10 most formidable Diseases

Modern medicine entered a period of rapid progress during the turn of the 20th century. More advances have been made in the last half of this century than in all of modern history. As we enter the 21st century, we continue to make spectacular progress at an amazing rate but it still can’t seem to keep up with our medical needs. However far medicine has come, there are still some diseases that have planted a firm foothold on our lives, so much so that they have survived the centuries and remained incurable. The following is a list of these diseases.

1. Influenza Virus
Influenza is the technical name for one of the most common and most contagious diseases, the flu. It is a viral illness of the respiratory tract that is characterized by a high temperature, sore throat, running nose, headache, dry cough, and muscle pain.

2. Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome or AIDS
AIDS is an immune system disease caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. The virus is transmitted through blood or body secretions such as semen. People with AIDS are unable to fight infections because the virus slowly attacks and destroys some types of white blood cells. AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection and patients usually die from secondary causes, like pneumonia or cancer.

3. Lupus Erythematosus
Commonly known as lupus, this is a chronic, autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of connective tissue, specifically the skin, joints, and internal organs. There are three main types: discoid, systemic, and drug-induced lupus.

4. Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease of the pancreas characterized by the organ’s inability to sufficiently produce or appropriately respond to insulin, which results in the inability to maintain proper blood sugar levels.

5. The Common Cold
The common cold is a viral infection of the respiratory system characterized by sneezing, nasal congestion, coughing, and headaches. There are more than 100 agents which cause the common cold, these include parainfluenza, influenza, respiratory syncytial viruses, reoviruses, and rhinoviruses.

6. Asthma
Asthma is a chronic disease of the respiratory system, often caused by allergies, which triggers inflammation of the airways. Symptoms include coughing, difficulty in breathing, and a tight feeling in the chest, with severity ranging from mild to life-threatening. Allergens may include dust mites, animal dander, pollen, air pollution, cigarette smoke, weather conditions, medications, and physical exertion. Stress is also a contributing factor.

7. Cancer
Cancer is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body which destroy healthy tissue. There are more than 100 types, depending on the location of the growth. This disease is a major cause of sickness and death worldwide, affecting one in every three persons in developed countries. Cancer has been around for hundreds of years and cancer treatment has greatly improved since the mid-20th century. Effective treatment involves a combination of timely and accurate diagnosis, selective surgery, and therapy through radiation and drugs. In developed countries, advancements in cancer treatments have resulted in decreased deaths.

8. Ebola Virus
The Ebola virus originated from the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo in South Africa. It was first identified in 1976, in Zaire and Sudan, which resulted in hundreds of deaths. A second outbreak happened again in Zaire in 1995.

9. Polio Virus
Polio is the common name of poliomyelitis and is an infection that can sometimes cause temporary or permanent paralysis. It is also called infantile paralysis because it mostly affects children, normally those under the age of five, although the virus also affects young adults.

10. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, or CJD, is a rare degenerative brain disease, a form of human spongiform encephalopathy, characterized by vague psychiatric or behavioral changes, followed by progressive dementia that is accompanied by abnormal vision and loss of muscle control. CJD also causes a characteristic sponge-like pattern of brain degeneration that leaves brain tissue filled with holes.