Question

What are the different levels of causes of diseases? Explain with an example

Answer 1

Causes of diseases: Many factors such as external or internal factors are responsible for causing a particular disease.

Levels of causes of diseases

The levels of causes of diseases include:

1. Primary,
2. Secondary, and
3. Tertiary.

Primary level causes :

• The disease-causing agent is responsible for causing a disease.
• The primary cause of the disease is pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoans which are usually transmitted to a person through intake of contaminated food and water, but not everyone is susceptible to these infectious agents.
• An example of a primary cause of diseases such as Typhoid, Tuberculosis, AIDS, and Malaria are pathogens.

Secondary level causes :

• The secondary level cause of disease does not involve infectious agents, but the contaminating route that allowed that agent to enter the body in order to cause the infection.
• For example, contaminated water causes Cholera.

Third level causes:

• Poverty and poor health services are the third cause of diseases.
• Poor People living in unclean environments are more susceptible to various water-borne diseases.
• An example of this level of disease is unhygienic surroundings and improper sanitation.