Environmental factor
Encyclopedia
Environmental factor or ecological factor or ecofactor is any factor, abiotic or biotic, that influences living organisms.
s, environmental factors may determine the development of disease in those genetically predisposed to a particular condition. Stress
, physical
and mental
abuse
, diet
, exposure to toxin
s, pathogen
s, radiation
and chemicals found in almost all personal care products and household cleaners are common environmental factors that determine a large segment of non-hereditary disease.
Environmental factors such as the weather affect business interests. 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.
An example of an environmental trigger would be a component of a human's drinking water
which holds the possibility of activating (triggering) a change in a person's body. These changes are mainly negative ones. Using this example, what is in the drinking water may affect one person entirely different than another -- someone may be affected greatly, whereas someone may not be at all.
Many cancer
s (osteosarcoma
, etc.), along with a plethora of other disease
s, are thought to be a result of environmental triggers.
Nitrates may be an environmental trigger for Alzheimer's, diabetes, and Parkinson's disease
.
Environmental triggers for asthma
and autism
have been studied too.
Environmental factors inducing diseases
Apart from the true monogenic genetic disorderGenetic disorder
A genetic disorder is an illness caused by abnormalities in genes or chromosomes, especially a condition that is present from before birth. Most genetic disorders are quite rare and affect one person in every several thousands or millions....
s, environmental factors may determine the development of disease in those genetically predisposed to a particular condition. Stress
Stress (biology)
Stress is a term in psychology and biology, borrowed from physics and engineering and first used in the biological context in the 1930s, which has in more recent decades become commonly used in popular parlance...
, physical
Human body
The human body is the entire structure of a human organism, and consists of a head, neck, torso, two arms and two legs.By the time the human reaches adulthood, the body consists of close to 100 trillion cells, the basic unit of life...
and mental
Mind
The concept of mind is understood in many different ways by many different traditions, ranging from panpsychism and animism to traditional and organized religious views, as well as secular and materialist philosophies. Most agree that minds are constituted by conscious experience and intelligent...
abuse
Abuse
Abuse is the improper usage or treatment for a bad purpose, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, sexual assault, violation, rape, unjust practices; wrongful practice or custom; offense; crime, or otherwise...
, diet
Diet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
, exposure to toxin
Toxin
A toxin is a poisonous substance produced within living cells or organisms; man-made substances created by artificial processes are thus excluded...
s, pathogen
Pathogen
A pathogen gignomai "I give birth to") or infectious agent — colloquially, a germ — is a microbe or microorganism such as a virus, bacterium, prion, or fungus that causes disease in its animal or plant host...
s, radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
and chemicals found in almost all personal care products and household cleaners are common environmental factors that determine a large segment of non-hereditary disease.
Environmental factors such as the weather affect business interests. If a disease process is concluded to be the result of a combination of genetic
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
and environmental factor influences, its etiological origin can be referred to as having a multifactorial
Multifactorial
Multifactorial can refer to:* The multifactorial in mathematics.* Multifactorial inheritance, a pattern of predisposition for a disease process....
pattern.
An example of an environmental trigger would be a component of a human's drinking water
Drinking water
Drinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
which holds the possibility of activating (triggering) a change in a person's body. These changes are mainly negative ones. Using this example, what is in the drinking water may affect one person entirely different than another -- someone may be affected greatly, whereas someone may not be at all.
Many cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
s (osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma
Osteosarcoma is an aggressive cancerous neoplasm arising from primitive transformed cells of mesenchymal origin that exhibit osteoblastic differentiation and produce malignant osteoid...
, etc.), along with a plethora of other disease
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
s, are thought to be a result of environmental triggers.
Nitrates may be an environmental trigger for Alzheimer's, diabetes, and Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system...
.
Environmental triggers for asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
and autism
Autism
Autism is a disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restricted and repetitive behavior. These signs all begin before a child is three years old. Autism affects information processing in the brain by altering how nerve cells and their...
have been studied too.
External links
- "TAU Expert Reviews Environmental Triggers (hairspray! Lipstick!) Of Common Autoimmune Diseases", Medical News TodayMedical News TodayMedical News Today is a web-based outlet for medical news, targeted to both physicians and the general public. The site was launched in 2003 and reports monthly readership of 3–4 million unique visitors...