physiological disorders P1, P2, P3, M1 , 2 named, signs and symptoms explain, investigations described and difficulties of diagnosing assessed!!

Hey everyone. I know its summer but I am going to start posting a few more written pieces and i hope you enjoy!! Individuals can be affected by a number of different physiological disorders. The two disorders in which I will talk about are Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD) and also Cerebral Vascular Accident (CVA) or stroke. COPD is the umbrella term for a number of lung diseases which include emphysema, chronic bronchitis and also chronic obstructive airways disease. One of the most common causes of COPD is smoking. The more an individual smokes and the longer they smoke increases the chances of developing COPD. This is due to the fact that it both irritates and inflames the lungs, resulting in scarring. This inflammation causes the lung to undergo changes over a period of time (NHS, 2016). Some of the changes include an increase in the production of mucus, thickening of the walls of the airways, damage to the air sac walls which leads to emphysema. The lungs will also lose their elasticity (NHS, 2016). When inhaling, oxygen goes into the bronchus. The bronchus then branches of into a large number of bronchioles having alveoli at the ends (Healthline, 2016). These alveoli stretch, filling with air and when you exhale, they shrink again. There are capillaries present within the walls of the alveoli. When inhaling the oxygen passes into these capillaries and is carried throughout the blood stream. As well as this, carbon dioxide will pass out of the capillaries when exhaling (Healthline, 2016). Healthline, 2016 Healthline, 2016 Individuals who have COPD may find it more difficult to breath. This is due to there being a reduction in the air flow in and out of the lungs (ALA, 2016). This occurs when there is inflammation within the airways and they have thickened. Both the alveoli and also the airways will lose elasticity meaning that it makes it difficult for the air sacs to return to the correct shape (ALA, 2016). This in turn makes it difficult to carry out the gas exchange process. Usually the alveoli are stretchy allowing them to fill with oxygen in which we breathe. The alveoli are then able to deflate releasing carbon dioxide back out into the atmosphere. Due to the reduction of air flow into and out of the lungs, it means that they body and its tissues will be receiving less oxygen and will be proven difficult to excrete carbon dioxide (ALA, 2016). This will then result in the individual having shortness of breath. The alveoli in individuals with COPD will become larger, however, less in numbers (Peter Crosta, 2013). This is due to their walls being damaged which leads to a reduction in surface area. In normal lungs there is a large surface area, including a larger number of alveoli, to increase the efficiency of which the process of gas exchange can occur (Peter Crosta, 2013). There will be an excess amount of mucus produced, narrowing the airways, which will obstruct them, causing a cough to develop and leading to the individual producing phlegm (ALA, 2016). The cough can often be one of the first symptoms that develop and can become persistent overtime. This differs to the normal airways as the mucus doesn’t clog them up and so the airways will remain the original size. The individual may experience chest pains also. In the image to the right we are able to see that there has been a change in colour from the normal lung and the one which has COPD. Hethertonillustration, 2016. The symptoms that are displayed when an individual has COPD may be similar to other medical conditions. Asthma is one example of a disease which affects an individual’s airways and their ability to carry out the gaseous process (Peter Crosta, 2013). The walls of the airways are sensitive and inflamed causing the airways to become narrow meaning that less air is able to travel through them. When an individual’s airways become irritated they may react in three ways. The airways can narrow due the muscles which surround the walls of the airways tighten (Asthma UK, 2015). Phlegm can aid to the narrowing of the airways as it may build up. The lining of the airways may start to swell due to inflammation (Asthma UK, 2015). Due to the reactions it can make it difficult for the individual to breathe, causing them to be breathlessness and will also cause coughing. Another illness that has similar symptoms to COPD is lung cancer. Within the early stages of lung cancer there may be no symptoms present, however, these may develop gradually. The symptoms include those such as a mucus cough. This occurs due to the throat being irritated, therefore by coughing it tries to expel this irritant (Healthline, 2016). The individual may cause a shortness of breath. This could be caused by a build-up of fluid known as pleural effusion in the lungs (Healthline, 2016). Chest pain is another symptom with may develop in lung cancer. Chest infections are very common and have similar symptoms to those of COPD. A chest infection occurs when either the lungs or airways become infected (NHS, 2014). The symptoms of a chest infection include a thick mucus cough, breathlessness and