Disease

Disease ( from Middle High German krancheit, krankeit, synonymous with weakness, suffering, distress ) is the disruption of the function of an organ of the psyche or the whole organism.

Definition

Sickness and health

Disease is often defined in contrast to health. However, health has also been defined as an ideal state of optimal well-being, and disease is not the only possible cause of poor health. The transitions between "health" and "disease" are fluid. Much may ultimately be simply a matter of perspective. Thus, the term has naturalized mood disorder for limitations of the physical or mental well-being without objectively verifiable medical condition value. On the other hand, may be present as pathologically definable states even without subjective distress.

The normal function results from the regularity of life processes; to varying degrees, it includes the ability to adapt to changing internal and external conditions. Your human assessment also has a function of their norms.

As dysfunction disease can affect different areas of the living being, and evolve in their interactions. Physiological functions are essential characteristic of life. Organisms exist in complex environments and receive, renew and change through resistant material and energy exchange. Many types of organisms live in social contexts. The functions of life includes behavior. Suction. higher organisms have emotional features. The personhood and sociality of human works also as a function of their cultural world.

The assignment of a specific disease organism to abstract "diseases" is considered to be important in connection with the development of therapeutic approaches and their administrative and economic conditions. A system is the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems ( ICD 10). Whether there is, however abstract diseases in an ontological sense, is controversial.

Medicine

For centuries, the medicine strives to define and delineate the general term illness clearly. She has to deal with different types of diseases and specific diseases.

Does a person have the feeling of being "sick", or has already been recognized in someone a disease, it is called in medicine from a patient.

Individual complaints of a patient may be definable disease symptoms. Several typically occurring at the same time symptoms are referred to as syndrome (symptom complex). Symptoms or symptom complexes that are traceable to a common cause (etiology ), allow the determination of a specific disease (Crohn's ) in the sense of modern medicine (→ Main article pathogenesis ). Clearly, this seems, if necessary or sufficient causes of disease are observed. For defined infectious diseases, for example, specific pathogens are necessary; some congenital diseases are mandatory on certain molecular genetic changes. Often diseases are also not clearly attributable to detectable causes. Sometimes they are then defined by rule by way of present structural or functional phenomena. The totality of all phenomena typical for a disease is the clinical picture (syn. entity ) that can be observed in more or less different forms. The doctrine of the disease is the pathology.

For the detection of disease in individual patients appropriate tests ( diagnostics) are required. Thus, findings are made, which can serve to make a diagnosis.

Right

That transitions between "health" and "disease" are fluid, also raises legal problems. The term "disease" itself is content, hotly debated especially in the social security area.

Disease within the meaning of social security law is a disorder of the physical or mental well-being, thus a deviation from the norm " health". (cf. § 120 para 1 1 General Social Security Act, according to which disease " an abnormal state or state of mind that makes the medical treatment is necessary .")

The German Federal Court of Justice has defined legally on March 21, 1958: " disease is any disturbance of the normal condition or the normal activity of the body that healed, that can be eliminated or alleviated. " According to a recent formulation is under the German health and accident insurance disease " requires an abnormal physical or mental condition, the medical treatment and / or inability to work has " understood ( BSGE 35, 10, 12 f.) Thus, the medical concept of disease is not congruent with the social law. Decisive criteria for the assessment as a disease in the social security law:

• Need for treatment (not age-related phenomena; cosmetic treatments that are purely aesthetic in nature ( such as hair transplantation), very well, however, when a recognized medical necessity exists ( such as correcting the nasal septum ), treatment of scars)
• Visibility to the outside ( eg disharmonies of genetic values ​​satisfy the facts do not )
• Amelioration or prevention of exacerbations ( treatment must be promising according to the principles of medical science )

The last point can be problematic for incurable diseases, since in such cases, no improvement is possible.

Of these, social security law, the Affliction ( § 154 General Social Security Act ) is to be deferred. It is irreparably suffering, their development has been completed and an opportunity to medical influence in terms of cure, improvement or prevention of exacerbations is not possible. Discomfort caused by accidents and their consequences can not be attributed in Switzerland from a legal perspective, the term "disease."

