Non-infectious diseases are disease processes that do not have a bacterial or viral origin. Compared to infectious diseases, non-infectious diseases are not contagious or communicable. Non-infectious diseases such as cancers and heart disease are among the leading causes of death in the United States. Other non-infectious diseases include kidney disease, mental disease, dementia and bone, joint and muscle disorders.
Cancer
Cancer is a non-infectious disease that affects millions of people. The National Cancer Institute reports the most common cancer type as nonmelanoma skin cancer, with about one million cases a year. Lung cancer is the second-most common, with about 219,440 new cases and 159,390 deaths. Other common cancers include bladder, breast, leukemia, pancreatic, prostate, thyroid, colorectal, endometrial and kidney cancer.
Heart Disease
Mayo Clinic reports heart disease, a non-infectious disease, as the number-one killer in the United States. Heart or cardiovascular disease refers to a variety of conditions that involve the circulatory system. Heart attacks, strokes, chest pain, tachycardia, high cholesterol, heart valve disease, high blood pressure, palpitations and congenital heart disease are some of the non-infectious heart diseases.
Kidney Disease
The National Kidney Foundation reports chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a non-infectious disease that affects about 26 million Americans. CKD results when the kidneys are no longer able to remove wastes from the body. Diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, lupus, kidney stones and polycystic kidney disease may hinder the kidneys' ability to process and remove wastes.
Mental Disease
Mental disease covers a broad range of non-infectious diseases that affects people of all ages. Autism, panic attacks, narcolepsy, manic-depressive disorder, depression, bulimia nervosa, bipolar disorder and Asperger's syndrome are examples of non-infectious mental diseases.
Dementia
Dementia is the result of specific non-infectious diseases that affect brain function that control thinking, memory, judgment, behavior and language. Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease and multiple sclerosis are examples of non-infectious dementia diseases.
Bone Disease
Non-infectious bone diseases include osteoporosis, Paget's disease and osteogenesis imperfecta. Osteoporosis indicates a low bone mass, fragile bones, and high risk of bone fractures. Paget's disease presents as bones that grow larger and weaker than normal bones. Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a non-infectious genetic disorder. OI symptoms include bones that break easily.
Muscle and Joint Disease
Non-infectious muscle and joint diseases include fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and gout. Fibromyalgia is a chronic non-infectious disease identified as pain and tender points in soft tissue, muscles and joints throughout the body. Merck Manual, an online medical library, reports rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects about one percent of the world's population. RA symptoms range from mild occasional joint pain to severe and debilitating pain. Gout is a non-infectious disease caused by high levels of uric acid in the joints and manifests as sudden severe joint pain, possibly accompanied by fever and feeling ill.
