Disease 8072 225999892 2008-07-16T11:33:16Z Stardust8212 211101 [[WP:UNDO|Undid]] revision 225998882 by [[Special:Contributions/122.2.38.248|122.2.38.248]] ([[User talk:122.2.38.248|talk]]) {{refimprove|date=July 2007}} {{otheruses4|diseases in general|Wikipedia's Lists of Diseases|Lists of diseases}} A '''disease''' is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions. It is also defined as a way of the body harming its self in an abnormal way,<ref>[http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=disease WordNet Search - 3.0<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> associated with specific [[symptom]]s and [[Medical sign|sign]]s.<ref>[http://www.emedicine.com/asp/dictionary.asp?keyword=disease eMedicine/Stedman Medical Dictionary Lookup!<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>{{Dorlands|d_22|12300762}}</ref> In human beings,"disease" is often used more broadly to refer to any condition that causes extreme [[pain]], [[dysfunction]], [[distress]], [[social problems]], and/or [[death]] to the person afflicted, or similar problems for those in contact with the person. In this broader sense, it sometimes includes [[injury|injuries]], [[disability|disabilities]], [[Disorder (medicine)|disorder]]s, [[syndrome]]s, [[infection]]s, isolated [[symptom]]s, deviant [[behavior]]s, and atypical [[human variability|variation]]s of structure and function, while in other contexts and for other purposes these may be considered distinguishable categories.{{Fact|date=November 2007}} ==Transmission of disease== {{Main|Transmission (medicine)}} Some diseases such as [[influenza]] are contagious and [[Infectious disease|infectious]]. Infectious diseases can be transmitted by any of a variety of mechanisms, including inhalation of [[aerosols]] produced by [[cough]]s and [[sneeze]]s, by hand to mouth contact with infectious material on surfaces, by bites of insects or other carriers of the disease, and from contaminated water or food (often via [[faeces|faecal]] contamination), etc. In addition, there are [[sexually transmitted diseases]]. In some cases, [[micro-organisms]] that are not readily spread from person to person play a role, while other diseases can be prevented or ameliorated with appropriate [[nutrition]] or other lifestyle changes. Some diseases such as [[cancer]], [[heart disease]] and mental disorders are, in most cases, not considered to be caused by infection (see [[Non infectious disease]]), although there are important exceptions. Many diseases (including some cancers, heart disease and mental disorders) have a partially or completely genetic basis (see [[Genetic disorder]]) and may thus be transmitted from one generation to another. ==Social significance of disease== Living with disease can be very difficult. The identification of a condition as a disease, rather than as simply a variation of human structure or function, can have significant social or economic implications. The controversial recognitions as diseases of [[post-traumatic stress disorder]], also known as "[[Soldier's heart]]," "[[shell shock]]," and "combat fatigue;" [[repetitive motion injury]] or [[repetitive stress injury]] (RSI); and [[Gulf War syndrome]] has had a number of positive and negative effects on the financial and other responsibilities of governments, corporations and institutions towards individuals, as well as on the individuals themselves. The social implication of viewing [[senescence|aging]] as a disease could be profound, though this classification is not yet widespread. A condition may be considered to be a disease in some cultures or eras but not in others. [[Oppositional-defiant disorder]]{{Fact|date=October 2007}}, [[attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder]]{{Fact|date=October 2007}}, and, increasingly, [[obesity]]{{Fact|date=October 2007}}, are conditions considered to be diseases in the United States and Canada today, but were not so-considered decades ago and are not so-considered in some other countries{{Views needing attribution|date=October 2007}}. [[Leprosy|Lepers]] were a group of afflicted individuals who were historically shunned and the term "leper" still evokes social [[stigma]]. Fear of disease can still be a widespread social phenomena, though not all diseases evoke extreme social stigma. Sickness confers the social legitimization of certain benefits, such as illness benefits, work avoidance, and being looked after by others. In return, there is an obligation on the sick person to seek treatment and work to become well once more. As a comparison, consider [[pregnancy]], which is not a state interpreted as disease or sickness by the individual. On the other hand, it is considered by the medical community as a condition requiring medical care and by society at large as a condition requiring one's staying at home from work. ==Global burden of disease== [[Image:GlobalBurdenOfDisease2002.PNG|right]] {{main|Global burden of disease}} This chart, compiled in 2002 from the [[global burden of disease]] study performed by the [[World Health Organization]] shows an overview of the impact of various classifications of disease, segregated by regions with low and high mortality: {{-}} ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{Commonscat|diseases}} {{Wiktionary|disease}} *[http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthtopics.html Health Topics], [[MedlinePlus]] descriptions of most diseases, with access to current research articles. *[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/omim/ OMIM] The best web resource for information on genes that cause disease at [[Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man]] *[http://ctd.mdibl.org/ CTD] The [[Comparative Toxicogenomics Database]] is a scientific resource connecting chemicals, genes, and human diseases. *[http://www.nlm.gov/ NLM] The most comprehensive database of top quality science information on the web at [[US National Library of Medicine]] *[http://www.cdc.gov/health/default.htm Health Topics A-Z], fact sheets about many common diseases at [[Center for Disease Control]] *[http://www.gluvsnap.com/news/ GluvSnap.com], Latest disease and medical news *[http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/sections.htm The Merck manual] containing detailed description of most diseases *[http://www.quickddd.com Dynamic Differential Diagnosis] {{pathology}} [[Category:Diseases| ]] [[Category:Medical terms]] [[ar:مرض]] [[an:Malautía]] [[ast:Enfermedá]] [[gn:Mba'asy]] [[ay:Usu]] [[zh-min-nan:Pīⁿ]] [[map-bms:Penyakit]] [[br:Kleñved]] [[bg:Болест]] [[ca:Malaltia]] [[cs:Nemoc]] [[cy:Clefyd]] [[da:Sygdom]] [[de:Krankheit]] [[et:Haigus]] [[es:Enfermedad]] [[eo:Malsano]] [[eu:Gaixotasun]] [[fa:بیماری]] [[fr:Maladie]] [[fy:Sykte]] [[ga:Galair]] [[gl:Doenza]] [[ko:질병]] [[hi:रोग]] [[hr:Bolest]] [[io:Morbo]] [[id:Penyakit]] [[ia:Maladia]] [[is:Sjúkdómur]] [[it:Malattia]] [[he:מחלה]] [[kk:Ауру]] [[ku:Nesaxî]] [[la:Morbus]] [[lv:Slimība]] [[lt:Liga]] [[ln:Bokɔnɔ]] [[hu:Betegség]] [[mk:Болест]] [[mg:Marary]] [[ml:രോഗം]] [[ms:Penyakit]] [[nah:Cocoliztli]] [[nl:Ziekte]] [[ja:病気]] [[no:Sykdom]] [[nn:Sjukdom]] [[oc:Malautiá]] [[ps:ناروغي]] [[pl:Choroba]] [[pt:Doença]] [[ro:Boală]] [[qu:Unquy]] [[ru:Болезнь]] [[sq:Sëmundja]] [[scn:Affizzioni]] [[simple:Disease]] [[sk:Choroba]] [[sl:Bolezen]] [[sr:Болест]] [[fi:Sairaus]] [[sv:Sjukdom]] [[tl:Karamdaman]] [[ta:நோய்]] [[te:వ్యాధి]] [[th:โรค]] [[tr:Hastalık]] [[uk:Хвороба]] [[ur:مرض]] [[yi:קראנקייט]] [[zh:疾病]]