A noncommunicable disease is a disease that cannot be spread from person to person. Some noncommunicable diseases are diabetes, allergies, asthma, and heart disease. Many noncommunicable diseases are chronic, which means that people live with them for years, sometimes their whole lives.
If these diseases don’t spread from person to person, how do you get them? Learn more in the table below.
| Noncommunicable Disease Type |
Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Diseases at Birth | Diseases that develop during pregnancy or that are inherited from one or both parents | Down syndrome (during pregnancy) Sickle cell disease (inherited from parents) |
| Lifestyle Diseases | Diseases that are caused or made worse by unhealthy habits such as smoking, having an unhealthy diet, or being overweight | Lung cancer (smoking) Heart disease, diabetes, cancer (diet) Heart disease, diabetes (being overweight) |
| Environmental Diseases | Diseases that are caused or made worse by exposure to chemicals, such as pollution, in the environment | Lung cancer (air pollution) Developmental delays (lead poisoning) |
We will look at a few of the most common noncommunicable diseases for the rest of this lesson.
