Health & Disease (AQA GCSE Biology: Combined Science)

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is a major cause of death worldwide.

Describe how CHD develops and the main causes.

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is classed as a non-communicable disease.

Suggest what is meant by a non-communicable disease.

Two types of cholesterol in the blood can have a profound impact on a patient’s health; LDL and HDL.

• High levels of LDL are associated with coronary heart disease (CHD).
• High levels of HDL in the blood can reduce levels of LDL.

There are a number of drugs which can be prescribed to increase an individual’s HDL level to reduce their risk of developing CHD.

Scientists monitored the effect of five of these drugs on one person over 10 years, the results are shown in Figure 1 below.

The labelled arrows show when each new treatment was started.

Figure 1

Compare the effectiveness of the treatments in reducing the risk of CHD.

Statins are a commonly prescribed drug which can reduce an individual’s risk of developing Coronary Heart Disease (CHD).

Discuss the use of statins to prevent CHD.

Increasing age and lifestyle factors are both associated with an increased risk of having cancer.

Smoking has been identified as a risk factor for a number of cancers.

Suggest how smoking can cause cancer.

The leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States (USA) is cancer of the lungs and bronchi.

Table 1 below shows the number of new cases and deaths related to cancer of the lungs and bronchi in the USA between 1993 and 2018.

Table 1

Showing your working, calculate the average rate of decrease per year in the number of new cases of lung and bronchus cancer between 1993 and 2018.

Express your answer to two significant figures.

The data in Table 1 suggests that the incidence of lung and bronchus cancer in the USA is decreasing.

Suggest why this could be.

Compare the data between the number of cases versus the number of deaths in Table 1.

Describe the trend seen in the data and suggest possible reasons for the pattern observed.

Bowel cancer is a cancer which effects the large intestine or rectum. It is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, and is most likely diagnosed in individuals over the age of 50.

Suggest an explanation as to how cancer arises.

Describe how a person with bowel cancer could also develop lung cancer.

Tumours form as a result of loss of control of the cell cycle.

This leads to uncontrolled cell growth and division of cells.

Tumours can be described as benign or malignant.

Outline the differences between benign and malignant tumours

Colorectal cancers are often found in people with a family history of colorectal cancer.

As many as 1 in 3 people who develop colorectal cancer have other family members who have had it.

Suggest why this is.

Non-communicable diseases are a major cause of ill health or reduced lifespan.

Factors including diet, stress and life situations can all contribute to an increased incidence of a non-communicable disease.

Using specific examples describe how the above factors can affect health.

The interactions of many factors may negatively impact the health of an individual.

Infection of certain strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI), is associated with an increased risk of developing cervical cancer.

Suggest how the risk factors associated with HPV infection can be minimised

If a patient has heart failure they may benefit from a heart transplant using donor organs.

There is a greater demand for donor organs than availability so another option is to fit an artificial heart.

Table 2 lists some of the advantages associated with using an artificial heart.

Table 2

Complete the table by suggesting the disadvantages of using artificial heart transplants.

Drugs such as statins and surgical intervention can be used to help treat Coronary Heart Disease (CHD).

There are also many lifestyle factors that can be changed to help reduce the risk of CHD.

Describe some of the lifestyle factors that can reduce the risk of CHD.

Identify and describe a surgical procedure used to increase the diameter of the lumen of the coronary arteries in a patient suffering with coronary heart disease.

Include details of what the medical procedure involves.

In the case of severe heart disease or heart failure, receiving a heart transplant can lead to major improvements in quality of life and longevity of patients.

Figure 2 shows data from the UK on the number of heart transplants and the number of patients on the waiting list for a transplant.

Figure 2

Describe the trends in data for the 'number of heart transplants' and the 'number of patients on the transplant wait list' as shown in Figure 2.

Suggest reasons for the changes to the transplant waiting list as shown in Figure 2.

Describe the risks associated with having a stent fitted.

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) is a major cause of death worldwide.

Describe how CHD develops and the main causes.

Figure 1 shows the difference between a normal heart valve and a diseased heart valve when open and closed.

Figure 1

Explain why a severely diseased heart valve can cause problems and how it can be corrected.

Statins are often prescribed to lower the risk of developing coronary heart disease.

Evaluate the use of statins by listing some of the advantages and disadvantages,

Explain the short and long-term impacts of obesity on the human body (list at least three examples of non-communicable diseases in your answer).

A heart transplant can lead to major improvements in quality of life and longevity, in patients that suffer from severe heart disease.

However, since 2009 in the UK, there have not been enough donor hearts to meet demand as shown in Figure 2

Artificial hearts are often given to suitable patients as an interim solution.

Figure 2

Explain some of the advantages and disadvantages of using an artificial heart.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) state that:

"Good health is more than just feeling well; it is a state of complete wellbeing".

Explain what the WHO mean by this statement

Compare communicable and non-communicable diseases. 

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a virus which emerged during the 1980s and has since infected millions of people globally. 

Explain why HIV sufferers may have an increased chance of suffering from communicable diseases.

Explain why the study chose to focus on body mass index.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis which can be spread through inhaling tiny droplets from the coughs or sneezes of an infected person.

Most infections can be latent and show no sign of disease, but around 10% of infections can progress to an active form of the disease which can be fatal if left untreated.

Table 1 shows the number of new cases of TB and the number of deaths in selected countries.

Calculate the case fatality rate for Ethiopia.

Suggest why the number of new cases of TB (as shown in Table 1) is higher in some countries than others.

A global study was carried out, to determine if there was any correlation between people's alcohol consumption and the rates of colon cancer. The results for selected countries are shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4

Suggest what may affect the validity of the study.

Explain why alcohol is considered a risk factor for non-communicable diseases.

A recent article in a medical journal stated the following:

Explain why non-communicable diseases are considered 'costly'.

Figure 5 shows the five year survival rates for different types of cancer in 1975 and 2015.

Figure 5

Suggest a reason for the trend observed for cancer survival rates from 1975 compared to 2015.

Details of the the types of cancer are not required in your answer. 

Fibroids are benign growths in the uterus that often appear during childbearing years.

Suggest why they are usually monitored closely by doctors and may require surgical removal.

Figure 6 shows how the interaction of different risk factors can affect a person's susceptibility to cancer.

Figure 6

Explain, how genetic and lifestyle factors can increase the chance of developing cancer.