Infectious Diseases

 Disease refers to a state in which the physical and mental functions of organisms, including humans, become abnormal. 

In a broad sense, disease encompasses extreme suffering, stress, social problems, dysfunction of bodily organs, and death . Of course, disease is not limited to individuals, and is understood in a broader social context. More broadly, it can refer to an accident or disability , a syndrome , an infection , or a behavioral disorder . It is said that there are about 30,000 types of diseases. Old age refers to a disease caused by old age.

Terminology 

In most cases, the terms disease, illness, and sickness are used interchangeably. However, there may be situations in which certain words are preferred depending on the situation.

Disease is a biological concept and refers to a condition in which structural and functional changes in a living body can be medically defined from the point of view of pathology or physiology. It is a state in which all or part of the mind and body are incapable of functioning normally due to primary or continuous disturbances.

Illness is a concept at the personal and psycho psychological level and refers to the patient's personal experience of illness. Several different diseases can cause the same disease, and a single disease can cause multiple diseases, and illness behavior is “a pain, discomfort, or other symptom of dysfunction. is defined as the way in which symptoms are perceived, evaluated, and acted upon in those who perceive.

Sickness is defined as a social dysfunction exhibited by an individual with a disease.

Disease infection 

Diseases such as influenza are contagious and are often defined as infectious diseases. In some cases, these diseases are transmitted by breathing alone, or by insect bites or other disease vectors. In this case, it can also be spread through water or food . However, in this case, prevention is possible in many cases due to the development of modern society and the improvement of the concept of health and hygiene . Cancer and heart disease usually have many exceptions, but they are also thought to be caused by infection.

Social definition of disease 

Living with a disease is not easy to accept. It is impossible to conceive of a state of disease without its social and economic implications. Although the debate still exists, the incidence rates also vary widely from government to country, from high to low health notions. Aging is also considered as a disease category, but this definition is not yet widely accepted. Illness is also an indicator of income inequality. Professor Lee Mi-sook of the Department of Sociology at Pai Chai University said, “If we look at the results of the effects of social inequality factors such as education level and income level on health, the higher the education and income level, the higher the mental health level, functional health level, and medical health level.” criticized it.

Incurable disease 

Incurable disease is a collective term for diseases that are difficult to treat . Most of these diseases have unknown causes, and a cure is difficult because no clear treatment has been established. In Korea , about 100 incurable diseases with high incidence rates are identified and the National Health Insurance is applied, but it is not possible to determine how many diseases there are overall. Representative diseases include Gaucher disease , progeria , amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , and Alzheimer's disease . In a broad sense, chronic diseases such as hypertension , diabetes , and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome that require lifelong diet, exercise, or drugs to maintain the status quo are also included.