While children, adolescents and adults can have specific types of diseases, many illnesses, such as cold, flu, diarrhea and parasites, are common to all ages. Diseases that spread easily among any age group include bacterial, viral and fungal infections. Some genetic diseases are present from birth, and some may appear during childhood, adolescence or adulthood.
Childhood Diseases
Children have the potential to contract a variety of disease types. Medline Plus reports that infectious diseases such as pink eye, cold, croup, impetigo, ear infection and bronchiolitis are inevitable at some point from 1 to 14 years of age. Vaccines protect against many serious childhood diseases, such as diptheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps and rubella. KidsHealth.org reports other childhood diseases include parasitic diseases such as pinworms and lice, skin infections such as eczema, and fungal infections such as ringworm.
Adolescent Diseases
Adolescence covers puberty to adulthood, about 12 to 20 years of age. During this period, the body undergoes many changes physically, mentally, emotionally and sexually. The University of Virginia Health System reports that about 10 percent of adolescents under the age of 17 will experience a disability or chronic illness. Diseases affecting adolescents include asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, infectious mononucleosis, sexually transmitted diseases and acne.
Female Diseases
The Mayo Clinic reports the top disease processes for females include heart disease, lung and breast cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and Alzheimer's. Female-specific diseases cover a broad span, from menstrual disorders related to hormone imbalance or disease to obstetrical and gynecological diseases. Diseases related to pregnancy include postpartum thyroiditis, gestational diabetes and gestational hypertension. Cancers related to the female reproductive system include endometrial, uterine sarcoma, vulvar, cervical, ovarian and fallopian tube cancer. Other female diseases include endometriosis, vaginitis and intrauterine infections.
Male Diseases
The top disease threats for men, as presented by the Mayo Clinic, include heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease and Alzheimer's. The National Institutes of Health reports male-specific diseases include Peyronie's disease (penile bending during an erection), balanitis (inflammation of the skin over the penis), penile cancer, prostatitis, enlarged prostate, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Sexually transmitted diseases affect all ages and both genders. In 2008, the Centers for Disease Control reported 1,210,523 cases of chlamydia, with women affected at a rate of three times the men. Cases of gonorrhea, reported at 336,742, affect women at the highest rate between the ages of 15 and 24. Statistics show the number of syphilis cases at 13,500, with 431 cases of congenital syphilis.
