The world today is full of many diseases and new diseases keep showing up owing to the modern way of life. Although a plenty of them are well-understood and can be overcome with a prescription, certain number are still incurable. They may or may not be lethal or common but they have been affecting the lives of people all across the earth. Top10 such diseases are enlisted below:
1. HIV/AIDS
Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is one of the five most lethal yet incurable diseases. It affects the human immune system and is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV spreads when the virus comes in contact with any bodily fluid through unprotected sexual contact or use of unsterilized syringes. The virus affects the immune system of the sufferer’s body and makes the patient prone to potential infections.
Even after twenty-five years since AIDS was first identified, it remains a killer taking tolls on the lives of huge populations especially in the developing countries. According to the UN’s report, 38 million people are living with HIV, 5 million are infected annually, and about 3 million people die each year from AIDS.
2. Common Cold
Shocking as it may seem, yes the common cold is on this list! As everyone may know, common cold is marked by sneezing, sore throat, and coughing. It is one of the most commonly occurring diseases, communicating from one person to another quite rapidly. The symptoms usually begin after a day or two of infection (Rhinoviruses being the most frequent cause), and can last from 2 to 14 days. Although billions of cases of common cold show up every year, doctors still know very little about it.
They say, the common cold takes a week to heal with medicines, and seven days without them. The best one can do to avoid catching cold is staying away from the people already affected with the symptoms.
3. Cancer
Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells (called malignant cells) in the body. It refers to a group of about a hundred such cases of uncontrolled growth of the cancer cells in the body. The normal cells in the body multiply and die as per the requirements of the body. Cancer grows out of these normal cells which are the building blocks of the body. Cancer occurs when the cells divide too quickly and can develop in almost any organ or tissue, and therefore it is of several kinds: lung, colon, skin, bones, breast, nerve tissue etc. The causes of cancer, often referred as Carcinogens may include the following: excess alcohol consumption, toxins in the atmosphere, chemicals like benzene, certain poisonous eatables, especially the ones called aflatoxins, excessive sunlight exposure or certain genetic problems.
One in every three persons is affected by Cancer today and it is said to be the major cause of deaths all across the globe. Cancer treatments like use of chemotherapeutic drugs, radiation therapy or surgery are currently available but even if they can lengthen the life of a patient, none of them are cures. Though if diagnosed in early stages, some forms of cancer can be cured.
4. Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy
Also known as congophilic angiopathy, cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA) is a neurological condition in which proteins called amyloid build up on the walls of the blood vessels of the central nervous system. Seen to be occurring generally in the elderly population (after 60 years), the cause of CAA is unknown. People with this condition have deposits of amyloid protein in the walls of the brain arteries, and not any other part of the body. CAA can cause bleeding into the brain, that result in drowsiness, headache, speech and sensational changes. Other symptoms include Episodes of confusion, persistent headaches, dementia and seizures. There is no known effective treatment for CAA, which can be done only to relieve the symptoms.
5. Schizophrenia
One of the most intriguing mental disorders, a Schizophernia patient cannot logically distinguish between reality and fantasy. Experts consider this to be the most puzzling of mental disorders, as the disease has no defining medical tests. The patient loses all abilities to rational thinking and begins to make-believe his fantasy worlds, which would rather be a medium of escape for him from his routine life. The symptoms prominently include delusions, hallucinations, non-coherence of thought and speech, ability to recognise the real world people. These symptoms may vary tremendously from one patient to another depending on factors still unknown to science. A brilliant portrayal of such a personality can be seen in the well-acclaimed movie, A Beautiful Mind.