Difference Between Infection and Disease (with Comparison Chart)

Oct 5, 2022 · 6 min read ·

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Infection serves the closest way through which the microorganisms can cause disease and gradually when this infection starts weakening the immune system, and harm the body for a long or short term is called disease.

In general, people get confused with these words and use interchangeably. But these terms are totally different in their meaning and applicability, though they share the same passage and reasons of occurrence. Disease depends on the kind and place of occurrence of infection in the body.

Content: Infection Vs Disease

Comparison Chart

Basis for Comparison	Infection	Disease
Meaning	Infection is an attack and growth of microorganisms inside the body, therefore causing harm to the body.	Due to the weakening of the body's immune system after the infection of any kind of pathogens, the body starts responding automatically showing symptoms of pain, fever, aches. This state of the body is termed as a disease.
Symptoms	There are different symptoms shown by body of a different kind of infection, like a headache, stomach ache, chills, sweating, body ache, weight loss, loss of hunger, etc.	It also depends on the kind of pathogen attacked on the body and the place where it infected in the body.
When it happens	Infection is a kind of body's immune response, against the attack of the pathogen.	Disease occur when the body's immune system gets weakens and the pathogen starts harming the cells of the body part where it has infected.
Treatment	Infection can sometimes be treated if properly diagnosed. It will also be helpful in the prevention of disease in further spreading.	Disease are of many types, and there are different kinds of treatment available for different diseases.
Example	Lungs infections are of many types which starts with allergies, shortness in breathing, sneezing, coughs etc.	But if proper care not taken, these infections shapes into the big and life-threatening diseases like asthma, tuberculosis, bronchitis, etc.

Definition of Infection

When a pathogen like a virus, bacteria, fungus, prions, etc. enters into the body of a host and multiply or replicate over there, causing harm to the host is called infection. An infection may cause symptoms and be clinically visible or they may cause no symptoms and be subclinical.

If the infection gets spread to the whole body through blood or lymphatic vessels it becomes systematic and if it does not get spread and remain at the infected place only, it is called localized.

Infection can occur anywhere on the body, but it is usually visible on the skin, which is the largest organ of the body. Infection can be caused by a numerous variety of pathogens, symptoms may be mild or serious. A mild infection is easily treatable whereas serious one should be treated under medical supervisions. Infection can be bacterial, viral, parasitic, or fungal.

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The causative agent can cause acute infections, chronic infections, latent infections. Acute infections are the infection for the short duration, Chronic infections last for few weeks, months or for a longer duration, Latent infections may not cause any symptoms in the starting but reactive at the later stage.

Transmission of an infection can be through orally, sexually, droplet contact (respiratory route), fecal transmission, direct contact transmission, transmission through the vector. Preventions like wearing face masks, maintaining proper hygiene habits, drinking pure water, etc. can protect from catching infections.

Definition of Disease

When the condition of the body gets altered from normal and functional state of the organisms to the abnormal and dysfunctional state, associated with certain different kinds of signs and symptoms is called as disease. The disease can be communicable or non-communicable.

Communicable disease is those which get the transfer from one organism to another. Infectious disease is caused by infecting agent like bacteria, viruses, fungus and parasites which live and replicate in the host. As far as these two types of disease are concerned (communicable and infectious disease) they are almost same, as infectious diseases are communicable too. They can be life threatening also.

The noncommunicable disease is referred as a chronic disease, as they progress slowly and last for longer period. The main cause of occurrence is either genetically or due to some environmental conditions or abnormalities since birth.

According to World Health Organizations (WHO), there are mainly four types of noncommunicable disease likes cardiovascular disease (e.g. heart attack, stroke), cancer, chronic respiratory disease (e.g. asthma), and diabetes melitus. While genetic abnormalities like Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, and inborn errors of metabolism present from birth.

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Other types of causes of disease can be airborne, foodborne, and sometimes lifestyle too. Airborne diseases are those which are transmitted through the air and are caused by pathogens.

Foodborne results from the consumption of contaminated, stale or unhealthy food infected by viruses, bacteria, prions, and parasites. While changes in the lifestyle, their way of living are also another risk factor for the disease.

Prevention can be done by maintaining a proper diet, vaccination, earlier diagnosis of the disease, and taking self-care measures. Treatments can be done by different disease accordingly like proper medications, surgery, self-care, etc.

Key Differences Between Infection and Disease

Though there is the very slight difference between infection and disease, to make it more clear, given below are the key differences between them:

Infection is an attack and growth of microorganisms inside the body, therefore causing harm to the body; whereas due to the weakening of the body’s immune system after the infection of any kind of pathogens, the body starts responding automatically showing symptoms of pain, fever, aches. This state of the body is termed as the disease.

There are different symptoms shown by the body of a different kind of infection, like a headache, stomach ache, chills, sweating, body ache, weight loss, loss of hunger, etc. But when the body is suffering from specific kind of disease of the particular organ and the place where it is infected, it will exhibit that specific kind of symptoms. It also depends on the kind of pathogen attacked on the body.

Infection is a kind of body’s immune response, against the attack of the pathogen. While disease occurs when the body’s immune system gets weakens and the pathogen starts harming the cells of the body part where it has infected.

Infection can sometimes be treated if properly diagnosed. It will also be helpful in the prevention of disease in further spreading, while the disease is of many types, and there are different kinds of treatment available for different diseases.

Just, for example, lungs infections are of many types which start with allergies, shortness in breathing, sneezings, coughs, etc.; But if proper care not taken, these infections shapes into the big and life-threatening diseases like asthma, tuberculosis, bronchitis, etc.

Conclusion

In the given article we discussed the disease and infections distinctively and came to the conclusion that these words are though interconnected but are different from each other. Also if proper care is taken of the body or at the initial stage of the infection, it will prevent the pathogens to further spread, thus blocking the escalation of disease.

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