Unit 14, Task 2 Resub
P4- Explain possible effects of two long-term physiological conditions on the daily lives of
individuals.
The possible effects of multiple sclerosis are that they experience mobility problems, which would
impact them when trying to wash themselves and get dressed. This is due to numbness in the legs
and feet, difficulty with balance, weakness in the muscles. Weakness in the muscles can be made
worse by muscle spasms which can be a symptom of multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis often
causes chronic pain, leading to increased tiredness and fatigue, this would make everyday tasks,
such as shopping hard to complete. Therefore, individuals may decide to have their shopping
delivered to them, but this costs them more. As multiple sclerosis gets worse as the condition goes
on and there is no cure at present, people may need to retire early, so this may cause problems for
them financially, especially if they have to pay for any support that they need. They may become
isolated if they struggle to leave the house due to the mobility issues with the condition, but they
may also not want to go out due to bladder problems, as they are fearful of experiencing
embarrassment. Multiple sclerosis may also lead to muscle wasting, as the individual is experiencing
mobility difficulties, which causes the muscles to waste as they are not being used, particularly if
they permanently rely on a wheelchair in order to move around. There are daily effects of suffering
from multiple sclerosis. The social effects may be that the individual is unable to socialise individually
due to them needing support from others. This may prevent them from socialising and causes them
to isolate themselves. They may also feel embarrassed and ashamed about their condition, which
may lead them to not wanting to meet new people. They may also worry about people staring at
them particularly if they have to use a wheelchair because of the condition and therefore may avoid
going out. They are likely to experience emotional effects such as feeling fed up. They may feel
worthless because of their diagnosis and feel like a burden as they have a lack of independence and
may need to rely on others. This may also make them feel angry as they cannot do things for
themselves, and they may feel like their body is failing them. They may experience low moods; this
can be because of the diagnosis but also because of the pain. Individuals with multiple sclerosis
often feel worried and uncertain about the future, as individuals often deteoriate with the condition.
The possible effects of down syndrome are that the individual may suffer from learning disabilities
that could impact them when applying for jobs, and then completing tasks as part of the job but this
varies with each individual. As they may suffer from learning disabilities, they may have difficulty
managing finances, and can be taken advantage because of this. Someone with down’s syndrome
may also suffer from physical disabilities as well. There often are medical complications that
accompany down syndrome. Often individuals with down syndrome have developmental delays in
childhood, meaning that they tend to meet milestones later than other children. For example, they
may not walk at 15 months old, it may take a few months longer for them to take their first steps.
This may impact them in their daily life as they may be more reliant on others until they become
more able to be independent to the best of their ability. Individuals with down syndrome may have
medical complications that accompany down syndrome. These may be congenital heart defects, and
may vary from mild to severe. The milder defect may be a small hole in the heart, to the more severe
defects, such as missing parts of the heart or poorly formed parts, meaning that the heart will
function less effectively than how it should. They may have hearing loss or poor vision or cataracts,
which can impact their daily life, as they may be less independent. People with down syndrome may
be more prone to infections, such as respiratory infections, like pneumonia, urinary tract infections
, and skin infections. They may also experience feeling left out of important conversations because of
their condition, people may believe that those with down syndrome will not understand what is
being said about them, so they should not be included in the conversation, when in fact this is not
true. People with down syndrome can also have an increased risk of developing alzheimers, as they
can experience heart defects, and alzheimers can be related to blood flow, which may be restricted
due to these heart defects. The intellectual effects of down syndrome include that individual may be
unable to go to secondary mainstream schools due to learning disabilities. They may be unable to
live alone in the future but this depends on the level of learning disability they have. In the past
individuals with down syndrome would remain at home with their parents, whereas now a days,
there are places such as assisted living or the opportunity to employ personal assistants to support
them. They may struggle with managing finances, so they may be more at risk of becoming a victim
of a scam.
P5- Describe two possible ways of monitoring a long-term physiological condition
Multiple sclerosis can be monitored through MRI scans as the scans give a detailed image of the
inside of the spinal cord and brain. The MRI scan would also involve a dye that would enable doctors
to detect activity and inactivity in the brain and spinal cord. An MRI uses strong magnetic fields and
radio waves to show detailed images of the inside of the body. The scan can show the damage to the
myelin sheath in the brain and spinal cord; by finding this damage most people can get a diagnosis of
multiple sclerosis. As multiple sclerosis affects multiple parts of the body, it can cause sight
problems, to detect this an optical coherence tomography may be carried out. This would allow for
professionals so see the nerve layers of the eye and assess any thinning to the optic nerve. A spinal
tap, also known as a lumbar puncture, may be carried out particularly in the early diagnosis stage of
the condition. This would allow for doctors to find any abnormalities in the spinal fluid, and allows
for them to rule out any other conditions. Blood tests would only be used to eliminate other
conditions that have the same symptoms as MS. A visual evoked potentials (VEP) test may be used.
“This test requires the stimulation of nerve pathways to analyse electrical activity in the brain. In the
past, brain stem auditory and sensory-evoked potential tests were also used to diagnose MS.”
(Pietrangelo, 2020)
Down syndrome can be monitored through multiple tests as there can be many complications that
accompany the syndrome. Congenital heart defects would need to be monitored through regular
ECG’s. An ECG will show the heart rhythm and electrical activity of the heart. Individuals often get
chest and respiratory infections, so professionals would need to monitor this carefully using lung
function tests. There are several tests, these include spirometry, lung volume test, gas diffusion test
or an exercise stress test. A spirometry test involves breathing out into a tube to see how quickly an
individual can move air in and out of your lungs. There is also an increased risk of hearing loss with
down syndrome, so individuals would need regular hearing tests. Poor vision and cataracts would
need to be monitored through regular eye tests. Screening for down syndrome can be carried out
during the pregnancy, usually at 11 to 14 weeks into the pregnancy. Down syndrome will also be
monitored through cognitive testing, in order to determine what level of learning disabilities they
have. The test carried out is called a mini mental state examination, and it tests a range of mental
abilities, such as memory, attention and language. It will involve memorising and listing objects, or
asking someone basic questions, such as what day is it today. Cognitive testing would take place over
time to show any deterioration in the function of their cognitive functioning.
