Two Types of Acute Disease, Essay Example

Two types of acute disease are that of Influenza and Pneumonia.  The former you may recover from at home, whereas the latter may require hospitalization treatment.  Influenza is a virus and categorized into one of three types A, B or C.  Influenza viruses mutate over time and need to be treated by anti-viral agents. Vaccination is the most common prescribed treatment for flu.  On the other hand Pneumonia is most commonly caused by bacterial agents. It is often brought on by poor or squalid living conditions and as such more prevalent amongst the lower social classes of  society.  Bacterial pneumonia is often treated with anti-biotics like penicillin. Other forms do not respond to antibiotics i.e. viral pneumonia – this often resolves itself over time.

Two types of chronic disease are that of  Alzheimers and Cancer.  Alzheimers is complicated as it is a disease brought on by aging and dementure. It is known that certain viruses exist in the brain ” One infection that scientists are looking at is herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) – which is the virus behind cold sores. This infection is usually latent but certain triggers may cause it to reactivate sporadically. In the last two decades many scientists have found the HSV-1 genome in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s as well as in normal older adults”  (P, 2009). There is currently no cure but drug therapy is used for abatement to slow progress down

Cancer is brought on by exposure to carcinogenic materials and certain viral infections. This list of these is fairly comprehensive and somewhat controversial.  There are many different types of treatable cancer treated by chemotherapy, radiotherapy, drugs and various other means. Prostate Cancer is the most common form in males and is considered curable if caught in the early stages.  The gold standard is surgery but for less acute conditions there are options that include radiation treatment, cryogenic freezing and High Frequency Ultrasound (HIFU). Both Cancer and Diabetes was included in Healthy People 2010.

Works Cited

P, V. (2009). Smart Ageing. Retrieved 11 12, 2009, from Baycrest Innovation and Research: http://www.baycrest.org/smartaging/SmartAging_InfectionsAlzheimers.asp