Certain diseases cannot be completely cured by conventional medicines and treatments. The list of such diseases includes even the most common and less complicated ones like say the common cold and also those which are grave in nature like cancer. Majority of the patients suffer from pain, discomfort to a greater extent, but with the use of the latest techniques and medications, one can reduce the intensity of the physical symptoms, promote the healing process to an extent even though curing them after occurrence is not possible.
Listed below are ten incurable diseases.
1. Systemic Lupus Erythomatosus
This is an auto-immune disease (where the body’s defense mechanism or immune system attacks your own cells) which may show phases of varied activity as far as the symptoms, etiology is concerned. Chronic inflammation or ulceration occurs as a result. The disease is categorized into three types (Discoid, Systemic, Drug-induced) basing on the organs affected, even though any part of the body can be affected like the skin, kidneys, joints, heart, brain, including the serous membranes in a few types of the disease.
2. Diabetes
It is a highly prevalent disease affecting millions of people as many people are adopting an unhealthy lifestyle which is the major risk factor. Inability to maintain optimum blood sugar levels due to impaired carbohydrate metabolism and inadequate insulin in the body, are the causes for this medical condition. Different forms of the disease manifest; some are insulin dependent while others can be regulated through diet and exercise (like Type-II). Insulin dependent forms like Juvenile Diabetes (Type-I) are autoimmune where body’s cells attack the insulin producing cells.
3. Polio
A viral disease also known as Poliomyelitis or Infantile paralysis. As the name suggests, it mostly affects children under five years. Many cases remain undetected and some may show very common symptoms which makes diagnosis difficult. Paralysis of different muscles occurs – leading to permanent disability which is not reversible. Vaccination on a massive scale is in progress to effectively tackle and eliminate this disease forever.
4. Influenza
It is a viral infection caused due to three different strains characterized by infection of the upper respiratory tract. The symptoms can be generalized when attacked by any of the three strains ranging from body ache to fever etc along with others. The main issue is that infection by one strain does not make you immune to other strains.
5. AIDS
A dreadful disease caused by Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) which mainly attacks cells which help in the production of antibodies, in turn, making the immune system incapable of resisting infection. Disease is transmitted only through direct exchange of body fluids and is characterized by initial symptoms like severe weight loss and fatigue followed by many secondary infections due to the compromised state of the immune system.
6. Ebola
A viral fever with symptoms like high fever, skin rash and intense hemorrhaging and a high mortality rate. The disease is named after a river in Africa, where it was more prevalent and was the cause of an epidemic and hundreds of deaths.
7. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
A rather fatal disease affecting above middle-age groups (both men and women are affected by this disease). This degenerative disease affects the central nervous system. The first year after the onset of initial symptoms is the testing period, as this disease is most serious during this phase. Many psychological changes are seen after infection and such changes get blown to more serious dementia, vision problems later on.
8. Asthma
A condition caused by inflamed, constricted airways leading to a wide range of problems like breathing difficulty, tightness in the chest and so on. The condition can range from being mild to more severe. Many environmental allergens (like dust, pollen, smoke) and other triggers (stress) cause Asthma. There may be sudden onset of symptoms or it may take a few days for symptoms to develop.
9. Common cold
Caused by groups of rhino viruses affecting the upper respiratory tract in the primary stage. The infection can be spread to the eyes, ears in the secondary stage. The symptoms can be normal ranging from running nose, body ache, feeling cold etc. Medicines work only by reducing the discomfort even though a complete cure for it does not exist. As the incubation period is short, the infection spreads to others even before initial symptoms start in a person.
10. Cancer
Uncontrolled proliferation of cells leading to tumor formation is a significant characteristic of the group of diseases featuring as Cancer. Known causative agents – so called Carcinogens include smoking, certain industrial chemicals, asbestos, dust and radioactivity even though viruses, genetic predisposition in some people are some factors implicated in the causation of some cancers. Early diagnosis greatly helps to cure some cancers and the treatment options like radiation or chemotherapy, surgeries are used depending on the type of cancer. There are many different cancers – like Lung cancer, Blood cancer, Skin cancer etc. Studies are ongoing in order to better understand the disease, for improved treatment options and early diagnosis.
Advanced medicine has provided treatments for majority of the diseases but it still has not succeeded to provide long lasting relief and cure from these diseases. But the future definitely holds hope for conquering even such illnesses with dramatic and incredible results – all made feasible with major advances in technology and science.
