Chronic (medicine)
Encyclopedia
A chronic disease is a disease
or other human health
condition that is persistent or long-lasting in nature
. The term chronic is usually applied when the course
of the disease lasts for more than three months. Common chronic diseases include asthma, cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS.
In medicine
, the opposite of chronic is acute
. A chronic course is further distinguished from a recurrent
course; recurrent diseases relapse
repeatedly, with periods of remission in between.
While often referred to as "non-communicable disease
s", also usually lasting medical conditions, the latter are distinguished by their non-infectious cause. In contrast, some chronic diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, are caused by transmissible infections.
Many chronic diseases require chronic care management
for effective long-term treatment. Effective chronic disease control requires attention to social, behavioral, environmental and clinical aspects. Multiple morbidities
can be common in older adults.
(WHO) reports chronic non-communicable conditions to be by far the leading cause of mortality in the world, representing 35 million deaths in 2005 and over 60% of all deaths.
In the United States, nearly one in two Americans (133 million) has a chronic medical condition of one kind or another, with most (58%) between the ages of 18 and 64. The number is projected to increase by more than one percent per year by 2030, resulting in an estimated chronically ill population of 171 million. The most common chronic conditions are high blood pressure
, arthritis
, respiratory diseases like emphysema
, and high cholesterol
. Chronic illnesses cause about 70% of deaths in the US and are estimated to take up about 75% of health care
costs each year. However, for most people their medical conditions do not impair normal activities. Some 90% of seniors have at least one chronic disease, and 77% have two or more chronic conditions.
Disease
A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs. It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune...
or other human health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
condition that is persistent or long-lasting in nature
Natural history of disease
The natural history of disease refers to a description of the uninterrupted progression of a disease in an individual from the moment of exposure to causal agents until recovery or death. Knowledge of the natural history of disease ranks alongside causal understanding in importance for disease...
. The term chronic is usually applied when the course
Course (medicine)
In medicine, a course of medication is a period of continuous treatment with a drug, sometimes with variable dosage. Treatment with some drugs should not end abruptly...
of the disease lasts for more than three months. Common chronic diseases include asthma, cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS.
In medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
, the opposite of chronic is acute
Acute (medicine)
In medicine, an acute disease is a disease with either or both of:# a rapid onset, as in acute infection# a short course ....
. A chronic course is further distinguished from a recurrent
Recurrence relation
In mathematics, a recurrence relation is an equation that recursively defines a sequence, once one or more initial terms are given: each further term of the sequence is defined as a function of the preceding terms....
course; recurrent diseases relapse
Relapse
Relapse, in relation to drug misuse, is resuming the use of a drug or a dependent substance after one or more periods of abstinence. The term is a landmark feature of both substance dependence and substance abuse, which are learned behaviors, and is maintained by neuronal adaptations that mediate...
repeatedly, with periods of remission in between.
While often referred to as "non-communicable disease
Non-communicable disease
A non-communicable disease, or NCD, is a medical condition or disease which is non-infectious. NCDs are diseases of long duration and generally slow progression. They include heart disease, stroke, cancer, asthma, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, cataracts, and...
s", also usually lasting medical conditions, the latter are distinguished by their non-infectious cause. In contrast, some chronic diseases, such as HIV/AIDS, are caused by transmissible infections.
Key chronic conditions
Examples of chronic diseases and health conditions include:- AcneAcne vulgarisAcne vulgaris is a common human skin disease, characterized by areas of skin with seborrhea , comedones , papules , pustules , Nodules and possibly scarring...
- Autoimmune diseases, such as ulcerative colitisUlcerative colitisUlcerative colitis is a form of inflammatory bowel disease . Ulcerative colitis is a form of colitis, a disease of the colon , that includes characteristic ulcers, or open sores. The main symptom of active disease is usually constant diarrhea mixed with blood, of gradual onset...
, lupus erythematosusLupus erythematosusLupus erythematosus is a category for a collection of diseases with similar underlying problems with immunity . Symptoms of these diseases can affect many different body systems, including joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, heart, and lungs...
