illness /'iln^s/ [n C/U] a problem with your health that makes you feel ill, especially one that makes you stay in bed, or makes it difficult for you to work, have a normal life etc: She died at the age of 82, after a long illness. I How many days off work have you had because of illness? mental illness (=an illness that affects your mind) drugs that are used to treat mental illness
serious illness (=one that could be dangerous) In 1986 a serious illness ended her acting career.
recover from an illness Beth was still in the hospital, recovering from a serious illness.
A Don't use illness to talk about less serious problems such as headaches or
375
ILLNESS/DISEASE
colds.
be sick /bi: si к/ ESPECIALLY british to vomit:
Kelly ran into the bathroom and was violently sick. I I had to go out of the classroom because I thought I was going to be sick.
/К Be sick is used in both written and spoken English.
fee I sick .tiri s i к / especially British to have the feeling that you are going to vomit: Stop the car - I feel sick! I И/hen I was pregnant the smell of coffee made me feel sick
nausea /'ruizis. -siaf-zb, -J> [n U] the
feeling that you have when you think you are going to vomit: The treatment sometimes causes headaches and nausea.
ILLNESS/DISEASE
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Л 1 /
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WEAK
see
also
VjV
AIN ф MEJ
SUFFER
MEDICAL TREATMENT IU/$ICK_ A . DRUGS
BETTER 4
DOCTOR
WUN" ф MENTALLY ILL HEALTHY/UNHEALTHY
disease /dr'zi:z/ [n C/U) a particular kind of illness, especially one that spreads from one person to another or one that affects a particular part of your body: Measles is a disease that is common among young children. I Mosquitoes spread diseases such as malaria.
A
Heart/lung/kidney disease Smoking is a major cause of heart disease, suffer from a disease (=have a disease) She suffers from a rare blood disease, infectious disease (=one that spreads from one person to another)
Disease can also be used to mean a lot of different diseases: Thousands of refugees are dying of hunger and disease.
in/ection /in'fekj>n/ In CJ a disease that spreads from one person to another and affects part of your body such as your eye, ear, or throat: Dirty towels can spread infections.
ear/eye/throat/chest in/ection Richard's not at school because he has an ear infection.
bug ibAgj fn CI informal a disease that is not serious, which spreads from one person to another, for example in the air or in food, and which a lot of people get: There's a bug going around at school - everyone in my class has had it!
stomach/tummy bug (=illness affecting the stomach) Pete's been off work with о stomach bug.
pick up a bug (=get a bug) I think I picked up a bug while I was on vacation.
problem /"problem||'pro:-/ [л Cj when a
part of your body has something wrong with it, for example when it is painful or it does not work properly + with Simon's started to have problems with his back.
back/chest/skin etc problems A lot of
people have skin problems when they are young.
condition. /k3n'dij>n/ [n С] a serious
problem that affects someone's health permanently: High blood pressure is a condition that affects many elderly people.
heart condition Frank suffers from a rare heart condition.
El to have an illness
have (also have got british) /hsv, hsv 'gDt||-'ga:t/ [i> T) to have an illness: Beth has an awful cold. I I had ell the usual childhood illnesses. I Have you ever had pneumonia?
suffer/rom sth /"saforfrdm (sth)l-frAm-/
[phrasal verb Tj to have a particular kind of illness or health problem, especially one that is serious or one that you have often: Dewey had been in hospital for several weeks suffering from malaria. I She suffers from asthma attacks.
there's something wrong with
/беэгг .SAmGii] 'год wiSf-ron]-/1 informal use this to say that you have a medical problem affecting part of your body, but you are not sure exactly what it is: There's something wrong with my chest - it feels really tight. I We thought there might be something wrong with her hearing.
ILLNESS/DISEASE
with /wid, wi8/ (preposition] use this before the name of a disease, to say that someone has this disease: "Where's Helen?" "She's in bed with flu." I The charity provides support for people with
AIDS.
When you see lu, go to the ESSENTIAL COMMUNICATION section.
El to start to have an illness
get /get/ [и T] to start to have an illness: / feel all hot - I think I'm getting flu. I Smoking increases the risk of getting cancer.
get sth from/off someone (=get an infectious disease from someone else) He thinks he got the cold from someone in the office.
catch /kaetf/ [у T] to get a disease from someone else: Luke has measles. I hope I don't catch it.
catch sth from/off sb I think I must have caught the flu from Sarah. catching - caught - have caught
go down with sth /.gau 'daun wiO (sth) [phrasa/ verb T] informal to start to have an illness, especially one that is not serious: I'm afraid we can't come this weekend - the baby's gone down with a sore throat.
ЕЭ when a lot of people have an illness
outbreak /'autbreik, (n C] when a lot of people suddenly start to get an illness at the same time
+ of Doctors are very concerned about an outbreak of tuberculosis in an East London school.
epidemic /,epJ>'demik/ [n C] when very many people in an area or country get a disease, and it spreads very quickly a /lu/measles/с holer a etc epidemic Doctors warn that a flu epidemic may be on the way.
В when an illness is serious
serious /'si«?ri9s/ [adj] a serious illness or condition is very bad and may be dangerous: In February he suffered a serious heart attack. I Listeriosis is not usually a serious disease among healthy adults. sоmethtng/anything/nothing serious / hope it isn't anything serious, Doctor. seriously [aduj Her mother is seriously ill with pneumonia.