce the effects of these
diseases.
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