also a feeling that the chest is tight causing chest pains (NHS, 2014). Furthermore, tuberculosis (TB) is another illness with similar symptoms to COPD. It is a bacterial infection which is transmitted through breathing in droplets that have come from the infected individual if they cough or sneeze. The bacterium in which TB is caused is known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (NHS, 2014). Usually TB affects the lungs, however it can affect different areas of the body such as the bones, the glands and the nervous system. The symptoms in which are similar to that of COPD is the cough and quite often bringing up phlegm (NHS, 2014) There are different tests which can be carried out to differentiate between COPD and the other illnesses. Firstly a spirometry test will be carried out (NHS, 2014). The individual will have to breathe into a spirometer which then measures the volume of oxygen exhaled in one second. There will be a comparison of results to that of normal measurements. If there is an obstruction they will also recognise this (NHS, 2014). Blood tests and also x-rays can be carried out in order to rule out both lung cancer and also anaemia. A computerised tomography (CT) scan or CAT scan can be carried out. CT scans are able to produced detailed images of different structures contained within the body (NHS, 2014). This scan therefore will be able to show how the lungs have been affected by COPD and also the severity of this (NHS, 2014) A stroke is the result of when the blood supply within the brain is interrupted (NHS, 2014). It may also be caused due to a blood clot within the artery that carries the blood to the brain, meaning that oxygen is unable to reach the cells in this area. Due to this, it can result in the brain cells to be damaged (NICHS, 2016). Ischaemic and haemorrhagic are the two main causes of stroke. Ischaemic stroke is when the blood supply is stopped by a clot and haemorrhagic stroke is when there is a weakened blood vessel which bursts. A stroke can result in a number of changes such as the fine and gross motor skills of the individual can be affected, it may result in the individual being paralysed on one side further leading to impaired vision and memory loss (SA, 2012). The symptoms of a stroke can be remembered with the acronym F.A.S.T. This stands for face, arms, speech and time. The individuals face may dropped on one side including their mouth and eye (NHS, 2014). They may not be able to life their arms in the air and keep them there due to a weakness or a numb sensation in one arm. The speech can become slurred and they may not be able to talk (NHS, 2014). If this occurs then it is time to phone for an ambulance straight away. When a stroke is experience, the individual may develop a serve headache There are a number of illness or conditions that may have similar symptoms as a stroke. One of these is diabetes. This is a condition causing an individual’s blood sugar levels to increase (NHS, 2014). There are two types of diabetes including type 1 and type 2. There are a various amount of symptoms regarding diabetes. The individual may develop blurred or impaired vision and headaches just like that of a stroke (NHS, 2014). Furthermore, head injuries may pose similar symptoms to that of a stroke. If an individual has a head injury they must seek medical advice straight away due to the high risk of brain damage. When an individual experiences a head injury it may cause symptoms such as burred or impaired vision, serve headaches and also a numbness or tingling feeling throughout their body (NHS, 2014). Brain tumours is when the cells contained within the brain multiply in an uncontrollable manner. They can either be malignant or benign. The symptoms of brain tumours can be similar to that of strokes. These symptoms include those such as a numb sensation, blurred or impaired vision and also headaches (NHS, 2015). Dementia is another illness or condition which may have similar symptoms to that of a stroke. Dementia occurs when there has been damage to the brain (AS, 2016). The most common type of dementia is Alzheimer’s. The symptoms of an individual with dementia include disorientation, difficulty speaking and memory loss. These symptoms can be confused with a stroke. When the individual has been sent to hospital, they will do blood tests determining cholesterol and blood sugar levels (NHS, 2014). They will also take the individuals blood pressure and check the pulse in case of an irregular heartbeat. Further testing will then be done including CT Scans and also MRI’s. A CT scan will allow for a detailed, 3D image to be seen (NHS, 2014). This makes it easier to identify problems with any of the areas in the brain. A dye may have to be injected into the veins of the individual, allowing them to identify whether it was an ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke (NHS, 2014). The MRI scan also provides a detailed image of the brain tissue using magnetic fields and radio waves. In conclusion, there are many illnesses and conditions which can be found to be similar and so to determine which illness it is, tests should always be carried out. I hope you enjoyed this written piece and look out for the next one coming!! Your study pal! Xo

