Ma'anar ƙamus na kalmar "cututtukan kwayoyin halitta" yana nufin wani yanayi na likita ko rashin lafiya wanda ke faruwa daga rashin daidaituwa na jiki ko tsarin jiki, kamar rashin aiki na kwakwalwa ko rashin aiki na gaba ko tsarin jiki. Wannan ya bambanta da “cututtukan aiki,” waɗanda ba su da tabbataccen tushe na zahiri amma saboda matsalolin yadda jiki ke aiki. Wasu misalan cututtukan ƙwayoyin cuta sun haɗa da yanayin jijiya kamar cutar Parkinson ko sclerosis mai yawa, da cututtukan zuciya, hanta, ko koda.