Environmental disease

In epidemiology, environmental disease is disease caused by environmental factors that are not transmitted genetically or by infection. Apart from the true monogenic genetic disorders, environmental diseases may determine the development of disease in those genetically predisposed to a particular condition. Stress, physical and mental abuse, diet, exposure to toxins, pathogens, radiation, and chemicals found in almost all personal care products and household cleaners are possible causes of a large segment of non-hereditary disease. If a disease process is concluded to be the result of a combination of genetic and environmental factor influences, its etiological origin can be referred to as having a multifactorial pattern.

There are many different types of environmental disease including:[1]

Categories of environmental disease

The U.S. Coast Guard has developed a Coast Guard-wide comprehensive system for surveillance of workplace diseases. The American Medical Association's fifth edition of the Current Medical Information and Terminology (CMIT) was used as a reference to expand the basic list of 50 Sentinel Health Events (Occupational) [SHE(O)] published by the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH), September, 1983.
The expanded list of 107 sentinel events serves as a framework for the development of a computerized system of occupational health surveillance in the U.S. Coast Guard. This application of SHE(O) surveillance can have application in the early detection and prevention of environmental diseases.

See also

External links

  1. ^ http://www.biology.com/

1. The Diseases of Occupations, Sixth Edition, Donald Hunter, C.B.E., D.Sc., M.D., F.R.C.P., Hodder and Stoughton, London. ISBN 0-340-22084-8, 1978. Aviat Space Environ Med. 1991 Aug;62(8):795-7.

2. Use of sentinel health events (occupational) in computer assisted occupational health surveillance. Stockwell JR, Adess ML, Titlow TB, Zaharias GR. U.S. Coast Guard Office of Health Services, Washington, D.C.