, Crohn's DiseaseCrohn's diseaseCrohn's disease, also known as regional enteritis, is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus, causing a wide variety of symptoms...
and Coeliac DiseaseCoeliac diseaseCoeliac disease , is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed people of all ages from middle infancy onward... - BlindnessBlindnessBlindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
- CancerCancerCancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
/ neoplastic diseases not amenable to be cured - Cardiovascular diseases: cerebrovascular diseaseCerebrovascular diseaseCerebrovascular disease is a group of brain dysfunctions related to disease of the blood vessels supplying the brain. Hypertension is the most important cause; it damages the blood vessel lining, endothelium, exposing the underlying collagen where platelets aggregate to initiate a repairing process...
, heart failure, ischemic cardiopathy - Chronic fatigue syndromeChronic fatigue syndromeChronic fatigue syndrome is the most common name used to designate a significantly debilitating medical disorder or group of disorders generally defined by persistent fatigue accompanied by other specific symptoms for a minimum of six months, not due to ongoing exertion, not substantially...
- Chronic graft-versus-host diseaseGraft-versus-host diseaseGraft-versus-host disease is a common complication after a stem cell transplant or bone marrow transplant from another person . Immune cells in the donated marrow or stem cells recognize the recipient as "foreign". The transplanted immune cells then attack the host's body cells...
(GVHD) - Chronic hepatitis
- Chronic pain syndromes, such as post-vasectomy pain syndromePost-vasectomy pain syndromePost-vasectomy pain syndrome is a chronic and sometimes debilitating genital pain condition that may develop immediately or several years after vasectomy. Because this condition is a syndrome, there is no single treatment method, therefore efforts focus on mitigating/relieving the individual...
- Chronic osteoarticular diseases: osteoarthritisOsteoarthritisOsteoarthritis also known as degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease, is a group of mechanical abnormalities involving degradation of joints, including articular cartilage and subchondral bone. Symptoms may include joint pain, tenderness, stiffness, locking, and sometimes an effusion...
, rheumatoid arthritisRheumatoid arthritisRheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disorder that may affect many tissues and organs, but principally attacks synovial joints. The process produces an inflammatory response of the synovium secondary to hyperplasia of synovial cells, excess synovial fluid, and the development... - Chronic renal failureChronic renal failureChronic kidney disease , also known as chronic renal disease, is a progressive loss in renal function over a period of months or years. The symptoms of worsening kidney function are unspecific, and might include feeling generally unwell and experiencing a reduced appetite...
- Chronic respiratory diseases: asthmaAsthmaAsthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseChronic obstructive pulmonary diseaseChronic obstructive pulmonary disease , also known as chronic obstructive lung disease , chronic obstructive airway disease , chronic airflow limitation and chronic obstructive respiratory disease , is the co-occurrence of chronic bronchitis and emphysema, a pair of commonly co-existing diseases...
(COPD), pulmonary hypertensionPulmonary hypertensionIn medicine, pulmonary hypertension is an increase in blood pressure in the pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein, or pulmonary capillaries, together known as the lung vasculature, leading to shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, and other symptoms, all of which are exacerbated by exertion... - Deafness and hearing impairmentHearing impairment-Definition:Deafness is the inability for the ear to interpret certain or all frequencies of sound.-Environmental Situations:Deafness can be caused by environmental situations such as noise, trauma, or other ear defections...
- Diabetes mellitusDiabetes mellitusDiabetes mellitus, often simply referred to as diabetes, is a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the body does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced...
- EpilepsyEpilepsyEpilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder characterized by seizures. These seizures are transient signs and/or symptoms of abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain.About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and nearly two out of every three new cases...
- OsteoporosisOsteoporosisOsteoporosis is a disease of bones that leads to an increased risk of fracture. In osteoporosis the bone mineral density is reduced, bone microarchitecture is deteriorating, and the amount and variety of proteins in bone is altered...
- Sickle Cell Anemia and other haemoglobin disorders
- Periodontal diseasePeriodontal diseasePeriodontitis is a set of inflammatory diseases affecting the periodontium, i.e., the tissues that surround and support the teeth. Periodontitis involves progressive loss of the alveolar bone around the teeth, and if left untreated, can lead to the loosening and subsequent loss of teeth...