Historical and cultural aspects

The classification, the degree of "normality" border changes of a person depends greatly on the culture and era. So in the Renaissance was obesity (obesity ) is a status symbol, today it is generally regarded as pathological.

Typical responses in severe disease

Especially serious illness must not only cognitively but also emotionally processed. In order to deal with a disease, there are quite typical modes of reaction:

• Retreat into childish dependency: This regression can both be good and the energy reserves conserve, but then culminate in excessive demand attention and nurture.
• Denial: The disease is denied, thus preventing a good deal with it.
• Rationalization and displacement: the problems of the disease are pushed to other causes and denies the disease as the cause.
• Anxiety reactions - depressive reactions

System

Systematic classification of diseases is referred to as nosology ( pathology ). The names of diseases, the demarcation of individual diseases (entities ) against each other and the classification of diseases evolve and change (see list of historical disease names). The modern classification of diseases in the medical disease model can be roughly related organ effected by the main diagnostic groups (MDC, Major Diagnostic Categories).

A more detailed classification allows the International Classification of Diseases ( ICD -10), or for the oncology according to the ICD -O.

An oriented to the known or suspected causes of classification is according to the

• Hereditary diseases ( caused by heredity )
• Infectious diseases ( caused by infection ) teething

• Diseases of civilization ( poor diet, lack of exercise, etc.)
• Deficiency diseases

Properties, which in statistical terms by itself increase the rate of occurrence of certain diseases to be solely responsible for those without their very nature, are referred to as risk factors. A classic example of this is the positive statistical correlation between the increase in blood pressure and the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases mentioned.

A psycho- physical viewing and healing manner, taking into account the emotional and social causes as well as the personality and destiny of life of the patient tries psychosomatic medicine. Outside the evidence-based medicine, other causes of illness to metaphysical contexts are accepted. With the social dependence of disease and disease processes as well as the state of health care management is concerned the medical sociology.

Causes and History

The causes of diseases in modern medicine from Healthy significantly different changes of parts of the body ( and thus its function), so-called organ pathologies considered (→ Main article pathology, psychopathology and Phytopathology ).

The causes of these changes can be divided into internal and external factors. The internal factors include the general aging process, hereditary diseases and inherited vulnerabilities / systems, embryonic malformations as well as mental illness. These are little influenced. In contrast, external factors such as social relationships, stress, diet, environmental conditions and pathogens are well influenced.

Disease leads - treated or untreated - to cure, remission, a relapse ( or more recurrences ), suffering or death.

Frequently used terms that describe the time course, are acute ( sudden onset - eg flu), subacute ( gradual onset - eg hepatitis B ), chronic ( long course - for example, multiple sclerosis), chronic Recurrent ( always occurring - for example, " chronic " bronchitis) and fulminant and fulminant ( " lightning " Employing and hard running - eg sepsis).

Disease model

Under a disease model is defined as a scientific theoretical approach, with the aim to explain a disease in a model simplified form.

A discussion about disease models developed from the question of what is the objective difference between normal and abnormal, as morbid. This distinction usually does not affect the judgment of the patient himself, but that of his environment. It is directed at the supposedly sick and are the views of the next of kin and the social environment on sickness again. It therefore also includes a sociological and epidemiological aspect, which is in the medical sociology and social psychiatry of interest, for example.

Another approach is to address the controversy between continuous and non-uniform treatment approach. The continuous approach states that a unified health explanatory principle sufficient for both healthy and sick people. The non-uniform principle states that for the sick run special own legal processes that require specialized treatment depending on the type of the established case. The call for a unified treatment principle goes back to the call of Ludolf von Krehl that the doctor should not treat different diseases, but rather have to keep the patient as a person in the eye. This principle contributes greatly contribute to the humanization of medical treatment and the patient takes the social stigma of abnormal and incomprehensible.