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Medical Science
Grade 9-12
Common Diseases & Conditions Cheat Sheet
A printable reference covering infectious disease, chronic disease, risk factors, symptoms, prevention, and vital signs for grades 9-12.
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This cheat sheet covers common diseases and conditions that students may hear about in health class, medical science, or everyday life. It helps organize the differences between infectious diseases, chronic diseases, injuries, immune responses, and emergencies. Students need this reference to connect symptoms, causes, prevention, and basic health measurements in a clear way. It is meant for learning and review, not for diagnosing or treating illness.
Key Facts
- Infectious diseases are caused by pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites and can spread through contact, droplets, blood, food, water, or vectors.
- Chronic diseases such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis usually last 3 months or longer and often require long-term management.
- Fever is commonly defined as a body temperature of 100.4°F or 38°C or higher, and it often signals infection or inflammation.
- Body mass index is calculated as BMI = weight in kilograms ÷ height in meters squared, and it is one screening tool for weight-related health risk.
- Heart rate is measured in beats per minute, and a typical resting adult range is about 60 to 100 beats per minute, though athletes may be lower.
- Blood pressure is written as systolic/diastolic in mmHg, and values around 120/80 mmHg are often considered a common reference point for adults.
- Type 1 diabetes involves little or no insulin production, while type 2 diabetes involves insulin resistance and often develops with genetic and lifestyle risk factors.
- Prevention strategies include vaccination, handwashing, safe food handling, exercise, balanced nutrition, sleep, avoiding tobacco, and following medical advice.
Vocabulary
- Pathogen
- A pathogen is a microorganism or agent, such as a virus or bacterium, that can cause disease.
- Symptom
- A symptom is a change a patient feels or reports, such as pain, nausea, fatigue, or dizziness.
- Sign
- A sign is an observable or measurable clue of illness, such as fever, rash, swelling, or high blood pressure.
- Risk Factor
- A risk factor is anything that increases the chance of developing a disease or condition.
- Inflammation
- Inflammation is the body's protective response to injury or infection, often causing redness, heat, swelling, and pain.
- Chronic Disease
- A chronic disease is a long-lasting condition that usually develops slowly and requires ongoing care or lifestyle management.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Confusing signs and symptoms is a common mistake because symptoms are felt by the patient, while signs can be observed or measured by others.
- Assuming antibiotics treat viral infections is wrong because antibiotics target bacteria, not viruses such as the common cold or flu.
- Ignoring risk factors because a person feels healthy is unsafe because many conditions, including high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, may develop silently.
- Using BMI as a complete diagnosis is wrong because BMI is only a screening tool and does not directly measure muscle mass, body fat distribution, or overall health.
- Thinking all chest pain has the same cause is dangerous because chest pain can come from muscles, lungs, digestion, anxiety, or the heart and may need urgent evaluation.
Practice Questions
- 1 A student has a temperature of 101.3°F. Based on the common fever threshold of 100.4°F, does this count as a fever?
- 2 Calculate the BMI for a person who weighs 72 kg and is 1.80 m tall using BMI = weight in kilograms ÷ height in meters squared.
- 3 A patient's blood pressure is recorded as 145/92 mmHg. Which number is systolic, which number is diastolic, and how does it compare with the common reference point of 120/80 mmHg?
- 4 Explain why prevention methods such as vaccination, handwashing, exercise, and avoiding tobacco can reduce disease risk even when they do not guarantee perfect protection.