Causes of illness and disease – WJECThe 20th and 21st centuries

The 20th century saw major progress in the fight against disease, as our understanding of what causes illness and disease grew.

However, some diseases still pose a challenge to scientists.

Even when the causes of disease are known, some people do not always take the right steps to prevent disease or to reduce risk.

Lifestyle diseases can be caused by the type of lives we lead, eg smoking, poor diet, too much alcohol etc. These can lead to a wide range of problems such as heart disease, cancers, obesity and diabetes.

Environmental causes such as pollution, or work-related issues, eg stress or unsociable hours are also known causes.