Final answer:
Noninfectious diseases are not caused by pathogens and include conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. They result from genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Prevention includes lifestyle changes and avoiding environmental risks.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Noninfectious Diseases
Noninfectious diseases, also known as non-communicable diseases, are conditions that are not caused by pathogens and do not spread from person to person. Unlike infectious diseases, noninfectious diseases arise from a variety of other factors such as genetics, environmental toxins, and lifestyle choices. A quintessential example of a noninfectious disease is diabetes, where there is a combination of genetic susceptibility and lifestyle factors at play. Cardiovascular diseases, including coronary artery disease, and most types of cancer are also prominent noninfectious diseases that contribute significantly to global morbidity and mortality.
Prevention strategies for noninfectious diseases include reducing exposure to risk factors such as cigarette smoke and harmful sun rays to prevent certain types of cancers and adopting healthy lifestyle practices. While we can't modify our genetic predispositions, such as those that cause cystic fibrosis or Down syndrome, we can certainly influence our environmental and lifestyle contributors to disease.
Noninfectious diseases may also be influenced by industrial and ecological factors, such as pollution and toxic waste, which affect the health of ecosystems and subsequently human populations. Although pathogens like bacteria and viruses are less of a concern in developed countries due to advanced medicine, issues like antibiotic resistance and new virus strains pose ongoing challenges.