PUBLIC HEALTH P1 & P5

Unit 12 Public Health Describe key aspects of public health strategies (P1) Explain health promotion and protection (P5). There are many strategies in public health to ensure that the population stays healthy, and has a longer life expectancy. Public health is now managed by a number of different agencies such as the Department of Health, NHS, Public Health Agency, DHSSPSNI and also GP. The DHSSPSNI has a mission to improve the health and social well-being of the population in NI. They had three main responsibilities including HSC, including policy and legislation for hospitals, family practitioner services and community health and personal services. Public health is another responsibility which covers policy, legislation and administrative action to promote and protect the health and well-being of the population and also public safety, which cover policy and legislation for fire and rescue services. To ensure the Department of Health achieve their aims, the government needs information about how health the population are. They need to find out the mortality and morbidity rates and often ask individuals to complete surveys rating their own health. It is important for the government to monitor these as it keeps track of the statistics for both mortality and morbidity rates and also allows them to be able to identify the actions that need to be taken for example if they need to improve on their health campaigns or set up new facilities and undergo more recent research to improve on the statistics. There are over 41,000 people diagnosed with lung cancer each year (NHS, 2013). A further 3% of lung cancer cases are caused by exposure to second hand smoke in non-smokers. Lung cancer is known to be the second highest cancer to affect the UK. The more you smoke will certainly increase the likelihood of developing lung cancer however it is the length of time that you have been a smoker that is the most important factor (cancer research, 2014). Approximately 2.3 million people in the UK are living with Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) (NHS, 2014). The main causes for CHD are hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol and also smoking (NHS, 2014). Around 800,000 people in the UK are affected by dementia (NHS, 2015). This risk of developing dementia usually increases as individual age. The mortality rates in Northern Ireland alone, in 2013 were 14,968 (NISRA). An aspect for strategies of public health is to identify the health needs of the population and to develop programmes to reduce the risk and screen for early onset of disease. When the government have recognised and are aware of the population’s health status, they will then concentrate on their resources on key health issues. One key health issue is cancer and bowel cancer is known to be one of the most common cancers which is diagnose in the UK, with approximately 40,000 new cases each year (NHS, 2014). The Northern Ireland Bowel Cancer Screening Programme is offered to all men and women who are aged 60 to 74 every two years. Individuals within this age group will be sent a screening test so that they are able to do the test at home (HSC, 2011). This is done by taking a sample of the faeces, and when completed, sent to a laboratory to be tested for any signs of blood. If blood traces are recognised the individual may be then sent for a further colonoscopy. An abdominal aortic Christine Kelly Leah O’HaraUnit 12 Public Health aneurysm or (AAA) is when the main artery in the body widens as it passes through the abdomen. The artery balloons out as the walls weaken. This is more common in those who smoke, who have high blood pressure, those with cardiovascular disease and also in older men (HSCNI, 2015). If this is not treated, it can be fatal and 80-100 individuals in Northern Ireland die from a ruptured AAA each year. The Northern Ireland AAA screening programme was implemented in 2012 and is offered to men in their 65th year in Northern Ireland. Its aim is to reduce AAA mortality by providing a systematic, population based screening programme which uses a simple ultrasound scan (HSCNI, 2015). For those who undergo the ultrasound screening a reduction in mortality to 45% has been highlighted in men between the ages of 65 and 79 years. Another key aspect is controlling communicable diseases. Any outbreaks of infectious diseases must be investigated and should be controlled by the DOH to protect the public. The Health Protection Service has a role in protecting the population from environmental hazards and also infections and it is delivered by a multi-disciplinary team (HSCNI, 2015). The DOH make individuals aware of diseases like influenza by having posters and leaflets in for example doctor surgeries and clinics, in which individuals are able look at and take away with them. This can be telling them how disease is spread and what can be done to prevent it. To control seasonal flu the DOH are giving immunisations to those who are at most risk from this disease including, the elderly, young children, asthmatics and diabetics. This reduces the likelihood that these individuals will come in contact with this disease. A further key aspect is promoting the health of the population. Health promotion is motivating individuals to increase control and responsibility over their own health and improve it by changing their lifestyle and behaviour. The DOH wants to reduce the mortality and morbidity rates of disease/illness in Northern Ireland. This is done by setting out health campaigns which often use the fear approach in order to shock or fear the individuals into changing their behaviour. An example of a health campaign is the, “is your waistline creeping up on you?” poster which was used to support the, “choose to live better” campaign (PHA, 2011). This is also a television advertisement. On the poster it shows a man with a waistline of 37” and ‘cancer’ wrote on the band on his underwear. This shows that if men of a certain age have a waistline of 37” or more then it can be seen as a health risk and could therefore lead to cancer. During the year of 2011, over 4,000 individuals from across Northern Ireland had been surveyed about a variety of health and wellbeing issues. In relation to obesity, the CMO report stated that 59% of the adults that were measured were either overweight (36%) or obese (23%). Males were seen to be more likely overweight (44%) than females (30%). This therefore make men who have a waistline like this think twice about it, and so may persuade them to change their lifestyle to lose weight as they may have a fear of developing cancer due to being overweight. This can be linked to the victim model. It suggests that people have limited influence over their health and that it may be determined by genes and by social and economic environments. There is a link between obesity and social class. This suggests that poverty limits choice. Individuals and families who have a lower income have less choice in the food that they are able to buy and therefore eat. This is because Christine Kelly Leah O’HaraUnit 12 Public Health processed, junk food tends to be cheaper than it is to eat healthily. A diet that is processed is loaded with the wrong nutrition, for example high in fats and carbohydrates and so leads to obesity. In addition low income individuals often live in areas where there are few facilities for healthy, safe exercise. This model highlights that people who have low income are victims of economic circumstances. Another campaign is, “every cigarette rots you from the inside out”, which features a father lighting a roll-up cigarette made of rotting flesh (BBC, 2015). The aim of this campaign is to try to shock smokers into giving up. It also highlights the belief that hand rolled cigarettes are just as harmful as normal, packed cigarettes. The statistics for those who smoked hand rolled cigarettes in 1990 was 18% for males and 2% for females. In 2011 this had a big increase to 40% males and 26% females (action on smoking and health, 2015). In 2013, the opinions and lifestyle survey highlighted that 40% male and 23% females smoked hand- rolled cigarettes. These figures are almost still the same as they were in 2011. This can be linked to the empowerment model which suggests that individuals are empowered and have a free choice, meaning that they are free to choose between a healthy and unhealthy lifestyle. They are the ones who decide what they are going to spend their money on whether it be cigarettes or not. The fifth key aspect is planning and evaluating the national provision of health and social care. The DOH sets out plans each year for health and social care and they must measure how successful they have been by carrying out an evaluation. It is beneficial to set targets as it gives you a laser focus, so that all the attention is set on one area at a time. This means that the DOH can put attention on to one key area at a time to give it a better chance of being achieved. Targets will also help make good decisions as they will help to identify and establish priorities and make right choices based on long term views and in this case what’s important for the population. This is when the evaluation comes into play in that, if the targets have not been met the DOH are able to look back on them along with statistics and therefore see where they have gone wrong and what needs to be changed and improved. Leave me a wee comment and let me know what you guys think!