Many chronic diseases require chronic care management
Chronic care management
Chronic care management encompasses the oversight and education activities conducted by health care professionals to help patients with chronic diseases and health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, lupus, multiple sclerosis and sleep apnea learn to understand their condition and...
for effective long-term treatment. Effective chronic disease control requires attention to social, behavioral, environmental and clinical aspects. Multiple morbidities
Multiple morbidities
Multiple morbidities or Multimorbidities is a term which means co-occurring diseases. For example, a person could have diabetes and heart disease and high blood pressure. In the Medicare population, 65% of patients have two or more chronic illnesses...
can be common in older adults.
Prevalence
The World Health OrganizationWorld Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
(WHO) reports chronic non-communicable conditions to be by far the leading cause of mortality in the world, representing 35 million deaths in 2005 and over 60% of all deaths.
In the United States, nearly one in two Americans (133 million) has a chronic medical condition of one kind or another, with most (58%) between the ages of 18 and 64. The number is projected to increase by more than one percent per year by 2030, resulting in an estimated chronically ill population of 171 million. The most common chronic conditions are high blood pressure
Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...
, arthritis
Arthritis
Arthritis is a form of joint disorder that involves inflammation of one or more joints....
, respiratory diseases like emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
, and high cholesterol
Hypercholesterolemia
Hypercholesterolemia is the presence of high levels of cholesterol in the blood. It is not a disease but a metabolic derangement that can be caused by many diseases, notably cardiovascular disease...
. Chronic illnesses cause about 70% of deaths in the US and are estimated to take up about 75% of health care
Health care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
costs each year. However, for most people their medical conditions do not impair normal activities. Some 90% of seniors have at least one chronic disease, and 77% have two or more chronic conditions.
See also
- Acute (medicine)Acute (medicine)In medicine, an acute disease is a disease with either or both of:# a rapid onset, as in acute infection# a short course ....
- Chronic painChronic painChronic pain has several different meanings in medicine. Traditionally, the distinction between acute and chronic pain has relied upon an arbitrary interval of time from onset; the two most commonly used markers being 3 months and 6 months since the initiation of pain, though some theorists and...
- Course (medicine)Course (medicine)In medicine, a course of medication is a period of continuous treatment with a drug, sometimes with variable dosage. Treatment with some drugs should not end abruptly...
- Disease management (health)Disease management (health)Disease management is defined as "a system of coordinated health care interventions and communications for populations with conditions in which patient self-care efforts are significant." For people who can access health care practitioners or peer support it is the process whereby persons with...
- Dynamic treatment regimesDynamic treatment regimesIn medical research, a dynamic treatment regime or adaptive treatment strategy is a set of rules for choosing effective treatments for individual patients. The treatment choices made for a particular patient are based on that individual's characteristics and history, with the goal of optimizing...
- Medical tattooMedical tattooA medical tattoo is a tattoo used to show the illnesses or allergetic reactions one has. Medical tattoos can be used for a number of reasons:* As a warning that a patient suffers from a chronic disease that can exacerbate suddenly and that will require immediate specialist treatment...
- Multiple morbiditiesMultiple morbiditiesMultiple morbidities or Multimorbidities is a term which means co-occurring diseases. For example, a person could have diabetes and heart disease and high blood pressure. In the Medicare population, 65% of patients have two or more chronic illnesses...
- Natural history of diseaseNatural history of diseaseThe natural history of disease refers to a description of the uninterrupted progression of a disease in an individual from the moment of exposure to causal agents until recovery or death. Knowledge of the natural history of disease ranks alongside causal understanding in importance for disease...
- Non-communicable diseaseNon-communicable diseaseA non-communicable disease, or NCD, is a medical condition or disease which is non-infectious. NCDs are diseases of long duration and generally slow progression. They include heart disease, stroke, cancer, asthma, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, cataracts, and...
- Virtual WardsVirtual WardsA virtual ward is a cadre for providing support in the community to people with the most complex medical and social needs. The concept was developed in Croydon Primary Care Trust - and virtual wards are now being introduced in several parts of the UK...
(a UK term)
External links
- Bone Marrow Transplantation journal
- Center for Managing Chronic Disease, University of Michigan
- MEDICC Review theme issue on Confronting Chronic Diseases With longer life expectancies in most countries and the globalization of "Western" diets and sedentarism, the main burden of disease and death from these conditions is falling on already-disadvantaged developing countries and poor communities everywhere.
- Public Health Agency of Canada: Chronic Disease
- World Health Organization: Chronic Disease and Health Promotion