Unhealthy habits and choices can lead to illnesses. They are primarily caused by practising negative habits like excessive alcohol consumption, lack of exercise, smoking, following a poor diet and more. Read on to discover the general causes and risk factors for developing illnesses.
Illnesses cause functional impairment of the body. They can occur due to different factors, such as infectious agents, environmental factors, and genetics.
Here is an overview of some of the illnesses that happen due to infection-carrying agents:
They are single-cell organisms responsible for illnesses like urinary tract infections, tuberculosis and strep throat.
These microscopic germs are smaller than bacteria and cause diseases. A few types of illnesses caused by viruses are COVID-19, the common cold, etc.
Malaria occurs due to a tiny parasite spread by mosquito bites. There are many other types of parasites as well. For instance, there are parasites which spread to people from animal faeces.
These cause different types of skin diseases like athlete's foot and ringworm. The other types of fungi infect the eyes, brain, liver and lungs.
Many environmental agents lead to illnesses in people. Here are a few such agents:
Toxins and chemicals present in the air increase the risk of a person getting an illness.
Allergens trigger allergies in people. For instance, pollen and certain food substances can cause illness in individuals with allergies.
Genetics can also bring upon illnesses. There are certain inherited mutations and genes which lead to genetic disorders. For instance, cystic fibrosis is caused by inherited mutations of a single gene.
It is very important to recognise and reduce risk factors for managing illnesses. Here are a few such risk factors that cause illnesses:
Tobacco leads to numerous illnesses and is also one of the leading causes of preventable deaths worldwide. All types of tobacco are harmful, and there is no safe level of exposure.
Leading a sedentary lifestyle leads to a lot of health problems and illnesses. It can also lead to mental health issues like anxiety and depression.
When people do not have a healthy or balanced diet, their immune system deteriorates, leading them to be more susceptible to various types of illnesses.
Family history influences the health outcomes of an individual. Inherited genetic variations and common environmental factors can have a drastic effect on the possibility of an individual getting an illness.
An individual can avoid illness by maintaining good hygiene, adopting good eating practices and staying up to date with vaccinations.