PUBLIC HEALTH P1 AND P5

Hey everyone, so this assignment was P1 and P5 for public health!!

Describe key aspects of public health strategies (P1) Explain health promotion and protection (P5).

There are many strategies in public health to ensure that the population stays healthy, and has a longer life expectancy. Public health is now managed by a number of different agencies such as the Department of Health, NHS, Public Health Agency, DHSSPSNI and also GP. The DHSSPSNI has a mission to improve the health and social well-being of the population in NI. They had three main responsibilities including HSC, including policy and legislation for hospitals, family practitioner services and community health and personal services. Public health is another responsibility which covers policy, legislation and administrative action to promote and protect the health and well-being of the population and also public safety, which cover policy and legislation for fire and rescue services.

To ensure the Department of Health achieve their aims, the government needs information about how health the population are. They need to find out the mortality and morbidity rates and often ask individuals to complete surveys rating their own health.  It is important for the government to monitor these as it keeps track of the statistics for both mortality and morbidity rates and also allows them to be able to identify the actions that need to be taken for example if they need to improve on their health campaigns or set up new facilities and undergo more recent research to improve on the statistics.  There are over 41,000 people diagnosed with lung cancer each year (NHS, 2013). A further 3% of lung cancer cases are caused by exposure to second hand smoke in non-smokers. Lung cancer is known to be the second highest cancer to affect the UK. The more you smoke will certainly increase the likelihood of developing lung cancer however it is the length of time that you have been a smoker that is the most important factor (cancer research, 2014). Approximately 2.3 million people in the UK are living with Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) (NHS, 2014). The main causes for CHD are hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol and also smoking (NHS, 2014). Around 800,000 people in the UK are affected by dementia (NHS, 2015). This risk of developing dementia usually increases as individual age. The mortality rates in Northern Ireland alone, in 2013 were 14,968 (NISRA).

An aspect for strategies of public health is to identify the health needs of the population and to develop programmes to reduce the risk and screen for early onset of disease. When the government have recognised and are aware of the population’s health status, they will then concentrate on their resources on key health issues. One key health issue is cancer and bowel cancer is known to be one of the most common cancers which is diagnose in the UK, with approximately 40,000 new cases each year (NHS, 2014). The Northern Ireland Bowel Cancer Screening Programme is offered to all men and women who are aged 60 to 74 every two years. Individuals within this age group will be sent a screening test so that they are able to do the test at home (HSC, 2011).  This is done by taking a sample of the faeces, and when completed, sent to a laboratory to be tested for any signs of blood. If blood traces are recognised the individual may be then sent for a further colonoscopy. An abdominal aortic aneurysm or (AAA) is when the main artery in the body widens as it passes through the abdomen. The artery balloons out as the walls weaken. This is more common in those who smoke, who have high blood pressure, those with cardiovascular disease and also in older men (HSCNI, 2015). If this is not treated, it can be fatal and 80-100 individuals in Northern Ireland die from a ruptured AAA each year.  The Northern Ireland AAA screening programme was implemented in 2012 and is offered to men in their 65^th year in Northern Ireland. Its aim is to reduce AAA mortality by providing a systematic, population based screening programme which uses a simple ultrasound scan (HSCNI, 2015). For those who undergo the ultrasound screening a reduction in mortality to 45% has been highlighted in men between the ages of 65 and 79 years.

