Text C. Diseases and Treatments

Diseases and treatments can be categorized in several ways: by their cause, by the system of the body affected, by severity, by the usual form of treatment, by the likelihood of recurrence, or by the expected outcome. A physician studies the patient’s medical history, symptoms, current physical condition, and medical test results in order to make a diagnosis.

Tentative diagnoses sometimes begin with patients, who notice abnormal changes in their bodies. These changes are called symptoms. Two obvious and disturbing symptoms which usually lead patients to consult a physician promptly are severe bleeding (hemorrhaging) and pain. A pain that is bearable but persistent is often labeled an acheby patients. The most common are the headache and the stomach ache. A pain in the stomach may indicate simple indigestion or a more serious ailment such as an ulcer or dysentery. A headache may be associated with colds, the flu, sinus infections, and head injuries.
There are many other common symptoms of ill health. Fever is one. A temperature higher than normal may indicate that the body is fighting an infection. Another common symptom is coughing. A cough may be dry, or it may produce a lot of phlegm (thick mucus) or sputum (a substance containing a variety of material expelled from the respiratory tract). Coughs are associated with ailments of the nose, throat, chest, and lungs. Fainting, dizziness, and persistent fatigue are other symptoms that something is wrong. One possible cause is a low red blood cell count, a condition known as anemia, which itself may be a symptom of a serious illness. The symptoms of nausea and vomiting are associated with stomach and intestinal disorders such as the flu (influenza), food poisoning, or dysentery, but they can also result from inner-ear disorders that affect the balance mechanism. Sweating, itching, arid rashes are symptoms of problems such as allergies, insect bites, or skin irritations.

Sometimes a patient’s various symptoms fit together and form what is called a syndrome, a group of symptoms that collectively indicate the presence of a particular disease or condition. An example of this is Reye’s syndrome, an acute, very serious childhood illness that in its first stage is characterized by abdominal pain, vomiting, severe weakness, and liver dysfunction.
In order to treat an illness successfully and prevent a recurrence, a physician usually needs to identify not only the condition but also its cause. The first step is to ascertain whether the illness is infectious or noninfectious. An infectious disease is caused by microorganisms (minute living bodies that are invisible to the naked eye). These tiny organisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, or worms) are also called pathogens or, more commonly, germs. Infectious diseases are often (but not always) communicable (contagious), which means that an infected person can pass the disease to another through direct or indirect contact. Diseases not caused by pathogens are classified as noninfectious. In this category are chronic degenerative diseases characterized by the breakdown of tissues and/or organs (often the result of aging), congenital defects (those existing from birth), hormonal disorders, environmental and occupational diseases, immunological diseases, and mental illness. One cause of illness that doctors dislike even thinking about is the iatrogenic disorder (an abnormal condition caused by the physician’s treat— merit). Finally, there are disease conditions labeled idiopathic – which means without any recognizable causes.

Whether a person exposed to pathogens becomes ill or not depends upon the body’s ability’ to resist microorganisms. This ability is termed immunity and may be natural or acquired. Natural immunity is provided by such bodily defense mechanisms as (a) the skin, tears, and the mucous membranes that line the mouth, nose, and bronchial tubes: (b) harmless bacteria in the body which interfere with the growth of harmful germs; (c) stomach juices that are highly acidic and also contain disease-fighting chemicals; and (d) specialized white blood cells that live in the tissues, fluids, and blood.

Acquired immunity is developed by exposure to germs and their products and depends on specific antibodies produced by sensitized plasma cells. Introducing germs into the body artificially in a controlled manner stimulates the body to produce the antibodies that will prevent the growth of the same antigen in the future. Vaccines are used to produce an acquired immunity. A person is vaccinated with a living but weakened germ, a killed germ, or a toxic poison from the germ. Because this acquired immunity often does not last a lifetime, it may be necessary to immunize people periodically with booster shots of the vaccine. Whether a person’s illness is infectious or noninfectious, there is always the hope that the doctor and the pharmacist will have a “magic potion” which, once swallowed, will make all signs and symptoms of disease disappear forever. Substances prescribed or recommended to treat illness are called drugs or medicine.In past centuries, people often found effective drugs through a process of trial and error. Today, medical personnel have a clear idea of how and why a particular drug works and what its side effects and contraindications are.

Many drugs are available by prescription only. These drugs are potent and may be dangerous if taken in an overdose. Some are addictive; therefore, their use must be strictly controlled. A patient can buy these medicines only if a doctor writes a prescription (or order) for a pharmacist to fill.
Of course, medication is just one of many was to treat illness. Among the other tools which physicians use are surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, special equipment prescribed for patient use, and nonmedical recommendations for a change in a patient’s lifestyle (following special diets, increasing or altering habits of exercise, moving to a different climate, decreasing workload and stress, and so on).

As medical science becomes more and more sophisticated, people live longer and develop more chronic and debilitating conditions that require medical treatment. In highly industrialized societies, pollution has created an increase in allergic and other conditions that require medical care. The challenge of modern medicine is to meet the changing medical needs of rapidly changing societies in which people have very high (sometimes unreasonably high) expectations of their doctors’ curative powers. People want to live long lives and to feel as good at 80 as they felt at 20. Doctors arc not magicians, but research continues with the hope that someday, whatever peoples ages, they will never feel “over the hill”.

 

Notes:

persistent fatigue постоянная усталость

dizziness головокружение

ascertain выяснять; убеждаться; удостоверяться

acquired immunity приобретенный иммунитет

contraindication противопоказание