Another key aspect is controlling communicable diseases. Any outbreaks of infectious diseases must be investigated and should be controlled by the DOH to protect the public. The Health Protection Service has a role in protecting the population from environmental hazards and also infections and it is delivered by a multi-disciplinary team (HSCNI, 2015). The DOH make individuals aware of diseases like influenza by having posters and leaflets in for example doctor surgeries and clinics, in which individuals are able look at and take away with them. This can be telling them how disease is spread and what can be done to prevent it. To control seasonal flu the DOH are giving immunisations to those who are at most risk from this disease including, the elderly, young children, asthmatics and diabetics. This reduces the likelihood that these individuals will come in contact with this disease.

A further key aspect is promoting the health of the population. Health promotion is motivating individuals to increase control and responsibility over their own health and improve it by changing their lifestyle and behaviour. The DOH wants to reduce the mortality and morbidity rates of disease/illness in Northern Ireland. This is done by setting out health campaigns which often use the fear approach in order to shock or fear the individuals into changing their behaviour. An example of a health campaign is the, “is your waistline creeping up on you?” poster which was used to support the, “choose to live better” campaign (PHA, 2011). This is also a television advertisement. On the poster it shows a man with a waistline of 37” and ‘cancer’ wrote on the band on his underwear. This shows that if men of a certain age have a waistline of 37” or more then it can be seen as a health risk and could therefore lead to cancer.  During the year of 2011, over 4,000 individuals from across Northern Ireland had been surveyed about a variety of health and wellbeing issues. In relation to obesity, the CMO report stated that 59% of the adults that were measured were either overweight (36%) or obese (23%). Males were seen to be more likely overweight (44%) than females (30%). This therefore make men who have a waistline like this think twice about it, and so may persuade them to change their lifestyle to lose weight as they may have a fear of developing cancer due to being overweight. This can be linked to the victim model. It suggests that people have limited influence over their health and that it may be determined by genes and by social and economic environments.  There is a link between obesity and social class. This suggests that poverty limits choice. Individuals and families who have a lower income have less choice in the food that they are able to buy and therefore eat. This is because processed, junk food tends to be cheaper than it is to eat healthily. A diet that is processed is loaded with the wrong nutrition, for example high in fats and carbohydrates and so leads to obesity. In addition low income individuals often live in areas where there are few facilities for healthy, safe exercise. This model highlights that people who have low income are victims of economic circumstances.

Another campaign is, “every cigarette rots you from the inside out”, which features a father lighting a roll-up cigarette made of rotting flesh (BBC, 2015). The aim of this campaign is to try to shock smokers into giving up. It also highlights the belief that hand rolled cigarettes are just as harmful as normal, packed cigarettes. The statistics for those who smoked hand rolled cigarettes in 1990 was 18% for males and 2% for females. In 2011 this had a big increase to 40% males and 26% females (action on smoking and health, 2015). In 2013, the opinions and lifestyle survey highlighted that 40% male and 23% females smoked hand- rolled cigarettes. These figures are almost still the same as they were in 2011. This can be linked to the empowerment model which suggests that individuals are empowered and have a free choice, meaning that they are free to choose between a healthy and unhealthy lifestyle. They are the ones who decide what they are going to spend their money on whether it be cigarettes or not.

The fifth key aspect is planning and evaluating the national provision of health and social care. The DOH sets out plans each year for health and social care and they must measure how successful they have been by carrying out an evaluation. It is beneficial to set targets as it gives you a laser focus, so that all the attention is set on one area at a time. This means that the DOH can put attention on to one key area at a time to give it a better chance of being achieved. Targets will also help make good decisions as they will help to identify and establish priorities and make right choices based on long term views and in this case what’s important for the population. This is when the evaluation comes into play in that, if the targets have not been met the DOH are able to look back on them along with statistics and therefore see where they have gone wrong and what needs to be changed and improved. 

Leave a wee comment and let me know if you find this useful.

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